Claiming a student discount
To check whether you are eligible for a discount, or exemption from Council Tax because the occupants of the household are students, please follow the checklist below:

If a resident wishes to be disregarded (not counted) from the Council Tax liability for being a student, they must satisfy the following conditions;

From 1 April 2004, if two people are at the same stage of the hierarchy of liability, one is a student and the other is not; the student will not be made liable for Council Tax. Therefore, in households where there are both students and non-students, only the non-students will be liable.

Full time study
A student must be enrolled in a full time course of education at a prescribed educational establishment.

At a university or college course, lasting at least one academic or calendar year.

Requiring attendance for at least 24 weeks in that academic year.

Involving at least 21 hours of study, tuition or work experience per week in attendance of the course, on average, during term-time.

Student Nurses
A student would not be on a full-time course at college or university but are following a course leading to an appropriate registration under the Nurses Midwives and Health Visitors Act 1979.

Student nurses in full time education are also disregarded but since 1994 they are treated as full time students and could qualify for the Class N exemption.

Foreign Language Students
Registered with the Central Bureau for Educational Visits and Exchanges, as a foreign language assistant, and is appointed as a foreign language assistant at a school or other educational institute in Great Britain.

Student undertaking Qualifying Course
A young person under 20 who leaves a qualifying course after 30 April in any year is disregarded up to 31st October in the same year. The same terms 'full time course of education' apply as in the Full Time study disregard.

The term 'student' also covers young people under the age of 20 who are not on a full-time course of education but are undertaking a qualifying course of education.

A 'qualifying course' is one that subsists for at least 3 calendar months and is not a course of higher education. Evening classes and correspondence courses do not qualify and neither does job-related training where the course is being taken in consequence of the person's employment. It must require at lease 12 hours per week to be spent on the relevant activities of the course.

Apprentices
In order to qualify to be disregarded from Council Tax as an apprentice the following criteria must be met:

• Vocational or job 'trade' experience
• Leading to a qualification accredited by the national Council for Vocational Qualifications (NVQ)
• Must not earn over £195 per week.

Youth Trainee
Youth trainees must meet the following criteria in order to be disregarded from Council Tax liability:

• Under 25
• Undertaking training -

1. Pursuant to arrangements made under section 2 of the Employment and Training Act 1973(a)
2. This must be funded by the Learning and Skills Council for England.

Applying for the discount
To determine whether a discount, or exemption on the Council Tax account applies, you need to count the number of residents in the property that are over 18 years of age, and then subtract the number of residents who follow the criteria given above (i.e. are in study of some form).

• If the answer is zero, then an exemption from Council Tax will apply.
• If the answer is one, a 25% discount from Council Tax will apply, and the non student will remain liable for Council Tax while the students will not, their names will be taken off the bill.
• If the answer is more than one, no discount applies. The non students will remain liable, while all current students will be taken off the bill.

In order to apply for the discount, you must fill in and return the form that can be downloaded below, and enclose student certificates for all students resident in the property. The certificate will be obtainable from your Student Admission or Administration office, and must contain the following information:

• Name and address of educational establishment
• Name of student
• Name of course
• Start and end date of course
• Hours of study eg full-time or 21 hours per week on one course.

If you fail to provide the required information; i.e. the application form is not completed fully, or certificates are not sent with the form, the process will be delayed. Help us to help you by providing all information; remember you will remain liable for the full Council Tax charge until a discount or exemption is granted, so it is in your interest to provide the information as quickly as possible!

 Download a printable application form

If you have any doubts about your eligibility for a discount, or any other queries regarding student discounts (or any other Council Tax queries), please contact us on: 020 8871 8081, or you can Email us at counciltax@wandsworth.gov.uk.