In most cases, the person who lives in a property and is 18 or over will have to pay the Council Tax.

This could be:

• an owner-occupier
• a tenant
• a licensee
• someone who lives in the property without the right of occupation

Sometimes, more than one person may have to pay the bill, for example joint owners or joint tenants.

Special rules about joint and several liabilities apply. For example, if someone has a severe mental impairment or where a full-time student lives with someone who is not a student.

If you are 18 or above and are not working, or earn less than £95.60 a week, you won't pay anything. If you live with anyone over 25 who is not your partner and that person (who is called a non-dependant) earns more than £95.60 per week, your Council Tax Support will be reduced by 30% of your Council Tax liability (calculated before any Council Tax Support is awarded) for each person. Couples are treated as one. 

When the property owner pays

There are also times when the owner of the property will have to pay rather than the resident. For example:

• properties that are nobody's main home
• homes where the tenants have separate tenancy agreements for part of the property or where it has been adapted for partial occupation, for example, bedsits
• care homes, nursing homes and night shelters
• religious communities (monasteries or convents)
• properties which are not the owner's main home but are occupied by their domestic staff
• homes where a minister of religion lives and works
• properties occupied by asylum seekers who are receiving support directly from the Home Office.

Owners of some types of property may be entitled to a discounts or exemption.