Student Council Tax discount or exemption
To qualify for a Council Tax discount or exemption as a student, you must either:
- study for 24 weeks for 21 hours per week in each academic year
- be a foreign language assistant working in a school or other educational establishment and be registered with the British Council
- be under 20 years old and be studying for a non-advanced course for at least 12 hours a week for three months (non-advanced courses include A levels, Scottish Advanced Highers and Level 3 SVQs)
Students studying full time via the Open University may also be eligible.
Amount of discount or exemption
We can offer 2 types of student reduction:
- 25% discount if all but one of the adults living at the property are students
- 100% exemption if the property is occupied solely by students
How to apply
You need to apply for a student Council Tax discount or exemption online.
If you attend one of the following educational establishments, we have a data sharing agreement and we can verify your student status without the requirement for further evidence:
- North East Scotland College (NESCOL)
- Robert Gordon University (RGU)
- Aberdeen University
If you are not attending one of these establishments or are studying via the Open University, you will also need to send your student certificate as evidence of your student status, as part of your application. Please send your student certificates to council.tax@aberdeenshire.gov.uk within 21 days of submitting your application. Please note that your letter of acceptance or offer is not confirmation that you have started your course, and therefore is not an acceptable item of evidence.
You will have to provide your course start and end date when applying and your discount or exemption will end on your actual course end date, which will normally be before your graduation date.
If you are attending RGU, Aberdeen University, Moray College or UHI, please refer to your letter of offer for the start and end dates of your course.
NESCOL course dates for 2024/25 are from 26th August 2024 to 20th June 2025. These dates should be used on your application form. The majority of courses at North East Scotland College are one-year courses and your discount or exemption will be awarded for the duration of the academic year.