Second Adult Rebate

Second Adult Rebate (also called Alternative Maximum Council Tax Benefit) is a special type of Council Tax benefit which can be paid in some cases even if your income or savings are too high to get the normal Council Tax benefit.

You can get it if you are single (or if your partner is discounted for Council Tax) and you have another person living in your home.

To be counted as a Second Adult, the person must be:

• 18 years of age or over
• not paying you rent
• not your husband, wife or civil partner
• not living with you as if you are married or civil partners
• not liable to pay Council Tax themselves
• not already disregarded on your Council Tax bill
• on a low income

If you have more than one person living with you (such as two grown-up children) and they all meet the conditions listed above, then you may still get the Second Adult Rebate.

Who can claim?

Only the liable person can make the claim so your name must be on the Council Tax bill.

How is Second Adult Rebate calculated?

If everyone living with you gets Pension Credit, Income Support, income-related Employment & Support Allowance or income-based Jobseeker's Allowance, then your Council Tax is reduced by 25 per cent.

• If their gross weekly income added together (before tax is deducted) is less than £177, your Council Tax is reduced by 15 per cent.
• If their gross weekly income added together is between £177.01 and £230.99, your Council Tax is reduced by 7.5 per cent.
• If their gross weekly income added together is £231 or more per week, then you will not be able to get Second Adult Rebate.

Their savings are not taken into account. But any interest on savings that they get (before tax is deducted) counts as part of their income.

If they get Attendance Allowance or Disability Living Allowance those amounts are ignored when calculating their gross income.

If you are a student and the person living with you gets Pension Credit, Income Support, income-related Employment & Support Allowance or income-based Jobseeker's Allowance then your Council Tax will be reduced to zero.

If you qualify for Second Adult Rebate and for normal Council Tax benefit as well, you will not get them both. We will pay you whichever is higher.

If you would like more information or would like to apply, please contact the Benefits Team. You can download a claim form, telephone or call in the request one, or we can visit you at home to complete a form.