Council Tax is charged by the Local Council on residential homes to help pay for local services like bin collection and road maintenance. But we have good news, students enrolled on a full-time course at the University do not have Council Tax liability.  

The University will supply Plymouth City Council with details of the names and addresses of students within its boundaries but if you live elsewhere you will need to notify the Local Authority that you are a registered full-time student. 

Your Faculty Office should be able to provide you with a letter confirming this. If a student ceases to be enrolled on a full-time course, they should check their tenancy agreement for information on their Council Tax liability. 

Halls  

If you're living in university halls of residence you won’t have to pay council tax at all.  

Private Accommodation  

Full-time students will also be exempt if living in private accommodation. If you are a full-time student living in a property which is not occupied solely by other full-time students or 'exempt persons', the property won’t be exempt from Council Tax and will get a bill. However, whoever in the property is liable to pay the Council Tax might qualify for a discount. 

For example, if you share with an employed person or a part-time student, they will probably be liable for 75% of the Council Tax bill. There is a 25% discount because there is only one eligible adult in the property. As the full-time student, you would be disregarded when counting the number of eligible adults in the property for discount purposes. 

If you share with two or more employed people who aren’t students, they’re likely to be liable for 100% of the Council Tax bill, unless one or both qualifies as a disregarded person for Council Tax discount purposes. In this situation, the local council can only pursue the non-students for payment of the Council Tax bill. 

What if I interrupt or withdraw from my studies? 

As an interrupted student you will not have Council Tax liability as you will retain your student status, whereas if you withdraw you will no longer have student status and will be liable for Council Tax. 

Further details on Council Tax and Exemptions can be found by accessing the following:  https://liveplymouthac.sharepoint.com/sites/x70/SitePages/Council-tax.aspx  

Should you require any further information please contact advice@su.plymouth.ac.uk  

                                                                           

                                                                                                                                                                                             Last Updated: May 2025