The amount of help you will receive may be reduced if you have other adults living with you, if your rent includes charges for services that are not eligible for Housing Benefit or if we are recovering an overpayment.
Non-dependant deductions
Your Housing Benefit may be reduced if you have other adults living with you, such as friends, grown up children or other relatives. These are known as non-dependant deductions.
There are no non-dependant deductions for Housing Benefit if the claimant or their partner is blind or where they receive the care component of Disability Living Allowance or receive Attendance Allowance. The claimant or partner must be in receipt of the above, not the non-dependant.
Certain non-dependants have exempt status, for example full-time students, so no deduction applies. For more information, visit Benefits.
We take the following amount from your housing benefit if your non-dependant is in full time work (over 16 hours a week) for the year 2024/25:
| Gross weekly income of non-dependant | Deduction from housing benefit |
| £554 or more | £124.55 |
| £445 to £553.99 | £113.50 |
| £334 to £444.99 | £99.65 |
| £256 to £333.99 | £60.95 |
| £176 to £255.99 | £44.40 |
| Below £176 | £19.30 |
What happens if my non-dependent works less than 16 hours?
If you and your partner are of working age, and your non-dependant works less than 16 hours a week, we will take £19.30 a week from your Housing Benefit.
If your non-dependant has no income or is over 25 and in receipt of state benefit, we are still required to deduct £19.30 a week from your Housing Benefit.
If you or your partner are over Pension Credit age, and your non-dependant works less than 16 hours a week, we will take £19.30 a week from your Housing Benefit and £4.90 from your Council Tax Reduction.
My non-dependant is not working
We won't make a deduction if your non-dependant is:
- under 18
- under 25 and receiving income support, job seekers allowance (income based) or employment and support allowance (income related) assessment phase only
- receiving pension credit
- receiving a youth training allowance
- a full time student (but we will take deduction if they work in the holidays, and when they are between courses)
- in prison
- usually living elsewhere.
Who is not treated as a non dependant?
We do not treat the following as non dependants:
- partners
- boarders
- sub tenants
- joint tenants
- children for whom you still receive child benefit
- carers who are employed by a charity or voluntary organisation
Charges for ineligible services
Housing Benefit cannot be paid for any part of your rent that is for ineligible services such as water rates, electricity or meals.