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► Council Tax
Council Tax
The information below has been checked for accuracy at the date of printing and will be reissued when significant changes occur.
Aston Students’ Guild
Advice & Representation Centre
March 2010
1. What is Council Tax?
(information in the first section is provided by Aston University Registry)
The Council Tax is set by local authorities to help pay for the local services that they provide. In the Birmingham area it is payable to Birmingham City Council.
Who Has to Pay?
Under Council Tax legislation, Halls of Residence are exempt from Council Tax and therefore students in University residences do not pay Council Tax. Students living in other accommodation may need to prove that they are a full-time student in order to claim exemption from paying Council Tax
Definition of a Full-Time Student for Council Tax Purposes
Attending a University course lasting for at least one academic year, where you are normally required to attend for 24 weeks a year and normally required to study for at least 21 hours per week during term time. You need to be enrolled on your Aston course and be in the ‘relevant period’ - defined as the period beginning on which you begin your course and ending with the day you cease to undertake the course. Ceasing means you have either completed the course or left the course early.
Claiming Council Tax Exemption
You can apply for Council Tax Exemption via MAP. New students will normally be able to apply from the third week of their first term. Returning students will normally be able to apply once they have re-enrolled for the academic year. If you are re-sitting without full attendance, you need to go to ASAP and ask them for the exemption form because MAP will not work in these circumstances
Students living within the Birmingham City Council area who complete the MAP task will have their details forwarded electronically directly to the Council, normally within 10 working days of their request. You will be advised of the information which will be sent to the Council when you complete the MAP task.
Students living outside the Birmingham City Council area will be able to collect a Council Tax exemption certificate from the Aston Student Advice Point, normally within 4 working days of their request. You will be required to produce your Card when you collect the certificate. Please take care of your certificate as it is your evidence under the legislation of your eligibility for exemption and it will be needed by the Council when you apply for exemption or a discount.
If you have a query about Council Tax exemption, please contact Sandra Falkner in the Aston Student Advice Point (email: s.j.falkner@aston.ac.uk; telephone 0121 204 4658).
2. Birmingham City Council exemption form
Your landlord might want you to complete a council tax exemption form, available free from the Guild’s Advice & Representation Centre. When completing this form you should ensure you tick the box to say you study 21 hours per week or more because a full time student technically has to study for at least 24 weeks of the year for an average of 21 hours per week. Virtually all Aston’s courses meet these criteria whether you think your own course does or not!
3. Privately Rented Accommodation occupied by full time students
Students living in private accommodation, on their own or sharing only with other full time students, do not pay Council Tax.
4. Aston Brook Green:
At Aston Brook Green the 3 and 4 bed. flats are exempt. However, the 1 bedroom flats may attract a council tax bill if a non-student shares the flat with you but the bill will be theirs to pay.
5. Leave of absence / suspension of study
Students who have ‘intercalated’ their studies still count as being full time students and are therefore not liable to pay council tax. An intercalated period is one in which a student temporarily suspends attendance but still remains enrolled at the University.
6. Sharing with non students in privately rented accommodation.
Students sharing a property with non students have no liability for Council Tax. The non students will have to pay any council tax. However, if you are a student who owns the property the situation is different. Please ask Advice & Representation Centre staff for information about the hierarchy of liability.
7. Placement students
Students on placement sharing with other full time students do not pay council tax whether they are on a paid or on an unpaid placement. The council tax exemption certificate from the University may still be used.
8. Students living with spouses or partners
As a full time student you are exempt from paying Council Tax. This reduces your bill by 25% leaving your partner or spouse to pay 75% of the bill. If they can not afford to do so they may be able to claim council tax benefit. See section 12.
9. International Student Families.
The non EEA spouse or dependant of an international student will not have to pay Council Tax if they are not a British Citizen and the terms of their UK visa prevent them from either taking paid employment or from claiming benefits/claiming public funds. As most spouses can work, it is the fact that they are not allowed to claim public funds which means they are exempt from council tax. However, if the student loses their council tax exemption status because the University can not issue a certificate for some reason, the spouse and the student will be liable to pay council tax.
10. Council tax benefit.
Council tax benefit can only be claimed by a person liable to pay Council Tax. Most students are not liable so it is rarely claimed by students.
Even if students are liable, only lone parents, disabled students, a student couple with children, students in receipt of income support, or pensioners, will be able to claim.
Partners of students will be able to claim council tax benefit
Joint Liability: People sharing with full time students can claim council tax benefit on all the Council Tax liability. This is because students, who are excluded from council tax benefit, are ignored in this situation.
11. Amounts due in Birmingham
All properties are in one of 8 Council Tax bands. Council Tax is paid yearly and the amount rises annually . Years run from 1st April to 31st March.
Birmingham Council Tax rates are (to the nearest £1):
01.04.2008 to 31.03.2009 01.04.2009 to 31.03.2010
Band A £809 £825
Band B £943 £963
Band C £1078 £1100
Band D £1213 £1238
Band E £1482 £1513
Band F £1752 £1788
Band G £2022 £2063
Band H £2426 £2476
12. Birmingham Council Tax Office.
The Council Tax office is at 7 Waterloo Street, Birmingham, B2 5PG.
Open for visitors Mon-Fri 8.45am to 5pm (4.30pm Fridays) but the cashiers desk closes at 4.15pm. Telephone: 0121 303 1113 between 8am and 8pm Monday to Friday. Letters: Birmingham City Council, Resources Department, Revenues & Benefits, P.O. Box 5 Birmingham B4 7AB
Internet: www.birmingham.gov.uk/council-tax
13. Paying the Bill
The Council Tax year runs from April to the following March. Bills issued in April have to be paid in ten monthly instalments or less. Bills issued in May have to be paid in 9 monthly instalments or less and so on. Unpaid bills receive reminder notices and then , if still unpaid, the total amount for the year automatically becomes due.
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