Non-dependants

Non-dependants are normally adult children or relatives, but they can also be friends or anyone else living with you. These include children and young adults that you no longer get Child Benefit for.

Non-dependants don't include:

• boarders & lodgers
• tenants, joint tenants or sub-tenants
• professional carers
• visitors who live somewhere else

Non-dependant deductions

Your Housing Benefit and Council Tax Reduction may be reduced if you have a non-dependant living with you. The deduction, called a non-dependant deduction, represents how much they should pay towards household costs. 

The non-dependant deduction is based on the non-dependant’s gross income. You must provide proof of their income to make sure the right deduction is made. Types of proofs are their:

• last 5 weekly or 2 monthly wage slips
• benefit award letter from the Department for Work and Pensions
• self-employed accounts for the last year (if your non-dependant is self-employed)

If you don’t provide proof of your non-dependant’s circumstances we may take the maximum level of deduction from your Housing Benefit and/or Council Tax Reduction, so it’s important that you provide us with this information.

A separate deduction will be made for each non-dependant in your household, apart from where two non-dependants are a couple.

We won’t make a non-dependant deduction from your Housing Benefit or Council Tax Reduction if you or your partner:

• are registered or treated as blind
• get the care component of Disability Living Allowance, Personal Independence Payment or Attendance Allowance

Housing Benefit

We won’t make a non-dependant deduction from your Housing Benefit if your non-dependant:

• is on a youth training scheme
• is a full time student
• is a prisoner
• has been in hospital for 52 weeks or more
• is over 18 but you still get Child Benefit for him or her
• is under 25 years old and gets Income Support or Jobseeker's Allowance (income-based)
• is under 25 years old and in the assessment phase (first 13 weeks) of Employment and Support Allowance (income-related)
• is a member of the armed forces, away on operations
• has their normal home somewhere else

Council Tax Reduction

We won’t make a non-dependant deduction from your Council Tax Reduction if your non-dependant:

• is a student nurse or apprentice or on a youth training scheme
• is a full time student
• is a prisoner
• has been in hospital for 52 weeks or more
• is over 18 but you still get Child Benefit for him or her
• gets Income Support, Jobseeker's Allowance (income-based) or Employment and Support Allowance (income-related)
• is a care worker
• is in residential care, a nursing home or a night shelter
• is severely mentally impaired
• is disregarded for Council Tax

Non-dependant deductions: 1 April 2023 to 31 March 2024

The tables below show the amount of non-dependant deductions that we will take from your Housing Benefit and/or Council Tax Reduction. These amounts are decided by your non-dependant’s income and will be made regardless of how much your non-dependant actually pays you, even if they pay you nothing.

Housing Benefit

Council Tax Reduction (working age)

Council Tax Reduction (pension age)

You can use an independent benefit calculator to find out how much benefit you'll be entitled to if you have a non-dependant living with you.  

Page last updated: 11 May 2023