{"id":29458,"date":"2023-10-25T16:33:03","date_gmt":"2023-10-25T15:33:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/taxfix.com\/en-uk\/?p=29458"},"modified":"2025-09-10T17:06:14","modified_gmt":"2025-09-10T16:06:14","slug":"do-students-have-to-pay-council-tax","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/taxfix.com\/en-uk\/blog\/do-students-have-to-pay-council-tax\/","title":{"rendered":"Do students have to pay council tax?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>Students of the past, present and future will probably agree that the word <a href=\"https:\/\/taxfix.com\/en-uk\/glossary\/tax\/\">tax<\/a> sounds more ominous than a 9 a.m. lecture. \ud83e\udee0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>And just like a 9 a.m. lecture, when asked to pay <a href=\"https:\/\/taxfix.com\/en-uk\/glossary\/council-tax\/\">council tax<\/a>, students enter the denial stage.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>And we get it. Tax is confusing. But it\u2019s particularly confusing for students. \ud83e\udd74<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For starters, <em>you\u2019re not even from that county, it isn\u2019t actually your home, and how can you be expected to afford it?&nbsp;<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>These are all common complaints. So, we think it\u2019s best that we explain student council tax once and for all. And more importantly, ensure students won\u2019t be sacrificing any nights out. \ud83d\udd7a<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What is council tax and how does it work?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Council tax is a tax that you pay to your local council so that they can fund vital services in your community such as schools, libraries and recycling collections. \u267b\ufe0f&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Every property in the UK is put into a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.gov.uk\/council-tax-bands\">council tax band<\/a>, which is based on its size, location and value in 1991. \ud83c\udfe1<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But, let\u2019s press pause on the finer details for now and focus on what this all means\u00a0for students.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Do students pay council tax?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Unfortunately, the answer to this question is not as straightforward as a yes or no.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>So, let\u2019s start with where it all begins. Your first-year halls of residence. <em>Cue the nostalgia. <\/em>\ud83d\ude22<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Student halls of residence are automatically exempt from council tax. This means students still finding their feet, stashing their food and possibly dealing with a few mice, will have one less thing to worry about. \ud83d\ude0c<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But, not everyone stays in halls of residence, particularly as the years go on. So, we hope you\u2019re paying more attention than you do in your lectures because this is where council tax changes gears. \ud83e\udee1<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Do full-time students pay council tax?&nbsp;<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Households where everyone\u2019s a full-time student do not have to pay Council Tax.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n<\/div> <!-- .c-body -->\n\n<div class=\"b-highlight-mini m-blue m-align-left\">\n    <div class=\"b-block-body\">\n        <p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">To count as a full-time student, your course must:\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Last at least 1 year\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Involve at least 21 hours of study per week (technically speaking \ud83d\ude09)<\/span><\/li>\n\n    <\/div>\n<\/div> <!-- .b-highlight-mini -->\n\n<div class=\"c-body\">\n\n\n\n\n<p>Your local council might ask for proof that you\u2019re a full-time student. But this is easy enough to prove.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n<\/div> <!-- .c-body -->\n\n<div class=\"b-highlight-mini m-yellow m-align-left\">\n    <div class=\"b-block-body\">\n        <ul>\n<li>Make sure you\u2019re enrolled in your course \u2705<!-- \/wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --><\/li>\n<li>Your university will generate a letter or certificate \ud83d\udda8\ufe0f<!-- \/wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --><\/li>\n<li>Send it to your local council \ud83d\udce9<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n    <\/div>\n<\/div> <!-- .b-highlight-mini -->\n\n<div class=\"c-body\">\n\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What if I\u2019m a full-time student living with a part-time or non-student?