We reduce Housing Benefit and Council Tax Support for each 'non-dependant' living in your home.
A non-dependant is someone who normally lives with you, and is:
- an adult son or daughter
- a relative
- a friend
For non-dependant couples, we add the income of both members of the couple together to calculate the gross income figure.
Boarders, sub-tenants and joint tenants are not non-dependants.
How we calculate non-dependant benefit deductions
We make fixed deductions from your entitlement to Housing Benefit or Council Tax Support based on the following:
- the non-dependant's age and weekly income, not what they pay for their keep (this is not considered as contributing to your income)
- the rules and amounts for these deductions are set by the government and normally changed each April
Note: Even if the non-dependant doesn't pay for their keep, we still make the non-dependant deduction from your entitlement to Housing Benefit or Council Tax Support.
If a non-dependant moves out, you must provide us with a forwarding address.
Amount deducted from Housing Benefit 2022/2023
We deduct the following amounts from Housing Benefit for various categories of non-dependant income:
| Non-dependant | Weekly deduction from Housing Benefit |
|---|---|
| In receipt of Pension Credit | Nil |
| Aged under 18, whether in remunerative work or not | Nil |
| Aged 18 or over, not receiving IS/JSA(IB)/ESA(IR) and not in remunerative work | £16.45 |
| Aged 18 or over, in remunerative work with gross weekly income of £153.99 or less - with or without UC | £16.45 |
| Aged 18 or over, in remunerative work with gross weekly income of £154 to £223.99 - with or without UC | £37.80 |
| Aged 18 or over, in remunerative work with gross weekly income of £224 to £291.99 - with or without UC | £51.85 |
| Aged 18 or over, in remunerative work with gross weekly income of £292 to £388.99 - with or without UC | £84.85 |
| Aged 18 or over, in remunerative work with gross weekly income of £388.99 to £483.99 - with or without UC | £96.60 |
| Aged 18 or over, in remunerative work with gross weekly income of £484 or more - with or without UC | £106.05 |
| Aged 18 to 24 and receiving IS/JSA(IB)/ESA(IR) (assessment phase) | Nil |
| Aged 18 to 24 receiving ESA(IR) (main phase) | £16.45 |
| Aged 18 to 24 receiving UC - no earned income | Nil |
| Aged 25 or over and receiving IS/JSA(IB)/ESA(IR) | £16.45 |
| Aged 25 or over receiving Universal Credit (UC) - no earned income | £16.45 |
Amount deducted from Council Tax Support 2022/2023
We deduct the following amounts from Council Tax Support for various categories of non-dependant income:
| Non-dependant | Weekly deduction from Housing Benefit |
|---|---|
| In receipt of Pension Credit | Nil |
| Aged under 18, whether in remunerative work or not | Nil |
| Aged 18 or over, not receiving IS/JSA(IB)/ESA(IR) and not in remunerative work | £4.20 |
| Aged 18 or over, in remunerative work with gross weekly income of £223.99 or less - with or without UC | £4.20 |
| Aged 18 or over, in remunerative work with gross weekly income of £224 to £388.99 - with or without UC | £8.55 |
| Aged 18 or over, in remunerative work with gross weekly income of £389 to £483.99 - with or without UC | £10.70 |
| Aged 18 or over, in remunerative work with gross weekly income of £484 or more - with or without UC | £12.85 |
| Aged 18 to 24 and receiving IS/JSA(IB)/ESA(IR) (assessment phase) | Nil |
| Aged 18 to 24 receiving ESA(IR) (main phase) | Nil |
| Aged 18 to 24 receiving UC - no earned income | Nil |
| Aged 25 or over and receiving IS/JSA(IB)/ESA(IR) | Nil |
| Aged 25 or over receiving Universal Credit (UC) - no earned income | Nil |
Exceptions and special rules for non-dependant benefit deductions
We do not make deductions for non-dependants if you or your partner:
- are registered blind or were so in the last 28 weeks
- receive Attendance Allowance
- receive Constant Attendance Allowance
- receive the daily living component of Personal Independence Payment
- receive the care component of Disability Living Allowance (at any rate)
We do not make any deductions if the non-dependant:
- is under 18
- is a youth trainee
- is in prison or similar forms of detention
- has been in hospital for 52 weeks or more
- usually lives elsewhere (but you will need to tell us their permanent address, otherwise we may still make the deduction)
- is a full-time student or student nurse (although a Housing Benefit deduction applies if the non-dependant works for 16 hours per week or more during the summer vacation)
Special rules apply to delay deductions for those aged 65 or over if:
- you or your partner are aged 65 or over, and
- a non-dependant moves in (and a deduction would normally apply to them); or
- a non-dependant has a change in circumstances that would mean that a higher deduction should be made
Deductions start 26 weeks after the non-dependant moved in, or 26 weeks from their change in circumstances.
Contact us straight away if you think we're deducting an incorrect amount from your Housing Benefit or Council Tax Support so that we can check this.
Also see
Benefits appointments
Contact us for an appointment to get benefits advice in person at West Offices.