25% council tax and adult student

[DustyOldLady]

Hi

im in a panic and hoping someone can advise.

im a lone parent and have therefore been eligible for the 25% single adult occupancy discount for my council tax.

my son (almost 21 years) is at the other end of the country at university (finishing this summer. )

I have just received through the post a council tax invoice for almost £500 payable in 2 February. (Multiplied by 4 it would seem to be for the 25% discount).

(a) I don’t have £500 odd spare for the payment, with less than 1 week notice , and
(b) more importantly, I am still the only adult living in my house so don’t understand why they are charging.

I have messaged them by email this evening but wonder if anyone has had this happen and if so was it easy enough to resolve?

thank you so much for any advice.

If he is living elsewhere you are entitled to single discount . A ft student is also exempt until end of their course so you would be entitled to it even so. If he returns home after his course ends (even before graduation) he would then count as a second adult.

If he returns home in the holidays, you/he should have filled in a council tax 'disregard' form to claim his exemption as a student so that you could continue to claim as a single adult.
You need to speak to the Council and apply for the current year and see if they will backdate to previous years. If they won't then you'll have to try and negotiate spreading the amount owed over a period of time instead of paying a lump sum.

Thank you so much. It’s what I’d thought (given that in the past 2 years he’s been at university and I haven’t received N additional invoice. Hoping it’s just a clerical error then.

thanks so much for your time.

thank you.

I was fully expecting the increase in the summer as he will more than likely come home to live - just bit for a whole year (and last year at that).

thank you

I work in the same office as the council tax staff, honestly just call them and ask. If you can't afford to pay in one go ask to set up repayment plan. Staff do make errors on the system. You may just need to resend evidence he's still at uni if it wasn't sent in Summer when he started this year.

Edited after re reading your post, sorry I missed he's living away, definitely just call them itl just be a clerical error, happens all the time. You don't need to pay anything for the time he is home either until he graduates as students are exempt so you still get 25% discount.

Thank you so much. It’s that initial panic of getting an unexpected bill. I’ve always paid everything direct debit as I’m such a worrier where council tax is concerned. But you’ve confirmed too what I had thought, that I wouldn’t need to pay the full 100% for a few more months.

Thanks all for your help,

Like you I am or was the only working adult in the house. My young adult child is at college - full time course. For the last couple of years I've had to send paperwork to the council providing full details of the course, the hours etc. To get the 25% FT student exemption. So when I started my full time course at uni luckily I knew what to do!! Straight on email to Registry for the official document.

For my council it was a little buried on their website but they were helpful when I contacted them. But they were quick to reverse the exemption over the summer, it then got back dated when we provided the next year's form. So I am surprised you haven't had to provide documentation.

I got caught in a loophole once where I was a student, but I had my adult brother living with me after he graduated. He was doing some volunteering to beef up his cv.

neither of us with an income, both individually exempt, but when we applied for CT benefit it turns out that as we were related I was expected to “support” him. So I was liable for 75% council tax.

it’s not something ridiculous like that?

I’ve never had to fill anything out at all, other than the firm each year confirming I was the only adult in the house. I think it asked for his name and DOB. So that’s always been done since he was very small. Other than that, nothing.

i can only think that last years form didn’t find its way back to the council tax department in the post and so they have taken it that he is now an adult kivibg T gone. I’ve never had to provide info re his university or anything.

Hopefully it’s something I can sort by providing copies of his tenancy agreement where is or student information.

January is really not the month for shock bills!

Excuse all the typos. I left glasses at work and have fat fingers.

Somebody has tried to dob you in!

But for what? I have t done anything wrong! Ive been the only adult in the house for 19 years, have filled in Every electoral form, every council tax document, pay what I have to pay and on time. If it is something malicious, then that person is wasting everyone’s time including their own!

Is he in your electoral roll? Fine but may raise an anomaly.

yes he is because he was able to vote in the mayoral elections and I remember keep asking him to make sure he organised a postal vote because he’d be away.

perhaps that’s the reason - good point.

thanks for all the advice. I contactee the council and they asked for a Student Certificate for Council Tax which we arranged yesterday, got sent to the council by email today, and thankfully all sorted!