Second adult rebate

What is second adult rebate?

If you are of pension age we might be able to reduce your Council Tax if you live with other adults, but you are the only one responsible for paying it.  This reduction is called a second adult rebate.

You might be able to get a second adult rebate if your own income or capital is too high to qualify for help.  Capital means things like savings, investments, and certain types of property.

To see if you are entitled, we will check if you have any second adults living and work out how much income they have. The less income the second adults have, the more money will be taken off your Council Tax bill

Who counts as a second adult

A second adult is someone who:

• is 18 or over
• isn’t your partner
• doesn’t pay you rent
• doesn’t have a contract with your landlord
• doesn’t jointly own your home
• is on low income or getting certain benefits

There might be times when someone who meets these conditions doesn’t count as a second adult. For example, if they’re in prison.  You should talk to our Customer Fulfilment Centre on 0118 937 3787 if you’re not sure whether someone counts as a second adult.

If one or more of second adults get benefits

Your Council Tax bill will be reduced by 25% if all the second adults are getting one of these benefits:

• Income Support
• Pension Credit
• income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance
• income-related Employment and Support Allowance

If there’s another second adult in your home who doesn’t get one of these benefits, your rebate will depend on their earnings.

You can get a 100% rebate if all the second adults in your household get one of these benefits and everyone else is a full-time student, including you.

If a second adult is getting other benefits like Universal Credit, you won’t automatically get a 25% rebate. Your council will treat their income the same as if they were working.

When calculating second adult income we will ignore:

• Personal Independence Payment
• Disability Living Allowance
• Attendance Allowance
• Armed Forces Independence Payments
• Support from a charity

You should talk to our Customer Fulfilment Centre if you’re not sure whether a benefit or payment counts as second adult income.

If one or more of the second adults is working

The size of your rebate depends on the second adults’ weekly income before tax.

If you have more than one second adult living with you, we will add all their incomes together.

Second adults’ weekly income before tax	Council Tax reduction
Less than £222	15%
Between £222 and £287.99	7.5%
£288 or more	No rebate

How do I apply for Second Adult Rebate?

Find out if you are entitled and apply online