Student exemptions and reductions

If you're a student, or live with students or under 18s, you may be eligible for a reduction or exemption.

Who can apply

You can apply for a student or young person reduction for any of the following reasons:

Eligibility 

To be eligible for a student reduction there is a eligibility criteria.

View student reduction eligibility criteria

How to apply

View how to apply for a student or young person reduction.

Student reduction types

Living with students only

If you're a student and everyone living with you is a student you can apply for a Council Tax exemption.

You’ll qualify for this exemption if all occupants are students or:

  • students and their non-British spouses or dependants
  • students and occupants that are severely mentally impaired.

Living with students and non students

If you're living with both students and non-students you may be eligible for a Council Tax reduction.

You can get a 25% discount if all of your housemates are students but one.

Living with under 18s

You can apply for a Council Tax reduction if you're the only adult living in your home.

If everyone in your home is under 18, you can apply for an exemption.

School leavers under 20

If you're under 20 and have left school, you could be eligible for a Council Tax reduction.

To qualify, you must have finished a course of education within the period after 30 April and before 1 November in the year the application has been applied for.

Student nurses

If you're a student nurse, you could be eligible for a Council Tax reduction.

A student nurse is someone who is not on a full-time course but is studying to become registered under the Nurses, Midwives and Health Visitors Act 1979 for the first time.

Receiving child benefit

If you're receiving child benefit for someone aged over 18, and are the only other resident you can claim a discount.

You must be able to provide proof that child benefit can be claimed for you.

Apprentices and youth trainees

You can apply for a discount if you’re an apprentice or a youth trainee.

An apprentice is someone who is:

  • employed to learn a trade, business, profession, or vocation
  • in a training programme leading to a qualification accredited by the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority
  • paid substantially less than you would receive once qualified and no more than £195 a week.

A youth trainee is someone who:

  • is under 25 years old
  • and is training under an individual training plan funded by the Skills Funding Agency or Young People’s Learning Agency.

Eligibility for student reductions

To be classed as a student for tax purposes you must:

  • be in full time higher education at an educational institution set up to provide further or higher education in the UK
  • be on a course lasting at least one year
  • and study at least 21 hours per week, for 24 weeks in the year.

You can also be classed as a student if you:

  • are under 20 years old
  • are on a course lasting more than 3 months
  • study more than 12 hours per week.

You’ll need to supply a Council Tax student certificate issued by the college or university (a certificate of enrolment or a notification of grant award letter will not be accepted).

You will not have to pay Council Tax if you live in halls of residence.

If you have a lease or licence to rent a room in a property, this is a house of multiple occupation and your landlord will pay the Council Tax.

How to apply

For the following reduction reasons you should apply for a student or young person discount:

  • living with students only
  • living with students and non students
  • living with under 18s
  • school leavers under 20
  • student nurses
  • receiving child benefit.

For apprentice and youth trainees should apply for the apprentice and youth trainee discount.