Council tax reduction?

FoamToaster

I'm living in Edinburgh currently and am just about to move in with my girlfriend and was a bit confused about the council tax situation and was wondering if anyone could clear things up. The flat we are moving to is privately owned and band D.

-I am a full time student, currently have just over £20k savings though (15k in NS&I investment thing and around 6-7k in bank). No income to speak of (apart from slight interest).
-She graduated a year ago and is only working part time so is earning around £7 per year and has little savings to speak of, although will likely be getting £10k in the next couple of years (after a house sale) from her parents- which can be delayed if necessary I guess.

As I am a full time student I am not eligible to pay council tax so she would get a 25% reduction I guess but if it wasn't for my savings I think she would be eligible to claim for benefits to help pay the tax. Are my savings counted in addition to hers even if I'm a student and are exempt? Also am I classed as a 'partner'? We're not married or anything, what determines whether 2 people living together are classed as partners or not?

All a bit confusing and just want to make sure we're not missing out on what we could claim for. The 15k I have in NS&I isn't really readily available for my use and is part of an inheritance from my late grandfather.
Where do we stand council tax wise? Also what about housing benefit? Is there any eligibility for this? I tried a calculator but it refused to proceed after finding out I was a student!


Edit: I think we could argue that we "are not living together as husband and wife", we have been together 2 and a bit years but have not discussed marriage, children, etc., we don't have a joint bank account, there is nothing legally binding us, etc. We are just moving in because it will save us both some money and my rent is up soon anyway.

Housing_Benefit_Officer

Yes household income and capital are taken into account working out Council Tax support. Your capital would be taken into account and so would any student income you receive.

The capital limit for Housing Benefit is £16k. For Council Tax Support each Council sets its own rules. Some have a limit of £6k.

She would get a 25% discount as you would be exempt from Council Tax.

You can argue you are not living together as a husband and wife until you are blue in the face - you won't win any argument. She is your girlfriend you are a couple. I assume you will be sharing a bed?

FoamToaster

Ok, thanks for the advice. Does it make any difference if we will both only be living there part of the year? What if she has a house in Edinburgh for which council tax is being paid, where she receives all her bills and where she is registered to vote? It's her parents house and she is planning on keeping stuff there and staying there at least a couple of days a week. I am often out of the city for a few days at a time in the week with my course and she will be staying with her mum then.

Housing_Benefit_Officer

Her parents house is her parents house.

Her home is the home you will be moving into with her.

That is her main residence.