What is Council Tax Benefit?

Council Tax Benefit is a national welfare benefit scheme that gives help towards your Council Tax bill. There are three kinds of Council Tax Benefit available for people who have to pay Council Tax. These are:

• ordinary Council Tax Benefit;
• Second Adult Rebate; and
• Second Adult Rebate for students.

These benefits are separate from any discounts or exemptions that can also reduce your Council Tax bill.

In Manchester the Revenues and Benefits Unit runs the Council Tax Benefit scheme, but the Government sets the rules.

Ordinary Council Tax Benefit

The amount of ordinary Council Tax Benefit you can get depends on:

• your income;
• your savings or capital;
• the amount of your Council Tax; and
• other people living with you.

You can't get ordinary Council Tax Benefit if you (and your partner) have more than £16,000 in savings or capital, unless you are getting Pension Credit (Guarantee Credit).

Second Adult Rebate

The amount of Second Adult Rebate you can get depends on the money that other adults who live with you (called 'second adults') have, not on your income or capital. So you still may be able to get it if you have more than £16,000 in savings, or a high income. The most Second Adult Rebate that we can pay is 25% of the Council Tax bill.

Second Adult Rebate may help you to pay your Council Tax if:

• there are other adults living with you, so you can't get a Single Person Discount off your Council Tax; and
• the other adults can't afford to help you pay the full Council Tax.

However, you cannot claim Second Adult Rebate if the other adults are:

• joint owners or tenants with you; or
• your partner;

unless they are not counted for Council Tax purposes and there is still one other adult living with you who is counted.

Second Adult Rebate for students

Second Adult Rebate for students gives you a rebate of 100% of the Council Tax bill so there is no Council Tax to pay. To qualify:

• everyone in your home must be a student apart from one or more people who are 'second adults'; and
• all the 'second adults' must be getting one of the following benefits.
  • Income Support;
  • income-based Jobseeker's Allowance;
  • income-related Employment and Support Allowance; or
  • Pension Credit

You can't get both ordinary Council Tax Benefit and Second Adult Rebate at the same time. If you qualify for both, we will give you the one that pays the most.

See who can get Council Tax Benefit

Claim Council Tax Benefit 

Download our leaflet 'Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit. How to claim help with your rent and council tax.'