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Council tax for students

A home where everyone is a full-time student doesn't pay council tax at all. If students live with people who aren't students, the students aren't counted, which can mean 25% or 50% off.

Checked against official sources on 27 October 2026. Independent guide; your council decides your bill.

Who pays in a student home

  • Everyone is a full-time student: exempt, nothing to pay. This also covers halls of residence.
  • Students plus one adult who isn't a student: the students are disregarded, so the non-student gets the 25% single person discount.
  • Students plus two or more other adults: the full bill, shared as the household agrees.

Non-British partners or dependants of students who aren't allowed to work or claim benefits are treated the same way, so a student couple in that position still counts as an all-student home.

Who counts as a full-time student

In England a full-time student is on a course lasting at least one academic or calendar year with at least 21 hours of study a week during term. Under-20s studying up to A level or equivalent count if the course lasts at least three months and involves at least 12 hours a week. Student nurses and foreign language assistants registered with the British Council are also disregarded. Wales and Scotland use similar definitions.

How to apply

Ask your university or college for a council tax exemption certificate and send it to the council for the address where you live. Many universities send the details to their local council directly, but check: the bill goes to the household until the council knows. Use your council's page to find its website.

Between courses and after graduating

School and college leavers under 20 aren't counted between 1 May and 31 October of the year they leave. Once a university course ends you are no longer a student for council tax, even if you stay in the same house until the tenancy ends.

If you're a student who owns an empty home elsewhere, that home can also be exempt while you study, as long as you lived there before.

Questions

Do students pay council tax?

Not if everyone in the home is a full-time student: the home is exempt. If students share with people who aren't students, the students are disregarded, so a house with one non-student pays 75% of the bill.

What counts as a full-time student?

In England, someone on a course that lasts at least a year and involves at least 21 hours of study a week; under-20s studying up to A level count if the course lasts at least 3 months and 12 hours a week. Student nurses count too.

Do I need to apply for the student exemption?

Yes. Send your council a student certificate from your university or college. Without it, the council will bill the home as normal.

What about the summer after I finish?

School and college leavers under 20 are disregarded between 1 May and 31 October of the year they finish. A university student stops being a student when the course ends.

Official sources