Council tax
Students and Council Tax
Council Tax is collected by local authorities in order to pay for local services, such as rubbish collection, the police and the fire brigade. In certain circumstances, students may be eligible to receive either a discount or an exemption from paying council tax. Please note students do not have an automatic right to a Council Tax exemption or discount solely because of their student status.
Full-time 'Home' students living in halls of residence, or in a property occupied solely by students, are usually exempt from paying Council Tax. The same might also apply to EU and international students providing they satisfy certain eligibility criteria.
Full-time students can download and print a copy of their virtual Council Tax exemption certificate (covering a full academic year) after they enrol on each year on their course. This certificate may entitle many students to a full Council Tax discount; students are advised to print a copy to give to the Council or their landlord in order to claim the discount.
Students who are living with another adult who is not a full-time student (e.g. working full-time) might be eligible to receive a 25% discount on their usual Council Tax bill. Therefore, if the household's Council Tax bill is £1,000 before discount, the 25% discount should reduce this bill total to £750.
Students who are living with two or more adults who are not full-time students may find that they are not eligible to receive any discount from their Council Tax bill, and may be liable to contribute towards the total bill.
If a student withdraws from their course yet continues to live in a shared student property, they may then be liable to pay Council Tax.
For further information regarding Council Tax, please contact your local Council.
Council Tax Reduction
Part-time students who are receiving benefits such as Income Support, Housing Benefit and/or JobSeekers Allowance may be eligible to receive a Council Tax Reduction, which may entitle them to a partial or full discount. Please note: from April 2013, the Council Tax Reduction scheme will replace Council Tax benefit.
For further information on Council Tax Reduction, please contact your local Council or see the Citizens Advice Bureau Adviceguide.
Source: Department for Work and Pensions