Brent Council Tax Non-Dependant Deductions Explained
What is a non-dependant?
A non-dependant is any adult living in your home who isn't your partner, your dependent child (under 18), or a commercial boarder paying you rent. The most common non-dependant is an adult child who's still living at home, but it could also be a sibling, elderly parent, or friend sharing your property.
Brent Council assumes non-dependants contribute toward the household's council tax, so they deduct a fixed amount from your Council Tax Reduction award for each one.
Brent's simplified flat rates
Most councils use a complicated multi-tier system where non-dependant deductions depend on the other person's exact income. Brent simplified this in April 2025 to just two flat rates:
- £8 per week for a non-dependant who is out of work
- £20 per week for a non-dependant who is in work
That's it. The council doesn't need to see your non-dependant's payslips or verify their exact earnings — they just need to know whether each person works or not.
How the deduction hits your award
The deduction comes off your CTR award after the income band percentage is applied, not before. Here's what that looks like:
Example: You're a single person in a Band D property (£38.46 per week net). Your income puts you in Band 1, so you get 65% reduction — that's £25.00 per week. Your adult son lives with you and works part-time.
- CTR before deduction: £25.00
- Non-dependant deduction (in work): −£20.00
- Net weekly CTR: £5.00
One working non-dependant has cut your weekly award from £25 to £5. If you had two working non-dependants, the combined deduction of £40 would exceed the £25 award and you'd receive nothing.
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Checking whether a resident counts as a non-dependant
Brent's scheme uses the flat rates above for non-dependants. If you think a resident may fall under a statutory disregard, check with Brent Revenues & Benefits before assuming no deduction applies.
Reporting non-dependant changes
You must tell Brent Council within 21 days when a non-dependant moves in, moves out, or changes employment status (starts or stops working). Failing to report a non-dependant who's moved in means your CTR gets overpaid, and the excess is added back to your council tax bill once the council finds out.
Equally, if a non-dependant moves out, report it quickly so the deduction is removed and your award increases.
The Brent Council Tax Reduction guide includes a non-dependant tracking worksheet so you can calculate the exact impact on your bill before reporting changes.
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