Dorset Council Tax Non-Dependant Deduction: The £5 Per Week Rule

What a Non-Dependant Is

A non-dependant is any adult aged 18 or over living in your property who isn't your partner, a commercial lodger, or a rent-paying tenant. The most common example: an adult child still living at home.

Dorset Council assumes each non-dependant contributes toward household costs, so a deduction is taken from your Council Tax Reduction award for each one.

The Flat-Rate Deduction

Dorset's scheme applies a single flat-rate deduction of £5.00 per week per non-dependant. That works out to £260 per year taken off your gross CTR award for each qualifying adult in the household.

This is simpler than the old system. Under legacy Council Tax Benefit, non-dependant deductions were tiered based on the non-dependant's own income — councils had to verify wages across multiple thresholds. Dorset's banded scheme applies one rate regardless of what the non-dependant earns.

Who's Exempt

The £5 weekly deduction is waived entirely if the non-dependant is:

• Enrolled in full-time education — provide a student certificate to Dorset Council and no deduction applies
• Under 18 — they're not a non-dependant in the first place
• Your partner — partners are assessed jointly, not as non-dependants

An additional exemption may apply if you or your partner is blind or receives Attendance Allowance, the care component of DLA, the daily living component of PIP, or Armed Forces Independence Payment. Check with Dorset Council's benefits team if this may apply.

How It Affects Your Award

The deduction comes off your gross CTR award, not your income calculation. So if Dorset Council calculates a gross annual CTR credit of £1,600 and you have one non-dependant, the final award is £1,600 minus £260 = £1,340.

Two non-dependants would reduce it by £520, and so on. For households with several adult children at home, this can significantly eat into what would otherwise be a generous discount.

What to Do About It

If the non-dependant is actually a full-time student, make sure you've submitted the student certificate. The deduction gets removed once the council processes the evidence.

If the non-dependant moves out, report the change within 21 days through the Dorset Council change portal. The deduction stops from the date the non-dependant leaves.

If non-dependant deductions push your residual bill to a level you can't afford, the Section 13A hardship fund is the safety net — see the Dorset Council Tax Reduction guide for the full process.

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