What is Second Adult Rebate on Council Tax?
Second Adult Rebate can reduce your Council Tax if you share your home with another adult on a low income who is not your partner and does not pay you rent. It looks at their income, not yours. It mainly survives for pension-age residents, so you check with your council.
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Check what you're owed →Second Adult Rebate is unusual because it is based on the income of the other adult living with you, rather than your own. It is designed for situations where you cannot claim the single person discount because a second adult lives there, but that adult is on a low income and cannot contribute much.
A typical case is a pensioner whose grown-up child or a low-income friend lives with them. Because that second adult is not a partner and is not a paying tenant, the household may qualify for help measured against the second adult means rather than the householder.
Following changes to the schemes, Second Adult Rebate now mainly applies to people of pension age, and it cannot usually be claimed at the same time as standard Council Tax Reduction; the council awards whichever is more beneficial. It is worth asking the council to check both for you.
How to claim Second Adult Rebate
- Check who lives with you. Confirm the second adult is not your partner, is on a low income and does not pay you rent.
- Gather their income details. Collect evidence of the second adult income, as this is what the rebate is assessed on.
- Apply to the council. Ask the council to consider Second Adult Rebate and standard reduction together.
- Take the better award. Let the council apply whichever option gives you the greater reduction.
Frequently asked questions
- Whose income counts for Second Adult Rebate?
- The income of the second adult living with you, not your own. This makes it different from most Council Tax help, which looks at the householder finances.
- Who typically qualifies?
- Often a pensioner who shares their home with a low-income adult, such as a grown-up child or friend, who is not a partner and does not pay rent.
- Can I get it as well as Council Tax Reduction?
- Generally not at the same time. The council usually awards whichever of the two gives you more help.
- Is it still widely available?
- It now mainly survives for pension-age residents following scheme changes, so check with your council whether it applies to your situation.
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