Full time student exemption
Weekly Direct Debit council tax payments will be collected on Monday (instead of Friday) from 7 April 2025 until the end of March 2026.
You can also pay monthly on the 1st, 18th or 28th of the month.
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.