Members of religious communities

An adult living in your household is not counted for council tax if they are a member of a religious community.

A person qualifies if:

• their main occupation is prayer, contemplation, education, the relief of suffering
• they have no income or capital of their own. Other than any occupational pension from previous employment
• they are dependent on the religious community for their material needs

If we do not count this person for council tax and there are less than two adults in the property that are counted for council tax, you will get a 25% discount off your bill. If all the members of your household are members of a religious community, the discount will be 50% off your bill.

You need to have a MyGuildford account to apply for this discount online. If you do not have a MyGuildford account you can set one up.

Register or sign into your MyGuildford account (opens new window)

If you have not yet registered to access your council tax account online, there are more steps. You can then link your online council tax account to your MyGuildford.

To complete this step you will need the following information:

• your council tax reference number - found on your latest bill
• your name exactly as it appears on your council tax bill
• your property postcode
• if you have applied for Local Council Tax Support or have been named on a council tax support application, you will also need to provide your national insurance number. This provides an additional level of security

Once you have linked your council tax account, you can go into the 'account summary' screen. You will see a list of 'quick links' on the right-hand side. You need to select the 'apply for or cancel a disregard' link.

You need to supply the following information:

• the date the person(s) moved into the property or became a member of a religious community

You can tell us about any changes online if you have a MyGuildford account. If you do not have a MyGuildford account you can set one up.

Register or sign into your MyGuildford account (opens new window)

If you have not yet registered to access your council tax account online, there are more steps. You can then link your online council tax account to your MyGuildford. 

To complete this step you will need the following information:

• your council tax reference number - found on your latest bill
• your name exactly as it appears on your council tax bill
• your property postcode
• if you have applied for Local Council Tax Support or have been named on a council tax support application, you will also need to provide your national insurance number. This provides an additional level of security

Once you have linked your council tax account, you can go to the 'account summary' screen. You will see a list of 'quick links' on the right-hand side. You need to select the 'apply for or cancel a disregard' link. You can then tell us about the change.

If there is a change to your exemption, we will send you a new bill.

We will make a decision on whether we can award a reduction.

We will send you a new bill if we can award a reduction.