Council tax - student exemption

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Hi, hoping anyone may be able to shed light

I’m enrolled on a part time degree. I have the flexibility to complete it at a full time pace if I want to. Due to issues at work, I have the flexibility to pick up extra modules this academic year. I am enrolled on 90 credits, and have the potential to complete 120 credits if I pass one of the winter modules this term.

I have read conflicting things online, for example stating that part time students aren’t eligible for the exemption at all, vs stating that as long as 90 credits are studied then students are eligible. Hoping someone can share their experiences/knowledge. My council’s website is fairly archaic and doesn’t have the information.

Have to be full time

Yes, sure however my course allows me to study full time.

I think when I did it it required 21+ hours of study per week or something x

Pp is right - it's only for when the house only has full time students in, defined as those studying a 1+ year course at least 21 hours a week.

If you are part time on your enrolment then you aren't eligible

I’d meet this definition of full time which is what’s confused me.

Basically I can select which modules I do each year. If I do 2 modules a year, I’d complete the course in 6 years. I do 4 modules a year, I’d complete the course in 3 years as a standard full time undergraduate degree. At the moment, I’m booked on to undertake full time hours this academic year, and would complete the entire year. So I wouldn’t study part time this year.

I think I’m going to put in an application and see what they come back with. My university can supply a statement showing my expected hours of study this year which should do the trick

My student portal shows the name of my degree and the modules I’m enrolled on this year with the credits. It doesn’t state full time or part time. I requested a full breakdown which should show the expected hours per module. I’m hoping this may show I am completing the required hours for the exemption.

As your uni to give you letter etc saying you’re a full time student - that in hand take to council, also get it dated as council tax rebates can be back dated

Be aware that it is also council dependent. Some counties require more official hours than others

Full time or part time isn't measured by how many credits you do in an academic year - it's measured by how many years you'll take to complete the course. If a full time student would normally take 3 years, and you're registered to complete in 4, then even if your study pattern is 120 credits years 1 and 2, 60 credits years 3 and 4, you are considers PT throughout, not FT for the first 2 years then PT.

You may be able to accelerate your PT study, but you won't be paying the FT fee of £9250 even if you do 120 credits this year.

I thought it was 21 hours at least in all of England? The government website doesn’t say it can vary.

https://www.gov.uk/council-tax/discounts-for-full-time-students

OP, I don’t know who you’re studying with but if it’s the Open University they definitely do you a letter to give to your council if you’re doing 90 credits or more.

Our local uni supply eligible students with Council Tax Exemption certificates to give to the council, students can access these on their student portal.

I would ask student services for advice as to what they can provide as they should know who is eligible.

Your uni should give you a student exemption letter for the council if you are eligible to be exempt from council tax. If they cannot provide that because you are part time then you can't claim the exemption. Ask your university for clarification.

From what I recall, it’s also dependent upon the fees you are paying. Are you paying full time or part time fees?

Thank you, I am with OU. They have a section on their website which advises to request a document from them and I have done that.

hmm this is another confusing point, as nothing you have posted here is mentioned on the gov.uk website a PP linked. Is there a source for your information?

Mine was 3 years ago now, but it changed when we moved house into a different county. Luckily I was still doing enough hours to qualify. Mine wasn't OU though.

@UpTheMagicFarawayTree thanks, that’s good to know!

I went down a rabbit hole tonight & found this link which indicates I’m eligible. I’ll give it a try and see what happens - have nothing to lose I suppose!

Hi, I just wanted to post an update in case anyone else finds themselves in this situation. As you can see there was a lot of conflicting assumptions on this thread but the council was absolutely helpful. They have given a student exemption and I actually ended up with a refund of ~£300 of council tax paid which I was no longer liable for. Pretty easy going process.