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Council Tax and the Homes for Ukraine scheme

Regulations have been introduced to support those hosting relevant Ukrainian persons who came to the UK under the Homes for Ukraine scheme with Homes for Ukraine visas. This is to ensure there is no negative impact on the host's Council Tax.

Council Tax discounts and exemptions

If you have an existing discount or exemption and are hosting relevant Ukrainian person(s) in your household, the Council Tax bill will stay in your name. However, you must tell us about this change so we can update your records.

  • Single person discount
    If you’re hosting a relevant Ukrainian person(s) and you have a single person discount, you won't lose this discount.

  • Exempt properties
    If you’re hosting a relevant Ukrainian person(s) and you have one of the following exemptions on the property, your entitlement to this exemption won't be affected:
    • Unoccupied property exemptions include Class B, D, E, F, H, I, J, K, L, Q and T.
    • Occupied property exemptions include Class N, S and U.

You can tell us about the change using our online form. You'll need to tell us the date the relevant Ukrainian person(s) moved in and their full name(s). You also need to upload evidence of their Homes for Ukraine visa(s) using our evidence form.

Second homes

If you pay the full rate of Council Tax for an empty property and you have relevant Ukrainian person(s) solely occupying this, they will be disregarded for the bill. As such, the Council Tax bill will be reduced to 50%.

The Council Tax bill will be updated into the name of the occupier(s) of the property. We'll issue an updated bill for this. Although the provider of the property may wish to pay the bill on the occupier's behalf, the bill will remain in the name of the occupier.

You'll need to fill in our change of address form so a new Council Tax account can be set up in the name of the occupier.

You also need to:

  • apply for a Council Tax discount for the relevant Ukrainian national(s) to be disregarded
  • upload evidence of the Homes for Ukraine visa(s) for all occupier(s) using our evidence form

What happens when your Homes for Ukraine visa expires

When your Homes for Ukraine visa expires your discount will end if you live in your own accommodation (accommodation that’s not provided for by your sponsor/host).

If you live in accommodation provided by your sponsor or live with your host in their home, we’ll contact you or your host to check if you're still eligible to be disregarded for Council Tax purposes. You’ll need to provide evidence where requested.

Ukraine Permission Extension (UPE) scheme

The Ukraine Permission Extension (UPE) scheme was announced by the Home Office on 18 February 2024 and came into operation on 4 February 2025. It allows eligible Ukrainian nationals or their family members already in the UK to continue living here for up to a further 18 months. This visa extension can be applied for by those who entered the UK under either:

  • Ukraine Sponsorship Scheme (Homes for Ukraine)
  • Ukraine Family Scheme
  • Ukraine Extension Scheme

You can apply for the UPE when you have 28 days or less on your current visa. Apply for the Ukraine Permission Extension scheme on GOV.UK.

UPE Council Tax discounts

There is no Council Tax discount available under the UPE scheme unless all of the below apply:

  • you previously held a Homes for Ukraine visa and have now been granted a UPE visa
  • you live in sponsor provided accommodation or live with your host in their home and don't pay any rent
  • your sponsor continues to receive or be entitled to 'thank you payments'

If you meet the criteria above please contact us. You'll need to provide evidence of:

  • your previous Homes for Ukraine visa (if we don't already hold this on our records)
  • your current Ukraine Permission Extension visa
  • your full name, date of birth, your host/sponsor's full name, and the address of the property you're living in

We’ll conduct our own checks to assess the accommodation you live in and 'thank you payment' entitlement.

Uploading your evidence

You can use our evidence form to confirm your details and upload your evidence. The evidence will need to be provided for everyone living in the property.

eVisas

Visas became digital from 31 December 2024, so you may now have an eVisa. You need to create a UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) account on GOV.UK to access your eVisa.

Once you’ve created your account you’ll be able to access a 'share code' from the 'view and prove' section. You’ll need to provide this 'share code' to us along with your date of birth. You can put these details in the comments section of our evidence upload form.

Once these details are sent to us we'll be able to access and view your eVisa to confirm your details. The 'share code' is only valid for us to access for 90 days, so please send this to us as soon as you get it.