Council Tax letters for the 2018/19 academic session will be available from your course start date.
A council tax student certificate ("Council Tax Letter") can help prove to your local council you don't have to pay Council Tax.
During term, you can request a Council Tax Letter for the current academic year online if you are a full time student.
You should apply for a new Council Tax Letter every academic year.
Log into UniLife and go to the Student Letters page in Your Account. Click the button labelled Request Council Tax Certificate.
You will be taken to another page explaining how you print and/or save the document.
Note – if you try to open the document in your web browser and are asked for a password, then instead download the document and open it from your computer's desktop.
If you are not a full-time student but think that you are nonetheless eligible for Council Tax exemption, please contact the Student Records Team.
Please ensure that your term-time address is up to date in our student records before you request a Council Tax Letter.
If the online tool does not produce the current academic session information after two weeks have passed since the start of teaching, please contact the Student Records Team.
How do I apply for a Council Tax Exemption?
Students living in the Cardiff area will find the relevant details on the Cardiff Council Tax Reductions and Discounts website. Alternatively, contact Connect to Cardiff on 029 2087 2087 or e-mail ctax@cardiff.gov.uk for further information.
Students living in Newport can apply for a dwelling exemption. For more information, see the Council Tax Services section on Newport Council's website.
Students living elsewhere can access the Government's Council Tax webpages for further information, or use the Apply for a Council Tax Discount tool of the gov.uk website.
If you require a historic council student certificate for an academic year that is not being produced by the automatic tool, please contact the Student Records Team.
See the Citizens' Advice website for basic information about Council Tax.
Is Council Tax Exemption applied to students, or to the house they live in?
If all the adults in a property are full-time students as defined by the Council Tax regulations, it is likely that they will be disregarded for a Council Tax assessment. Then the property is exempt and no Council Tax will be payable.
If a property is occupied by a mixture of full-time students, part-time and non-students, the property is not exempt. (Discounts or Council Tax Reductions may apply, depending on the circumstances of the non-student residents).
a self-contained 'granny flat' where the person who lives in it is a dependent relative of the owner of the main property.
What if I live with non-students?
If you are exempt from Council Tax but your housemates are not exempt, then you are not usually required to pay any share towards the Council Tax bill.
Exempt students are not "jointly and severally liable" for Council Tax as they are for some other bills. However, the situation is different if you have a 'higher' interest in the property, e.g. if you are the owner.
If you are sent a Council Tax bill, do not ignore it even if you are exempt. The local authority has extensive powers to enforce payment and a court order can be levied against you for non-payment.
You will need to contact the relevant authority (details on the bill) to ensure that the Council Tax department has applied the student exemptions for the correct dates and that all occupants in shared accommodation have provided Council Tax Student Certificates.
The assessment rules regarding exemption for students who are not enrolled as full-time students are complex. Students enrolled part-time are advised to contact the Student Records Team to discuss their personal circumstances if they think they may be exempt from Council Tax.
If you are not exempt from Council Tax, you may be entitled to a Council Tax Reduction or a Council Tax Discount, depending on your situation, and depending on the criteria used by your local authority. Please contact your local authority for further information.
What happens when I finish my course?
Council Tax exemption ends when you stop being a student enrolled on a full-time course.