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Council Tax and Students(England, Wales and Scotland)
Most full-time students don’t have to pay council tax but every year many students receive court summons or summary warrants because they haven’t informed their local council of their student status:
- Tell your local Council when you move in and when you move out of the property even if you think that you don't have to pay council tax.
- If you live in halls of residence you will be automatically excluded from paying council tax - you don't have to do anything.
- If you’re living in rented accommodation, every student in the house needs to ask their University to verify a student certificate stating they’re a full-time student. These need to be sent to the Council Tax department of your local council (keep copies for yourselves too). If you go in person to the Council Tax Office with the documents this sometimes saves time in the long run as student certificates can get lost.
- The Council will then send you a revised bill stating that no council tax is payable if all the tenants are full-time students.
- Full-time students are no longer ‘jointly and severally liable’ for council tax on non-exempt properties ie properties that are not occupied solely by full-time students. This means that, if a non-student who is a joint tenant with you, doesn’t pay the council tax liable on the property, no full-time student living there who is also a joint tenant can be held responsible for any money owed to the Council.
- Generally speaking if you live with someone who isn’t a student, they will be fully liable for any council tax on the property although they may be able to get a 25% single person’s discount. But if, for example, you are an owner occupier and you have a lodger who is not a student, you will be liable to pay the council tax even though you are a full-time student because you are higher in what is called the 'hierarchy of liability' as an owner occupier than your lodger.
- Student council tax discounts and exemptions can be backdated.
- Don’t ignore council tax bills,court summons or summary warrants.
- If you move into private accommodation before the start of your first term you may well be liable for the council tax until the term begins as you are not a full-time student until then. You will become liable again at the end of your course.
- You can get more information on the related website links.
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| The safest way to be completely sure that you do not incur any liability by mistake for the council tax is to share accommodation only with full-time students. |
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