Other adults or non-dependants are expected to contribute to the cost of the rent or council tax according to their income.
On this page
- Who counts as a non-dependant adult
- How non-dependants affect your claim for Housing Benefit and Council Tax Support
- Non-dependant deduction rates
- Where no deduction is made
Who counts as a non dependant adult
Deductions may be made from Housing Benefit (HB) or Council Tax Support (CTS) if a claimant has other adults living with them. These other adults are known as non dependants.
Non-dependent adults are adults who live with a claimant as part of their household. By household we mean people who live with the claimant and do not have their own liability to pay rent to the claimant or the landlord of the property. They will often share living rooms and meals with the claimant.
Non dependants do not include:
- your partner,
- young adults aged 16-17, that the claimant gets child benefit for
- joint tenants,
- the landlord;
- other tenants in the property who have their own tenancy agreement
- or people who rent a room from the claimant under a commercial agreement (lodgers, sub-tenants or boarders).
How non-dependants affect your claim for HB and CTS
Non-dependant deductions are made depending on their gross income before tax and national insurance, and the average hours they work. The deductions are lower if the non-dependant is getting Income Support , income related Employment and Support Allowance, income based Jobseekers Allowance or Universal Credit. No deduction applies for any non-dependant getting Pension Credit.
If the circumstances of any non-dependant changes then claimants must tell us about the change straight away. See Reporting changes for more information.
Where no deduction is made
If you or your partner is registered blind, or receiving attendance allowance or the care component of disability living allowance or the daily living component of Personal Independence Payment (PIP), no non-dependant deduction is made.
See also
- Reporting changes
- Calculating Housing Benefit
- Calculating Council Tax Benefit
- Savings and capital
- Income
Contact us
Merton Benefits Service
PO Box 610
Merton Civic Centre
London Road
Morden
SM4 5ZT
Email: housing.benefits@merton.gov.uk
Telephone: 020 8274 4903