Second Adult Rebate
Second Adult Rebate is an alternative to Council Tax Reduction. You can apply for a Second Adult Rebate if you are responsible for paying the Council Tax and you live with someone else, other than your partner. The other person must be 18 or over, not paying rent, not responsible to pay council tax, and have income below a certain amount. The other person cannot be someone who is already 'disregarded' for council tax purposes.
If your income is too high or you have too much in savings or investments to qualify for main council tax reduction you may be entitled to second adult rebate. A Second Adult Rebate is for people who are solely liable for Council Tax but do not get a single person discount because there are other adults living in the property.
You may qualify for a Second Adult Rebate if you are the only person liable to pay the Council Tax and if the other adult(s) you share your home with are:
- aged 18 or over
- on a low income
- not your spouse or partner
- not a boarder
- not liable to pay Council Tax themselves
- not a disregarded person for Council Tax purposes, for example a full time student
To claim a Second Adult Rebate, you have to give information about the income of the adult (or adults) living with you. It is based on the circumstances of the person(s) you share your home with and is not affected by your income or savings.
When you claim Council Tax Reduction or Second Adult Rebate, the local authority will work out which scheme will give you the most help with your Council Tax, but they may assume you are not entitled to a Second Adult Rebate if details of the second adult's income are not provided.
You can only be awarded one of the schemes - Second Adult Rebate, Council Tax Reduction (CTR), or bands E-H Low Income Household Exemption CTR. You may be entitled to more than one, but you should apply for the scheme that gives you the greatest reduction on your council tax.