Full-time students do not pay council tax, but the exemption is not automatic in a private house — you have to claim it. This explains who qualifies, how to apply to Birmingham City Council, and the traps that catch people out.
What it is worth
Council tax on a small Birmingham terrace is not a small bill. On Birmingham City Council's published charges, the 2025/26 figures were £1,491.33 for a Band A property, £1,739.89 for Band B and £2,237.00 for Band D. Most shared student houses in Selly Oak, Bournbrook and Perry Barr sit in Band A or B. Charges rise each April, so the current year's figure is higher again.
Split four ways that is a few hundred pounds each. Left unclaimed and then chased, it becomes a court summons with costs attached.
Who counts as a full-time student
The test is set nationally, not by the council. GOV.UK states that your course must last at least one year and involve at least 21 hours of study a week. Birmingham City Council's own student council tax page puts it as at least 21 hours a week for at least 24 weeks in the academic year.
The 21 hours includes tuition, private study and work experience, not just timetabled contact hours. That matters: almost no humanities degree has 21 contact hours a week, and students sometimes wrongly assume they fail the test.
If you are under 20 and studying for a qualification up to A level, the threshold is lower: a course of at least three months and at least 12 hours a week.
Student nurses on a full-time course qualify, as do postgraduates and PhD students, provided the course meets the same hours and length test.
Exemption or discount — the difference matters
These are two different things, and people mix them up constantly.
| Who lives there | What happens |
|---|---|
| Everyone is a full-time student | The property is exempt. No bill at all. |
| Students plus one non-student adult | A bill is issued with a 25 per cent discount. The non-student pays it. |
| Students plus two or more non-student adults | Full bill, no discount, unless one of the non-students is also disregarded for another reason. |
| One full-time student living alone | Exempt. |
Students in a mixed house are "disregarded" — the council counts the household as if you were not there. Only one 25 per cent discount applies per property, however many students live in it. So a house with four students and two working non-students pays the full charge, and the two non-students are legally liable for it. The students are not, but in practice the bill lands on the household and someone has to sort it out.
If your partner or a friend who works moves into your student house mid-year, the exemption stops the day they move in. Tell the council rather than waiting for them to find out. Backdated bills are much harder to argue with than a change you reported yourself.
The bit nobody tells you: you probably do not need a certificate
This is the part worth reading twice. Birmingham City Council receives electronic confirmation of student status directly from the major institutions in the city. Its own guidance names five: Aston University, Birmingham City University, Coventry University, University College Birmingham and the University of Birmingham. If you study at one of those, you do not need to request, collect or post a paper council tax certificate.
The universities confirm this from their side. Aston says it sends a list of full-time students to Birmingham City Council each year. The University of Birmingham says it has an agreement in place to supply the council with a list of all currently registered students. University College Birmingham states plainly that confirmation of your student status is sent directly to Birmingham City Council.
Two caveats, and they are important.
First, the electronic list replaces the certificate, not the application. UCB spells this out: you still need to complete an application form. The council knows you are a student; it does not know which address you live at, or who else lives there. That is what the form tells it.
Second, if you are at an institution not on that list — Newman University, a further education college, a private provider, or a university outside Birmingham — you will need a student certificate or a letter from your institution confirming your course start and end dates. Ask your student records or registry office for a "council tax certificate" specifically.
How to claim it in Birmingham
Go to Birmingham City Council's application page. The council recommends signing in to a BRUM account, but you can apply without one.
Have ready:
- Your full address, including flat or room number.
- The names of everyone living at the property and whether each of them is a student.
- Your institution, course name, and course start and end dates.
- Your tenancy agreement dates. The council may ask for a signed copy — the paper form asks tenants to supply one so it can work out who is liable.
- Your student number.
- If you are not at one of the five listed institutions, your student certificate.
The council says it will notify you by email or letter within 14 days of a decision. If you are approved, Birmingham issues a zero bill, which is the document to send your landlord if they ask for proof. Keep it.
Apply once at the start of your tenancy, then again next year — the exemption is tied to a course and an address, not to you permanently.
Purpose-built student accommodation
If you live in a hall of residence or purpose-built student accommodation, you almost certainly have nothing to do.
Halls owned or managed by a university, or where a university has the right to nominate the majority of residents, are exempt as a class of property in their own right. Private purpose-built blocks are generally handled by the operator, either through that same route or because every occupant is a full-time student and the building is treated as exempt on that basis. Either way, liability sits with the provider, not with you, and no bill reaches your room.
Globe Works works this way, as do the other purpose-built blocks around the Gun Quarter and city centre. It is one of the unglamorous advantages of a managed building: nobody has to remember to file anything. In a six-bed terrace in Selly Oak, by contrast, the exemption exists only if someone claims it — and every year houses get a bill because all six residents assumed a housemate had done it.
Traps that catch people out
Your course ends in June, your tenancy runs to August. This is the most common one. Your student status ends on your official course end date, not when your tenancy ends. From that date you are liable for council tax on the remaining weeks. If everyone in the house graduates in June and the tenancy runs to the end of August, that is roughly two months of council tax between you. Budget for it. If you are starting a postgraduate course in September, the gap in between is still a chargeable period.
Intercalating or suspending studies. If you remain registered with the university while taking time out, you normally keep student status for council tax. Get written confirmation of your registration status from student services before the council asks — it is much easier to obtain while you are still in contact with the department.
PhD writing-up year. This is genuinely contested territory. Once you move to a writing-up, continuation or thesis-pending status, the council may take the view that you no longer meet the 21-hour test. Some students win this, some do not. If it applies to you, get a letter from your supervisor or graduate school stating your expected weekly hours and course end date, and take advice from your students' union before you accept a bill.
Part-time students. A part-time course does not qualify, whatever the fees look like. You may still get the 25 per cent single person discount if you live alone.
A non-student partner. One non-student adult means a 25 per cent discount, not an exemption. There is a narrow exception for the non-British spouse or dependant of a student who is barred by their visa conditions from working or claiming benefits — that person can be disregarded too, so the property may stay exempt. If that is your situation, say so on the form.
Ignoring it. Do not. A missed instalment triggers a reminder giving seven days to pay, then a final notice, then a court summons — and Birmingham's own guidance puts the summons cost at £75 added to what you owe. After that comes a liability order, then enforcement agents with their own fees, deductions from wages, and attachment to benefits.
If a bill or summons arrives anyway
Do not assume it is a mistake that will correct itself. A council tax bill is a legal demand and the recovery clock starts the day it is issued.
Contact the council straight away and apply for the exemption or discount if you have not already. Say clearly, in writing, that you are a full-time student and that you are applying — an application in progress is a much better position at a court hearing than silence.
If the summons date is close, ring the council's council tax line on 0121 303 1113 and explain. Councils routinely withdraw summonses against students who turn out to be exempt, but only if they know.
If the council refuses your claim and you think it is wrong, you can appeal — first to the council in writing, then to the Valuation Tribunal, which is free and independent. Your students' union advice service will help you write it.