Help with your Council Tax

You can claim for help with paying your Council Tax if you are on a low income (including benefits), this help is called Council Tax Benefit.

If you have savings or investments of more than £6,000 (£10,000 for pension age customers) this may affect the amount of Council Tax Benefit you can get. If you have savings of more than £16,000 we cannot usually pay you any Council Tax Benefit. Although if you are in receipt of Pension Credits (Guaranteed) we will ignore all the capital you hold.

To claim Council Tax Benefit you must be the person who is liable to pay the Council Tax bill for a property. You might be the owner, a Landlord or the tenant of a property.

If you rent a property and are liable to pay Council Tax you can make a claim for both Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit on one form.

Second Adult Rebate

Second Adult Rebate is a form of Council Tax Benefit claimed by the person liable to pay Council Tax. The calculation is based on the gross income of ‘other people’ in the property, known as second adults.

There can be more than one second adult in the property, but there should only be one person liable to pay Council Tax.

If you are excluded from receiving a 25% Single Person Discount on your Council Tax bill because you live with non-dependants, you can apply for Second Adult Rebate as long as the second adult is not:

Liable for Council Tax at the property
A joint owner or tenant with the liable person
Disregarded from Council Tax
Liable to pay rent
Living with more than one liable person, unless all but one of the liable people are disregarded

If you are a student and lose your exemption because a second adult has moved into the property under the above criteria, you are also entitled to claim Second Adult Rebate, up to 100% of the liability.

Second Adult Rebate is a 'means tested' benefit that takes account of the gross income of each second adult.

Second Adult' Gross Income	Rebate on Council Tax Bill (%)
Claiming Income Support, Job Seekers Allowance (income based), Pension Credit or Employment and Support Allowance (income related)	25%
Under £177/week	15%
Between £177 and £231/week	7.5%
Where the liable person a full time student and the second adult in receipt of Income Support, JSA (IB) or ESA (IR)	100%

Although their income and capital is disregarded when claiming Second Adult Rebate, any application for Second Adult Rebate must be made by the person liable for the Council Tax. Please complete an application form, if you wish to claim Second Adult Rebate.