Council tax is a tax to your local authority which goes towards local services such as schools, waste disposal or fire services. Most adults are required to pay this tax, with a few exceptions.

What can you do?

Full time students are generally not required to pay this or will receive a discount. The exemption rules are as follows:

  • If you are living in a house where EVERYONE is a full time student, you will not have to pay Council Tax.
  • If you are living in a house with all full time students EXCEPT ONE, you will be eligible for a 25% discount on your Council Tax.
  • If everyone in the house is a non-full time student EXCEPT ONE, there will be no discount. However, the Council cannot pursue the student for missed payments.

In order to claim any discounts you are eligible for, you will need to contact your local council with your Certificate of Registration and information about all other adults living at the address. If you are in student halls, the halls provider will generally sort this out for you but it is worth checking. If you are unsure of what council you are in, you can check via the Government website.

Find your local council(Opens in a new tab)

The other important thing to be aware of is that you will have to pay for council tax if any of your contract is outside of the dates covered by your Certificate of Registration.

Where to find us

Saw Swee Hock Student Centre

Contact us

020 7955 7158

Booking appointments

You can book an appointment via email

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