Students and Council Tax

kittycatface

Hi,

I'm a postgraduate student just moved to a new place with 2 housemates I don't know very well, 1 of whom is a full time student, and the other who studies at night school while working full time.

I thought full time students didn't have to pay council tax, but Wandsworth council have said we do because I study only 18hrs full tutorial time per week.

Are phd and other postgrads having this problem as surely they have less contact hrs than me per week?

And any tips on persuading the guy who works full time he should subsidise us for council tax? Or do we just get reduced bill?

Any advice gratefully received you'd be saving us over 40 a month..and help a very confused student understand local govt finance!

Thanks

yummymummy79

Usually how it works is that students are disregarded when working out how many people live in the house, so if there are 3 people, 2 of which are students then just the one person would be counted which would mean a bill of 75% (only one person in house means 25% discount).

With regard to your council not accepting your student status, it does seem to vary by council as to how many hours is classed as full time, I seem to remember 20/21 hours at the council I worked at. You will have to discuss this with your council.

So, if you are not classed as a student, then there will be a full bill which should technically be split 50/50 between you and the guy who works full time.

Another thing to bear in mind is if you live in a House of Multiple Occupation (HMO) then the landlord will be the liable person. You are usually classed as living in an HMO if you have seperate tenancy agreements for your own amount of rent, and you have your own room with a lock on the door. Again, this will need to be checked with your council.

Please bear in mind I haven't worked in CT for a few years now so am probably a bit rusty, so just take this info as a starting point rather than the gospel!

CIS

22 hrs is the figure set down in legsialtion as full time - most unis just issue certficates as full time and we accept them without querying the hrs.

yummymummy79 is right in that if your not disregarded then there will be two liable occupants, but each of the liable occupants is legally 100% liable for the entire bill, any arrangements like paying 50:50 are personnal arrangements and don't affect your overall liability to 100% of the charge due.

HIMO may be a possibility but it depends on your contrcts.

Polovski

the worker and the night schooler should be the only people on your bill as the one doing night school can't be a FT student (unless they don't sleep?).

If your uni will issue you with an FT council tax cert then just send it in - you are expected to do about another 40 hours a week study on top of your contact time. If your uni classes it as FT then the council should take their lead. I would fight this one tooth and nail.
I am on an undergrad course, i only attend approx 10 hrs a week even though it is an FT course - i still get a FT certificate.

CIS - is the 22hrs including recommended study time or contact hours?

cheers

CIS

Sorry, should have said 21 hrs or more

Statutory Instrument 1992 No. 548
The Council Tax (Discount Disregards) Order 1992


4.—(1) A full-time course of education is, subject to subparagraphs (2) and (3), one—
(a) which subsists for at least one academic year of the educational establishment concerned or, in the case of an educational establishment which does not have academic years, for at least one calendar year;
(b) which persons undertaking it are normally required by the educational establishment concerned to attend (whether at premises of the establishment or otherwise) for periods of at least 24 weeks in each academic or calendar year (as the case may be) during which it subsists, and
(c) the nature of which is such that a person undertaking it would normally require to undertake periods of study, tuition or work experience which together amount in each such academic or calendar year to an average of at least 21 hours a week during the periods of attendance mentioned in paragraph (b) above in the year.

mitten_2

I thought all full time students were exempt, postgraduate or undergraduate. I'm doing a PhD and although technically i have no seminars/tutorials, i am expected to put in the hours of a full time job writing my thesis.

CIS

I thought all full time students were exempt, postgraduate or undergraduate. I'm doing a PhD and although technically i have no seminars/tutorials, i am expected to put in the hours of a full time job writing my thesis.

They are if they meet the required legislation

Tirian

CIS wrote: »

yummymummy79 is right in that if your not disregarded then there will be two liable occupants, but each of the liable occupants is legally 100% liable for the entire bill, any arrangements like paying 50:50 are personnal arrangements and don't affect your overall liability to 100% of the charge due.

HIMO may be a possibility but it depends on your contrcts.

I thought that all occupants were legally responsible for the entire bill, regardless of whether they 'counted' towards the number of qualifying occupants for calculating how much was charged.

hodgester

Tirian wrote: »

I thought that all occupants were legally responsible for the entire bill, regardless of whether they 'counted' towards the number of qualifying occupants for calculating how much was charged.

nope. certain people, students and the severely mentally impaired, (that's two seperate groups of people by the way ) since 1st April 2004 are no longer treated as jointly and severally liable when a non-student or non-severely mentally impaired occupier is considered a liable person.