Full time students are disregarded when calculating the number of people living in a property for Council Tax discount purposes.

Who is classed as a student

There are three main categories of students for Council Tax purposes:

  • you are a student if you are undertaking a full-time course at a college or university in the UK
  • you are under 20 years old in part time or full time education
  • you are a foreign language assistant – registered with the Central Bureau for Educational Visits and working at a school or other educational establishment

A full-time course is one that:

  • lasts for at least one academic year or, if the establishment does not have academic years, for at least one calendar year
  • requires you to normally go to for at least 24 weeks in each academic calendar year
  • consists of an average of at least 21 hours a week of study, tuition, work experience or a combination of these

How to prove you are a student

You will need to provide Revenues and Benefits with a Certificate of Full Time Education from your school, college or university to prove you are a full-time student. Your college must provide this. A form is required for every student in the property.