Do Students Pay Council Tax?

19 Sep 2024, by Mikaela Bartlett, min. read

Wondering whether you need to pay council tax as a student? We’ve got all the details.

Ah, living on your own. It’s great to get the feeling of being truly independent. What’s not so great is all the bills you’re now in charge of.

From gas and electricity, water, your phone bill and all the other household bills to manage, it can feel a bit overwhelming, especially if you haven’t had to handle it before. Our recent 2024 Freshers report showed that over half of the students surveyed were not feeling confident about sorting out their bills. But you’ll be pleased to know there’s a glimmer of sunshine when it comes to council tax. Spoiler alert, most of you won’t have to pay for it.

We’ve got all the details if you read below.

In this article:

What is council tax?
Discounts for full-time students
Do PHD students pay council tax?
Do part-time students pay council tax?
Do I have to pay council tax if I live with a non-student?

Row of terraced student houses in the UK

What is council tax?

Council tax is one of the many bills that you’ll become responsible for when you’re an adult. It’s a charge from your local council for living on your property. It helps go towards paying for local services including:

Bin collection
Street lighting
Public libraries
Parks/green spaces

Council tax is split into 8 bands, A-H, with H being the most expensive. Generally, the bigger and more valuable the house, the higher the council tax band and cost will be. It’s usually paid in monthly instalments, and the cost can go up each year with inflation.

Discounts for full-time students

If you’re a full time student, chances are you won’t have to pay council tax. This is true if you:

Live in halls of residence, or
Are enrolled on a course that lasts at least 1 year, or
Your course involves at least 21 hours of studying per week (during term time), or
Your course needs to be running for at least 24 weeks of a year

You normally won’t have to get in touch with your council, as universities often share your data so they’re aware you won’t be paying a bill. But, if you do receive a council tax bill, you can apply for the discount online.

Be aware that any discount or exemption from paying council tax will stop as soon as your course ends. So if you’re planning to stay at your uni house over summer after your final year ends, you’ll be eligible to pay council tax.

Do PHD or postgraduate students pay council tax?

Similarly to undergraduate students, if you’re a full-time PHD or Master’s student, you shouldn’t have to pay council tax.

The same rules apply as undergraduate, you will need to be studying for at least 21 hours a week or 24 weeks of the year, in a course that runs for at least one year.

If you live with a partner or a person who isn’t a full time student, then they’ll be eligible to pay council tax. But, if you’re studying full time and are exempt, they can apply for a Single Occupant discount for a 25% reduction on your council tax.

Do part-time students pay council tax?

If you’re a part-time student, you’ll usually have to pay council tax if your study hours are under 21 hours a week. But there’s a few different ways you could be eligible for a discount. These include:

If you’re living on your own, or no-one else in your house qualifies as an adult (for example, if you have a child under 18), you could apply for a Single Occupant discount. This will give you a 25% reduction on your council tax bill.
If you’re on a low income, you could receive a Council Tax Reduction benefit, which can offer up to 10% discount on your council tax bill. There’s a few things that can affect this, like where you live and other benefits you receive, but you can check out the criteria and see if you qualify for a CTR discount.

There’s other benefits that you might also be entitled to, so it’s always worth seeing what benefits you could receive on the government website.

Do students pay council tax if you live with a non-student?

If you’re a full time student living with non-students or part-time students who don’t qualify, then you won’t be able to get the full reduction of council tax.

BUT, the good news is, that in these situations, you will still be able to receive a 25% discount on your council tax. So that can be a good little cost saving for your household!

Row of terraced 2 story houses with a 3 story house on the end

What about other bills?

So now you’ve worked out whether you can get a discount on your council tax, take the time to have a look at your other household bills. While you can’t avoid paying bills completely (believe us, we’ve explored EVERY OPTION…), there’s definitely a few ways you can save money when living on your own.

When it comes to your gas and electric bills, it’s definitely worth comparing energy providers to find the cheapest option. You can explore whether a fixed or variable rate will work for you in your student house, and where the best place to find the cheapest deal is.

When it comes to saving money, learning how to budget as a student is a really important part of living on your own and managing your money. So if you can master this and spread your student loan over the course of the term, then paying your council tax should become more manageable, especially if you’re sharing a house with other uni students.

Before you head to uni, make sure you check out our uni essentials checklist, and sign up to Student Beans to get the best student discounts for your new adventure.