Do students pay council tax? The exemption explained

What council tax is (and why students mostly dodge it)

Council tax is the bill your local council sends each home to pay for things like bin collections, street lights and libraries. It's charged per property, not per person, and it's usually paid monthly over ten months. In a normal shared house it can be one of the biggest bills after rent and energy.

Students get a special deal. The law treats full-time students as "disregarded" people for council tax. If every adult living in a home is disregarded, the home is exempt and nobody pays.

Who counts as a full-time student?

In England and Wales, you count as a full-time student for council tax if your course:

• lasts at least one year, and
• involves at least 21 hours of study a week during term.

If you're under 20 and studying a qualification up to A level, the bar is lower: the course must last at least three months and involve at least 12 hours a week.

Part-time students don't count, and neither do people who have finished their course. Once your course officially ends, you stop being a student for council tax, even if you stay in the same flat until your tenancy runs out. Summer holidays between years are fine, because you're still enrolled.

Halls, shared houses and mixed households

Halls of residence are normally exempt, so there's nothing to sort out there.

A house where everyone is a full-time student is exempt too, but you'll usually need to prove it (see below).

A mixed household is where it gets interesting:

• One non-student adult living with students: the students are ignored, so the home is treated as having one adult. That person may get a 25% single person discount and pay 75% of the bill.
• Two or more non-student adults: the full bill is due. The students aren't legally liable themselves, but you'll want to agree up front whether anyone chips in, so it doesn't turn into a group-chat war.

Some shared houses, especially ones let room by room, have the landlord responsible for the council tax bill. Check your tenancy agreement or ask the landlord who the bill goes to. Our lesson Bills included vs not (and council tax) walks through the common setups.

How to claim the student exemption

The council can't exempt you if it doesn't know you're a student. Here's the usual route:

• Get a council tax certificate (sometimes called a student status letter) from your university or college. Most unis let you download it from the student portal, and it's free.
• Apply for the exemption on your council's website, uploading the certificate for everyone in the house.
• If a bill has already arrived, don't ignore it. Send the certificate and ask for the bill to be cancelled or reduced.

Do this every academic year, and as soon as you move into a new place. It's the most valuable ten-minute admin job of the whole year.

What if a bill turns up anyway?

Council tax is a priority debt. Unpaid council tax can lead to a court summons and enforcement, so never just leave it. If you think you're exempt, contact the council straight away with your certificate. If you're not exempt and can't afford it, ask about a council tax reduction and payment plans, and get free advice. Our guide to priority debts explains why this one is treated so seriously.

International students and partners

International students get the same full-time student exemption. And a non-British spouse or dependant whose visa doesn't allow them to work or claim benefits is also disregarded, so they don't stop a household being exempt. There's a lesson on this: Council tax for international students.

Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland

The quick checklist

• Everyone a full-time student? Get certificates and apply for the exemption.
• One non-student? They can ask for the single person discount.
• Bill arrived? Reply with evidence quickly, never ignore it.
• Course finished? You're liable from then on, so budget for it.

Want to practise sorting the bills in a shared house? The housing library has a game where you run a house share and keep everyone talking to each other.