Skip to content
House with coin icon

Student exemption

Students in full-time education do not always have to pay council tax.

To qualify for a student discount or exemption from your Council Tax bill, the person(s) must be one of the following:

Students in full time education - enrolled on a course which lasts for a minimum of 24 weeks in each academic year and have to study at least 21 hours per week during term time.

Students under the age of 20 - study in excess of 12 hours per week on a qualifying course (these include A Levels, Highers and Level 3 SVQ’s) which lasts for more than three months. Please note, evening classes, job related study and day release courses do not count.

Student nurse or student midwife.

Foreign language assistants - registered with the British Council.

  • If every member within the household meets one of the above criteria, then an exemption can be granted.
  • If only one member of the household does not meet one of the above criteria, but all the other members do, then a 25% discount can be awarded.
  • If two or more members of a household do not meet one of the above criteria, then no student exemption or discount is available.

Apply for your student exemption or discount today, by clicking on the button below and filling out the online form. 

Please make sure you have your account reference number ready, which is shown on your council tax bill - where you can find this.

Apply for the student exemption/discount now
Was this information helpful?



Data protection: We will handle your personal information in line with the Data Protection Act 1998 and in accordance with the council’s Fair Processing Notice.