Students

• Definition of a full-time student
• Work Experience
• Student Nurses, Midwives and Health Visitors
• Spouses and dependants of foreign students
• Students under 20 on qualifying courses
• Foreign language assistants
• What are students entitled to?
  • Halls of Residence
  • Properties Completely Occupied by Students
  • Former Homes of Full-Time Students
  • Properties with Mixed Occupancy (Students and Non-students)

Definition of a Full Time Student

Full time students and young people can be disregarded when counting adults in a property, and this may mean that you are entitled to a discount.

Under certain circumstances, properties occupied by students may also be exempt so that no Council Tax is payable.

To be considered as a full time student:

• You must be studying at an educational establishment providing higher or further education
• You must be required to study, receive tuition or undertake work experience for at least 21 hours per week on average
• You must be registered on a course that lasts for at least a calendar year or an academic year of at least 24 weeks. 

Work Experience

Any period of work experience you undertake must not exceed 50% of the whole time spent on your course (unless you are a trainee teacher).

Student Nurses, Midwives and Health Visitors

If you are a student nurse, or a nurse who is studying to become a midwife or health visitor, you will be treated as a full time student.

If you are a student nurse on any other type of course leading to an appropriate qualification under the Nurses, Midwives and Health Visitors Act 1979, the person paying the Council Tax is only entitled a discount - not an exemption.

Spouses and dependants of students from abroad

If you are the spouse or a dependant of a student from another country you may also be treated as a full time student. The terms of the visa allowing you to live in this country must state that you are not entitled to work or have access to public funds. (Only one of these conditions needs to apply).

Students under 20 on qualifying courses

You can be considered to be a student if you are taking a qualifying course. The conditions for this are that:

• You must be under 20
• At least 12 hours a week must be spent on the relevant activities of the course
• The course must be at least 3 months long
• Most of the tuition must be undertaken between the hours of 8.00am and 5.30pm
• The course must not be a correspondence course
• The course must have no connection to any job that you do.

Foreign language assistants

Foreign language assistants are considered as students if they are:

• Registered with the Central Bureau for Educational Visits
• appointed as an assistant at a school or other educational institution in Great Britain. 

What are students entitled to?

If you meet any of the definitions above so that you are considered to be a student, there are a number of different reductions in Council Tax that may apply.

Halls of Residence

If you live in a hall of residence, the property is exempt, and you will not be liable for Council Tax.

The hall of residence must be predominantly occupied by full time students and owned or run by a college, a university or a charitable institution.

If you are a student living in a hall of residence you do not need to do anything yourself because the organisation running the residence will claim the exemption.

Properties Completely Occupied by Students

If you live in a property that is completely occupied by students, the property is exempt, and you will not have to pay Council Tax.

School leavers are included in the definition of student for this exemption.

The person who is highest in the liability hierarchy must apply for the exemption. If you want to apply for a student exemption, email: counciltax@fareham.gov.uk.

If any non-student moves into the property, or if someone who is resident leaves their course, the exemption stops from that day.

The only exception to this is where the only non-students who are resident are severely mentally impaired.

You must inform the Council if you are no longer entitled to an exemption. We will take legal action against anyone who fraudulently claims a discount or exemption.

Former Homes of Full-Time Students

If you are a full time student who has left a property you own in order to study, the property may be exempt, if:

• It was your main residence immediately before you became a full time student
• You vacated it less than six weeks before starting your course
• No one has occupied it as his or her main home since you vacated it.

Your entitlement to an exemption will stop when you complete your course, even if you do not move back into your former home.

You must apply for this exemption by email counciltax@fareham.gov.uk.  We will need to know where you are living while you are studying and the date that you expect to finish your course.

Properties with Mixed Occupancy (Students and Non-students)

Students living with non-students are disregarded (not counted) when you are adding up the number of adults in a property.

School leavers are included in the definition of student for this discount.

If there is only one non-student resident, and the other residents are students, you will be entitled to 25% discount off your Council Tax bill.

Please note that the person who is highest in the liability hierarchy will be liable to pay the 75% charge. This may mean that, if the student is highest in the hierarchy, he or she will be the person we will expect to pay the bill.

You must inform the Council if you are no longer entitled to a discount. We will take legal action against anyone who fraudulently claims a discount or exemption.

If you want to apply for a student discount, email: counciltax@fareham.gov.uk.  We will require evidence of your entitlement.

Further Information

For further information please contact the Council Tax office on Tel: 01329 824651, or e-mail counciltax@fareham.gov.uk.