What All Students Should Know About Council Tax

If you’re a student and you live in university halls of residence or in a house where everyone is classed as a full time student, then you won’t have to pay any Council Tax.  However, if you share a house with someone who is not a full time student then the rules are different.

Our guide looks at when students do and do not have to pay Council Tax.

Living with other students

A place that is occupied only by full-time students is exempt from Council Tax.  If you like in university halls or in a house where all of the residents are full time students then you should not receive a Council Tax bill.

If you think you should be exempt but are still getting a bill, you can apply to your local council for an exemption.

What ‘student’ means in Council Tax terms

You will be a full time student for Council Tax purposes if:

• You’re under the age of 20 and your course leads to a qualification up to A level standard or equivalent, as long as it involves more than 12 hours of study per week and it is longer than three months
• You’re enrolled to attend an education course lasting for at least one academic/calendar year and which you have to attend at least 24 weeks of the year and study for at least 21 hours per week

Sharing a house with someone who is not a full time student

If you’re a full time student you may still receive a Council Tax bill if you live with someone who is not a student.

Council Tax liability is worked out as follows:

• Each household gets a single Council Tax bill depending on the ‘band’ your property is in and the amount your local council choose to charge for that band
• The number of adults who ‘count’ for Council Tax purposes is worked out.  Adults who don’t count include full time students, people doing an Apprenticeship which leads to a qualification recognised by the Qualifications and Curriculum Development Agency and people under 25 and in a recognised form of full-time training funded by either the Skills Funding Agency or the Young People’s Learning Agency

If everyone in your house is a full time student then the household will get a 100 per cent exemption.

If no-one in your house is ‘counted’ for other reasons, you will get 50 per cent off the full bill.

If there is one person in your household who is ‘counted’ for Council Tax purposes, your household will get 25 per cent off the full Council Tax bill.