Apply for a student Council Tax discount or exemption

If you are a student aged 18 or older who is studying a course at a college or university in Birmingham, you may be eligible to get a discount or exemption on your Council Tax.

About student discounts and exemptions

You will not have to pay Council Tax if you are a full-time student. This applies if you are either living in a property with other full-time students or living in a property by yourself.

If you are living in a property where everyone living there is a full-time student except for 1 adult, you can get a 25% discount on your Council Tax bill.

If there are 2 or more people living in your property who are not full-time students, no discount or exemption will apply.

If you are a full-time student living with 1 or more adults who are non-students, you may still get an exemption if all the other adults are disregarded. This means that we do not count them when figuring out the number of people who live in your property. People who are disregarded include non-British partners or dependents and guests living with you under the Homes for Ukraine scheme.

Student halls of residence owned and managed by a college or university are exempt from Council Tax charges.

If you are a full-time student living with 1 or more non-students in your property, you will not normally be held liable to pay Council Tax. In most cases it will be the non-students who are held liable.

However, if you are a full-time student and the (main) tenant or owner of your property, you may still be held liable.

How to qualify

If you are a full-time student

To be considered a full-time student, you must be taking a course where you are studying for at least 21 hours per week for at least 24 weeks, or 1 academic year. Study in this instance can include a combination of classroom teaching and independent learning.

If you are studying for a qualification up to A-level, your course must last at least 3 months and involve at least 12 hours of study per week.

People taking an evening course or a course in connection with their job, such as day release, are not classed as full-time students.

If you are a part-time student

If you are only studying your course on a part-time basis, you will have to pay Council Tax.

You may still get a discount if you have someone else living with you who is disregarded, such as a full-time student.

If you are the only person living in your property who is liable to pay Council Tax, you may be able to apply for a single person discount.

If you are a student nurse

If you are a student nurse studying full-time, you will not have to pay Council Tax.

If you are a PhD student

If you meet the criteria of a full-time student but not for an open-ended period, you are still exempt from paying Council Tax.

Apply for a Council Tax discount if you are a PhD student.

If you are a student with a non-British partner or dependent living with you

If you are a full-time student that has a partner or dependent living with you who is not a British citizen, then you are both exempt from paying Council Tax. Make sure you have any relevant documentation, such as their Visa, available before you start your application.

How to apply

To apply for a student discount or exemption, complete our application for student exemption for council tax form.

Confirmation of your status as a student will be sent directly to us by your university

if you are a full-time student studying at:

  • Aston University
  • Birmingham City University
  • Coventry University
  • University College Birmingham
  • University of Birmingham

These universities send us an electronic list for our records every 2 weeks. It is important you make sure your name is included by checking with your college or university.

If you are studying at any other college or university in Birmingham, we will need to see your student certificate. You will normally receive this when you start your course, but you can also get one from your faculty office. Alternatively, you can also ask your college or university to provide a statement letter confirming your period of study.

Make sure that you have all the relevant documentation with you before you start your application.

What happens next

Once we have received your application, we will do checks to see if you qualify for a discount or exemption. This may include checking your student status and the number of people in your property.

If you have been accepted, we will notify you by email or letter within 14 days of our decision.


Page last updated: 17 October 2023

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