School and College Leavers

You are considered to be a school leaver if you are 18 or 19 and have left school or college between 30 April and 1 November in the year that the bill is due.

You may be treated as a school leaver for Council Tax purposes even if you do not eventually enrol on a course.

If you have not become a student by 1 November, you stop being regarded as a school leaver from that date.

School leavers are disregarded (not counted) when you are adding up the number of adults resident in a property. If this means that there is only one person counted, you will be entitled to a 25% discount.

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 school leaver is highest in the hierarchy, he or she will be the person we will expect to pay the bill.

If the property you live in is completely occupied by school leavers, or if the only residents are a mixture of school leavers and students, the property is exempt and you will not have to pay any Council Tax.

However, please note that any school leavers who do not take up a course by 1 November will be classified as non-students, and this means that your entitlement to an exemption will end on that day.

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

If you want to apply for a discount or exemption, 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.