Student Council Tax Exemption
How to prove your full-time student status and stop your council tax bills
What is Council Tax?
Council Tax is an annual fee charged by local government councils in England, Scotland, and Wales. The money collected goes toward funding crucial local services, such as rubbish collection, street lighting, local libraries, police and fire services, and park maintenance.
Do Students Have to Pay It?
If you are a full-time student in the UK, you are generally exempt from paying Council Tax. However, the exact discount your household receives depends entirely on who lives with you:
| Household Makeup | Impact on Your Council Tax Bill |
| All residents are full-time students | 100% Exempt. You pay nothing at all. |
| All residents are students except ONE non-student | 25% Discount. The non-student is legally responsible for paying the remaining 75% of the bill. |
| Two or more residents are non-students | 0% Discount. The full bill must be paid, but legally, full-time students cannot be held liable for paying it. |
Note: If you live in official university halls of residence, your accommodation is automatically exempt—you do not need to apply for an exemption.
Who counts as a Full-Time Student?
At Central Film School all students on our undergraduate programmes and postgraduate programmes are full-time students apart from those studying on our part-time MA Screenwriting programme.
How to Apply for Exemption
If you live in private rented accommodation, the council does not automatically know you are students. You must actively apply for the exemption by requesting a letter from us via the form here and submitting this to your local council.
You can read the full guidance on the Government website.
