Update as government says ‘you don’t need to pay council tax if’ | Personal Finance | Finance

The Government has issued a “good news” council tax update as it moved to clarify that a certain group of people do not need to pay any whatsoever. 

While most adults aged 18 and over are required to contribute towards the council tax, there are certain individuals who may not have to pay at all if they meet specific criteria. And a new post from the Government’s official X account on Monday explains that students do not need to pay the tax.

It reads: “Students, good news! If everyone in your house is a full-time student, you pay zero Council Tax!” To qualify as full time, it adds, your course must be at least one year long and you’ll need to study for at least 21 hours a week. 

If you’re under 20 and doing A Levels, your course needs to be at least three months long, with a minimum of 12 hours per week study time.

A graphic accompanying the post reads: “Did you know? You don’t need to pay council tax if everyone in your house is a full-time student”.

Additional details provided by Gov.uk state: “Households where everyone’s a full-time student do not have to pay Council Tax. If you do get a bill, you can apply for an exemption.

“You’ll get a Council Tax bill if there’s someone in your household who’s not a full-time student, but your household might still qualify for a discount.”