Council Tax exemptions

You may be entitled to a Council Tax exemption for certain types of properties

Occupied only by students or by foreign partners or dependants of students (class N)

This exemption applies if each person living in the property is: 

  1. a full-time student, or 
  2. a school or college leaver, or 
  3. a non-British spouse, partner or dependant of a student who is prevented, under the terms of their leave to enter or remain in the UK, from taking paid employment or claiming benefits 

Apply if you are a full-time student 

To apply for this exemption, you need to get a Council Tax student certificate from the administration office at your school, college or university. 

Please email the certificate to revenues@surreyheath.gov.uk (link sends email).

Full-time student definition

A full-time student is: 

  • someone who is doing a full-time course of further or higher education at a university or any other college 
  • someone who is under the age of 20 years and who is doing a course, which: 
  • is not full time 
  • lasts at least 3 months 
  • mainly provides tuition other than through correspondence 
  • requires at least 12 hours a week of supervised study, exercise, experiment, project or practical work, normally carried out between 8am and 5.30pm 
  • leads to a qualification up to A level, ONC or OND standard (not higher education) 
  • someone who is who is working as a foreign language assistant at a school or other educational institute in Great Britain and who is registered with the Central Bureau for Educational Visits and Exchanges as a foreign language assistant 

Full-time course definition 

A full-time course: 

  • lasts at least one academic or calendar year, and 
  • normally requires an average of at least 21 hours a week of study, tuition or work experience (whether at university or college or somewhere else) for at least 24 weeks in each academic or calendar year  
  • if you are doing a full-time course of further or higher education at a university or any other college in any member state of the European Union and your only or main home is in England or Wales, you may qualify as a student for council tax purposes. 

Apply if you are a school or college leaver 

To apply for this exemption, you need to get a certificate or letter from the administration office at your school or college confirming your attendance there. 

You will need to provide: 

  • a copy of your passport 
  • a copy of your entry visa, showing the restrictions on your stay in the UK 
  • a council tax student certificate (original, not a copy) 
  • documentary evidence of your relationship to the student (original, not a copy) 

Please email the above to revenues@surreyheath.gov.uk (link sends email).

School or college leaver definition 

A school or college leaver is: 

  • an 18 or 19-year-old who has left school or college but still claims child benefit. This usually applies to a young people who left school or sixth form college in the summer, with the intention of going on to further or higher education later in the year 
  • apply if you are a non-British spouse, partner or dependant of a student