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Full time student exemption

If you are a full time student you might be eligible for an exemption or discount depending on who is living with you.
Council tax Direct Debits taken late

The Direct Debit council tax instalments for 1 July 2024 have been collected from bank accounts on 2 July 2024 in error.

We apologise for any inconvenience. If you've incurred bank charges as a result, please provide proof from the bank and submit it to us for reimbursement.

Haven't had your council tax bill?

If you've got a MyLewisham account and have registered to view your council tax account online, you won't get a paper copy of your annual bill – it'll be available to view online instead.

If you don't have MyLewisham account, you'll get a paper copy in the post as normal.

Who's eligible

Households where everyone’s a full time student don’t have to pay council tax. If you get a bill, you can apply for an exemption.

To count as a full time student, your course must:

  • last at least one academic year, and
  • involve at least 21 hours of study per week

Your university or college will provide you with a certificate that you must send to us immediately. If you live in a halls of residence, you don’t need to apply - an exemption is already in place. Please contact your student accommodation officer.

Only full time students qualify for any type of council tax reduction, but if you're a part time student, you might be entitled to make a claim under the council tax reduction scheme if you're on a low income.

How much reduction you get

  • the full exemption applies only to households that consist solely of full time students
  • if only one claimant lives with any number of students, the claimant is also entitled to a 25% single person's discount
  • if two or more non-students live in a household, there is no discount or reduction

How do I apply?

To apply for a student discount or exemption you will need to log in to your My Lewisham account. If you don’t have one already, please click 'Log in and apply for a discount' below then choose 'register' and follow the instructions to create your account.

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