Second adult rebate is a type of council tax support that can be only be claimed by council tax payers of pensionable age

They must share their home with another person/people, who are on a low income and is not a partner or a paying lodger.

The amount of the council tax payer’s income and savings is irrelevant and it is based just on the income of the second adult(s).

A 'second adult' is somebody over the age of 18 living in your household on a non-commercial basis (i.e. not paying rent). A second adult can be:

  • adult son or daughter
  • a relative
  • or a friend
  • or a certain type of carer

A 'second adult' cannot be:

  • a partner
  • a tenant/boarder
  • a joint tenant

In addition, a 'second adult' cannot be a person normally disregarded for council tax purposes such as:

  • a person under the age of 18 or someone over 18 years if child benefit is still in payment
  • a full time student
  • a person on a youth training scheme
  • an apprentice on a NCVQ/SVEC course
  • a person who is severely mentally impaired
  • certain types of carers
  • people in prison or other forms of detention
  • people who have been in hospital for more than six weeks
  • people actually or normally resident elsewhere
  • diplomats and members of International bodies or of visiting forces 

This is because you still may be able to get a single person discount if the person living with you falls into one of these categories.

How to claim

To claim second adult rebate you'll need to make a claim using our online service. When you reach the dashboard click the 'benefit' button to get started.

3 February 2023