Hi,
I am due to start a full-time PhD in a few weeks time and was wondering if i will still be able to get an exemption form for the council tax like i did for my undergraduate degree?
Thanks, :-)

In short, yes, although you may need to complete a form depending on where you re living.

I got an exemption certificate from the finance office, which was accepted straight away by the local council. No problem.

What sylvester said.

Hi,

I'm a full-time PhD student,and will rent a house to live with my wife,but she wont work for a period of time,neither will she claim benefits,etc-we are EU but not British. Will I have to pay council tax? Thanks!

You will get a 25% reduction on your council tax if there is 1 student and 1 non-student living in the property.

...which would be a foolish thing to do. Don't mention any wife living in the same property and you will get a full exemption rather than 25% only. And save you a heck of a lot of money.

In the Uk, there is no need to register with the police/council (if you are from EU) and therefore no database will indicate people living in a property.

Thanks Otto, for your suggestion, I think I'll do so despite of the (minimal) risk.

This may sound like I'm being a bit of a shit, but taxes are there for a reason, unless you are exempt you should pay! It's not really very fair, especially if you aren't a british citizen!

it also depends why she will not be workign or claiming bnefits, if it is because of the terms of her visa, then she is also exempt from council tax as a spouse of a non-british full time student.

If it is because she just chooses not to work, then she'll only be eligable foe the 25% discount. If you do not report her living there it is fraud, you're unlikely to get caught, but some poeple will take moral issue with it.

"Taxes are there for a reason". In the UK, taxation is a different word for exploitation of citizen. So you should not be talking about morale!

And by the way, no EU citizen requires a visa to live in the UK. Is it fair that some PhD students who live alone get a full exemption from council tax but as soon as you live together with your partner you only get a 25% exemption? I don't think so. Apart from the fact that you usually get no value for your money in the UK in comparison with the high prices you have to pay for rent, property and pretty much everything else.

I agree, Otto, it is not fair. I have lived with 2 full time students before and as the only working person there the council tax was still reduced by only 25%, despite me being outnumbered by those who were exempt. However, it is also unfair that others eventually pay for those that are defrauding the system. The money lost in benefit fraud means that taxes increase for those who *do* pay them

The council tax benefit logic is, admittedly, questionable. But that's the way it is - at least for now. Instead of encouraging people to defraud the system (and yes, while it IS unlikely you'll get caught, there can be severe consequences is you ARE), it is better to campaign to try and change way the council tax is worked out.

Otto, when you start to live with a partner (or 1 adult) who works, you don't get 25% discount. What happens is, you continue to be exempt from council tax, and they continue to use their single person discount which is 25%.

The situation is different when there are more adults in the house.

404 is that not 25% of the whole amount though?

H, I am not sure if it's the same in every borough, but we live in Lambeth council of London. My bf gets 25% single person discount, from the total council tax. Because I am full-time student, council ignores me as a 2nd adult. We need to fill forms once a year, and I send them my council tax exemption certificate that I was given by my Uni.