Full time students living in Birmingham will have confirmation of student status is sent directly to Birmingham City Council. However, you will still need to complete an application form to apply for a discount or an exemption.

You can request the Council Tax Exemption Certificate (Full Time Students) via a self service option on the mySRS portal. Once you have logged onto mySRS, you will see a button entitled Request Formal Letters on the Home page. Click on the button and complete your request. The letter will be emailed with an attachment to your BCU email address. 

If you require a hard copy of a letter or you need a letter that is non standard, please contact your Faculty Student Centre.

They should be able to provide you with a council tax exemption certificate if you’re eligible for one, which you then send to your local council. 

If you don’t qualify as a full time student, you won’t be exempt. You should look into whether you’re eligible for Council Tax Reduction instead. 

No, the total length of your course must be longer than an academic year to be exempt from council tax. If you're struggling to pay, look into Council Tax Reduction.

You could be entitled to a 25% discount on your council tax if all residents are full time students except one other adult who is not a student. If two or more non-students occupy a property then there is no reduction.  In most cases, it’s the people who are non-students that are liable to pay the Council Tax. If this becomes an issue please speak to us.

If you’ve taken a temporary withdrawal, otherwise known as an interruption of studies, your council tax status remains the same – as long as you stay registered with the university and intend to return. If you have any problems, please speak to us about it.  

Yes – if you leave your course you’re no longer a student, which means you’re liable for council tax. If you live in a house with students, they are ‘invisible’ to council tax, and you’ll get the bill – minus a single persons discount of 25%. You might be able to claim Council Tax Reduction and other benefits now that you’re no longer a student.  

This one is a tricky one, you can be enrolled without attendance, or just not have any teaching sessions for lots of reasons; such as resits or thesis write-ups. It’s best to speak to an adviser about this one so we can know your circumstances.