Walsall Council Tax Student Exemption

Full-time students in Walsall do not have to pay council tax — but only if the right conditions are met and the right evidence is submitted. Get it wrong and you end up with a bill you should never have received, or worse, a missed payment that triggers the enforcement chain.

Who Qualifies as a Full-Time Student

You are classed as a full-time student for council tax purposes if your course meets all three conditions:

1. It lasts at least one academic year
2. You attend for at least 24 weeks per year
3. Study or tuition amounts to at least 21 hours per week during term time

This covers most undergraduate and postgraduate degrees, full-time HNDs, and foundation courses. Part-time courses, evening classes, and distance learning courses that do not meet the 21-hour threshold do not qualify.

Some student nurses and apprentices may be disregarded under separate criteria. Ask Walsall Council to confirm whether your course or training qualifies.

Full Student Household: Complete Exemption

If every adult living in the property is a full-time student, the household is fully exempt from council tax (Class N exemption). Nobody pays anything. This applies whether you are in university-managed halls, a private shared house, or a flat with a joint tenancy — as long as every adult who lives in the property qualifies as a student.

To claim the exemption, each student needs to provide Walsall Council with a student certificate from their institution. Most universities and colleges issue these automatically through their student records office. The certificate must confirm your name, course title, start and expected end dates, and confirm the course meets the full-time criteria.

Mixed Households: Students Living with Non-Students

When a full-time student lives with someone who is not a student, the property is not exempt. Instead, the student is disregarded — treated as though they do not live there for council tax purposes.

If one non-student adult remains after all students are disregarded, the household qualifies for the 25% single-person discount. The non-student is liable for the bill, not the student.

If two or more non-student adults live in the property, there is no discount from the student disregard — the non-students are liable for the full bill between them.

What Happens During Holidays and After Graduation

The exemption covers the full academic year, including holiday periods, as long as you remain enrolled. When your course officially ends, the exemption stops. If you graduate in June but your tenancy runs until September, you become liable from the day after the course end date confirmed by your institution.

Plan ahead: if you are graduating, either end your tenancy when your course finishes or budget for council tax in the gap months. You may also qualify for Council Tax Reduction during that transition period if your income is low enough.

How to Apply

Contact Walsall Council at 0300 555 2851 or through the council tax section at go.walsall.gov.uk/council-tax. You will need to provide a current student certificate for every student in the household, confirming the course and enrolment dates.

If you have already been paying council tax when you should have been exempt, ask the council to backdate the exemption. They will credit the overpayment to your account, and you can request a cash refund.

If you are a student who also works part-time and wants to understand how Council Tax Reduction interacts with the student disregard, our Walsall Council Tax Reduction guide explains the layering of exemptions, discounts, and means-tested reduction step by step.

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