Full time student exemption

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.