Disregarded persons Council Tax discount and student Council Tax discount
Disregarded persons
Disregarded people do not count towards the number of occupiers in your property. When we work out your Council Tax, it is based on the number of non-disregarded occupiers.
You will get:
- a 25% discount on your Council Tax bill if there is only one adult in your property who is not disregarded
- a 50% discount if everyone in the property is disregarded
- an exemption (100% discount) if everyone falls into certain disregarded groups
We will disregard the following people for Council Tax purposes:
Sick or disabled people and carers
- people who live in hospital
- people who are being looked after in care homes
- people who are severely mentally impaired (SMI)
- care workers working for low pay, usually for charities
- people caring for someone with a disability who is not a partner or a child under 18
Students and young people
- full-time students, student nurses, apprentices and youth training trainees
- 18 or 19 year olds for whom another person receives Child Benefit
- school leavers under 20 years of age for the period 1 May to 31 October
Other disregarded people
- people in prison (except those in prison for not paying Council Tax or a fine)
- people staying in certain hostels or night shelters
- spouses or dependants of students who are non-British citizens and are prevented from claiming benefits under the terms of their permission to be in the UK
- members of visiting forces and certain international institutions
- diplomats and their non-British husbands or wives
- monks and nuns
Some students and apprentices are disregarded for Council Tax purposes. The student discount amount on your property will be:
- a student exemption (100% discount) if all residents are students
- a 50% discount if all residents are apprentices
- a 50% discount if all residents are disregarded, but some of them are not students
- a 25% discount if all but one of the residents are disregarded
An exemption also applies to student halls of residence, and properties which are occupied as term time accommodation by students. Check the information below to see if you qualify as a student or apprentice.
Apply for student discount for Council Tax
If you are a student, please provide a student certificate for Council Tax purposes from your college or university with your application. Your university or college administrator should be able to give you this certificate.
Download and print an application below.
Please return your form by post to:
Customer Accounts
Central Bedfordshire Council
Priory House
Monks Walk
Chicksands
Shefford
Bedfordshire
SG17 5TQ
Please contact us on 0300 300 8306, or email counciltax@centralbedfordshire.gov.uk if you have further queries.
Full-time students
This applies to students who are:
- in a full-time course of education up to or higher than A level or equivalent
- at a UK or member state institution
- studying for at least one academic or calendar year
- studying on a qualifying course
A qualifying course means:
- a course you undertake for at least 24 weeks each year, carrying out periods of study, tuition or work experience which average at least 21 hours per week
- a Nursing Diploma course
- a student midwife course, health visitor course or studying as a student nurse at university
- attending a school or educational institution as a foreign language assistant registered with the British Council
Correspondence, online and Open University courses may count as qualifying courses, depending on whether they form a full-time course of education.
Evening classes and job related training where the course is being taken in consequence of the person’s employment do not normally count as qualifying courses for Council Tax purposes.
Apprentices
- employed for the purpose of learning a trade or profession, or undertaking a training programme leading to a qualification accredited by the National Council for Vocational Qualifications e.g. City & Guilds, BTEC
- employed at a salary or in receipt of an allowance (or both), which are no more than £195 per week in total (before Tax and National Insurance deductions) and substantially less than the salary you would be likely to receive if the qualification is achieved
Contact us
Telephone: 0300 300 8306
Email: counciltax@centralbedfordshire.gov.uk
Please quote your Council Tax account reference in all correspondence – your account reference is 8 or 9 digits long and starts with a 4, 7 or 8. You can find it on your Council Tax bill or any letter we’ve sent about your Council Tax.