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Council Tax Benefit

FAQ for Council Tax Benefit | Contact for Council Tax Benefit

Council Tax Benefit is help with your Council Tax bill.

  • You can apply if you have to pay Council Tax and you (and your partner) are on a low income.
  • If you are on Income Support or income-based Jobseeker's Allowance you may qualify for full Council Tax Benefit.
  • Before we work out how much you may be entitled to, we need to know about your circumstances.
  • We need to know what your income and capital is, and if you have a partner, how much income and capital they have.
  • We need to know the number of people in your home dependant on you, and details of other people who live with you

Second Adult Rebate

You can apply for benefit if you have to pay Council tax and you are living with someone (but not a husband, wife, partner or a lodger) who is on Income Support, income-based Jobseeker's Allowance or a low income.

This form of Council Tax Benefit is called Second Adult Rebate.

You can also apply for Second Adult Rebate if you are single, or your partner is disregarded for Council Tax and someone lives with you who is aged 18 or over, does not pay you rent and earns less than £ 177 a week. 

These people are disregarded for Council Tax purposes:

  • People you get Child Benefit for
  • Education leavers under age 20
  • Full-time students, foreign language assistants and student nurses
  • Youth training trainees under 25
  • Apprentices on NCVQ or SVEC courses
  • Severely mentally impaired people
  • Carers
  • People in prison or other forms of detention
  • People who normally live elsewhere
  • Members of religious communities, for example nuns and priests
  • Members of international bodies or of visiting forces

The amount of Second Adult Rebate depends on the second adult's income. If you qualify for Second Adult Rebate your Council Tax bill will be reduced by one of the following amounts:

Second adult on Income Support or income-based jobseeeker's allowance     - 25%
Second adult whose income before tax is

  • Less than £137 a week - 15%
  • £137 to £176.99 a week  - 7.5%
  • £177 or more a week  - 0%

If you are entitled to both Council Tax Benefit and Second Adult Rebate, we will pay you whatever is worth more.