Full-time Students, Student Nurses and Foreign Language Assistants

Any property which is occupied ONLY by students, such as a Hall of Residence, is exempt from Council Tax. Former homes of full-time students are also exempt. Otherwise, full time students are disregarded (not counted) for Council Tax purposes.

Students
You qualify as a full-time student, and/or are not counted for Council Tax if:

  • you attend a university or college course lasting for at least one academic year - as long as you attend for at least 24 weeks out of the year and study for at least 21 hours a week during term time,  or
  • you are under 20 and your course leads to a qualification up to (but not above) 'A'' Level standard or equivalent - as long as it lasts for more than three months and involves more than 12 hours of instruction, tuition and/or supervised study per week.
  • you are an 18 or 19 year old who left school after 30 April until 1 November of the same year.
  • you are an 18 year old for whom Child Benefit is still being paid.

You are not a full-time student if you are:

  • taking a correspondence course
  • taking a course as a consequence of your job such as day release
  • taking an evening class

Student nurses and midwives

A student nurse undertaking a course which leads to a first registration on the Register maintained under the Nurses, Midwives and Health Visitor Act 1978 is disregarded (not counted) for council tax purposes.

Foreign language assistants

You will be classed as a student, and so not counted for council tax purposes, if you are:

  • registered with the Central Bureau for Educational Visits, and
  • working as a foreign language assistant at a school or other educational institution in Great Britain.

PDF file Print out a form to claim a disregard as a full time student, a student nurse or a foreign language assistant. (139KB - 26 January 2012 - PDF Help)

PDF file Print out a form to claim a disregard as a student under 20 years of age, a school/college leaver or getting child benefit. (139KB - 26 January 2012 - PDF Help)

Former Homes of Full-time Students

If you are a full-time student who has left a property you own or rent (with a leasehold of more than six months), in order to study, the property may be exempt from Council Tax , if

  • it was your main residence immediately before you became a full-time student; and
  • you vacated it less than six weeks before starting your course; and
  • no-one has occupied it as his or her main home since you vacated it.

Your entitlement to an exemption will stop when you complete your course, even if you do not move back into your former home. PDF file Print out a form (138KB - 23 January 2012 - PDF Help) if you want to claim this exemption.

Page last updated on 26 January 2012