&nbsp;<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>This is where things can become extra confusing. So let\u2019s break it down \ud83d\udc47<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If you\u2019re a full-time student sharing a property with a part-time or non-student then the property won\u2019t be exempt from council tax. \ud83d\ude2d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Ok. Now we\u2019ve delivered the bad news, here\u2019s the good news &#8211; those liable for paying council tax (part-time or non-students) might qualify for a discount. <em>Woohoo <\/em>\ud83c\udf89<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This is because of the way council tax bills are calculated:<\/p>\n\n\n<\/div> <!-- .c-body -->\n\n<div class=\"b-highlight-mini m-nude m-align-left\">\n    <div class=\"b-block-body\">\n        <p>A full council tax bill is based on at least 2 adults living in a property.<\/p>\n<p><!-- \/wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --><\/p>\n<p>A discount is applied for people living on their own, and for those who live with people who don\u2019t count as adults for council tax purposes. For example, full-time students.<\/p>\n<p><!-- \/wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --><\/p>\n<p>Let\u2019s say you share your property with an employed person or a part-time student. There\u2019s a 25% discount because there is only 1 eligible adult in the property. As a full-time student, you\u2019re not considered an eligible adult. \ud83d\ude0f<\/p>\n<p><!-- \/wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --><\/p>\n<p>So, they\u2019ll only have to pay 75% of the council tax bill.<\/p>\n<p><!-- \/wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --><\/p>\n<p>But, if you share with 2 or more part-time or non-students, they\u2019ll have to pay 100% of the council tax bill.<\/p>\n\n    <\/div>\n<\/div> <!-- .b-highlight-mini -->\n\n<div class=\"c-body\">\n\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">When does council tax student exemption end?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Your council tax exemption starts the day your course officially begins. \ud83d\udd14<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>And, it appears that universities are institutions of symmetry, as your council tax exemption ends the day your course officially ends. <em>That\u2019s what we call full circle.<\/em> \ud83d\udede<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Here\u2019s where people get caught out\u2026&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Your course end date is different from your graduation date. E.g. your course might end on the 9th of June but your graduation falls on the 11th of July. So, watch out!&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The final thing to remember is that if you continue to live in the property until your tenancy ends e.g. 30th June 2024, then you WILL be liable to pay council tax for the days you lived in the property between the 9th and 30th June. \ud83d\ude44<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Other circumstances\u00a0<\/h2>\n\n\n<\/div> <!-- .c-body -->\n\n<div class=\"b-highlight-mini m-purple m-align-left\">\n    <div class=\"b-block-body\">\n        <ul>\n<li><strong>Taking time off from your course<\/strong> &#8211; if you suspend your course (e.g. because of an illness) but remain registered because you intend to go back to university, you should still be regarded as a student for the purpose of council tax.<!-- \/wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --><\/li>\n<li><strong>In between courses<\/strong> &#8211; if you\u2019ve finished a course and you\u2019re waiting to start another one, you might have to pay council tax (e.g. if you&#8217;ve finished an undergraduate degree and plan to start a postgraduate course in the next academic year.)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n    <\/div>\n<\/div> <!-- .b-highlight-mini -->\n\n<div class=\"c-body\">\n\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Congrats! You\u2019ve graduated from student Council Tax School<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Well, that\u2019s all for now, folks. But we\u2019re sure we\u2019ll meet again. Because, before long, your student days will be behind you, and thanks to <a href=\"https:\/\/taxfix.com\/en-uk\/glossary\/hmrc\/\">HMRC<\/a> (no shade) you\u2019ll most likely have more tax questions for us. \ud83d\udcaa<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>See you next time!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Students of the past, present and future will probably agree that the word tax sounds more ominous than a 9 a.m. lecture. \ud83e\udee0 And just like a 9 a.m. lecture, when asked to pay council tax, students enter the denial stage.&nbsp; And we get it. Tax is confusing. But it\u2019s particularly confusing for students. \ud83e\udd74 [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":9,"featured_media":41614,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[299,301],"tags":[416,102,421],"class_list":["post-29458","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-blog","category-tax-basics","tag-benefits-reliefs-grants","tag-hmrc","tag-property"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v25.8 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Do students have to pay council tax? &#8211; Taxfix (formerly TaxScouts)<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Council tax helps your local council fund vital services in your community. 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