Council tax bill with £1 coins on

Student Council Tax

Student Council Tax

The following information is intended for students who are resident in the Wycombe District area, therefore if you are living in any other local authority, you may be subject to different terms and conditions in relation to your council tax liability.

If you require proof of your student status to assist with a council tax exemption or discount, please drop us an email at students@bnu.ac.uk stating your ID number and the name of the council you require this letter for, and we will issue a letter for you as soon as we are able to.

Full-time students following an award-bearing program of study that requires more than 21 hours of study per week, for at least 24 weeks in each academic year should be exempt from the payment of Council Tax. The exemption lasts for the full length of the academic year, however, if you are continuing on the same course after the summer, your status will normally cover you over the summer period. Final year students will be liable for council tax from the end of their final term. Part-time students will not be exempted from council tax payments, but may receive a discount as below.

The full council tax bill assumes that there are at least two adults living in the property. When only one person over 18 years lives in the property a discount of 25% can be awarded. In certain circumstances a discount can still be awarded if there is more than one adult living in the property. Students are not counted when calculating how many adult occupiers there are living in a property.

The below table provides details of scenarios when a discount or exemption would be due:

Household compositionDiscount awarded
3 adults and 1 student (4 total)No discount as 3 other adults counted
2 adults and 1 student (3 total)No discount as 2 other adults counted
2 adults and 2 students (4 total)No discount as 2 other adults counted
1 adult and 2 students (3 total)25% discount as only 1 adult counted
1 adults and 1 student (2 total)25% discount as 1 adult counted
1 adult and 3 students (4 total)25% discount as 1 adult counted
1 adult and 4 Students (5 total)25% discount as 1 adult counted
2 adults and both are students100% exemption
3 adults all 3 are students100% exemption

 

It is your responsibility to claim your Council Tax exemption/discount from Wycombe District Council for the property for each billing period.
Please note that exemptions and discounts will not be applied automatically.

When moving to an area you must make sure you register for Council Tax with the respective council. When you vacate a property, you will need to make sure your account has been closed. If your account is not closed you may be charged for council tax at that property after you have left.

Visit wycombe.gov.uk for the forms you may be required to complete if the details of your tenancy change or if you believe you are required to pay council tax at a discounted rate. For other local authorities, please request this via email on students@bnu.ac.uk.

Please note that if you are requiring a council tax exemption due to your status as a full time student and you live in High Wycombe, then you do not need to request a letter, but should complete the Local Wycombe Council Tax register form instead.

Once you have received a bill you can register to view your Council Tax account online through the Wycombe citizen portal.

You can view information about any discount/exemption that has been applied to your account as well as your account start/end dates and any outstanding and received payments.

  • If all current tenants are vacating the property, please use the 'Council tax change of address form' available via the link in the contact details section below.
  • If only some people are vacating the property and being replaced by other tenants, please use the ‘Council tax change of circumstances form’ including all relevant dates of occupancy (tenancy start and end dates) and the names of all tenants.

If you are registering for Council Tax and have previously lived in the Wycombe District Council Area, please advise us of your previous address and previous tenancy end date so we can ensure your account is closed and your details can be transferred to your new account.

If you receive a bill in April/May stating your student exemption is going to end on the 5 June 2016, you will need to take one of the following courses of action:

1. Advise Wycombe District Council of your tenancy end date by e-mailing localtax@wycombe.gov.uk in which case they will extend the student exemption.

2. If all tenants are staying in the property for another year then please advise Wycombe District Council of this via email and they can extend your exemption for a further year.

3. If some tenants are remaining, but others are vacating the property, please use the appropriate form as outlined above under ‘Procedure for vacating properties’.

Your address may not be eligible for exemption or discount if there are other adult residents at the address who are not full-time students. However, as a full-time student, your name will be removed from the liability and the remaining non-students will be required to make payment.

Contact details

Wycombe District Council

Student Hub, High Wycombe Campus