Are HND Students Exempt From Council Tax? Student Discounts and Savings in London Explained

Studying in London costs money. Rent is high. Travel is not cheap. So before you enrol, it is worth knowing what being a student gets you back.

One question comes up more than any other. Are HND students exempt from council tax?

For full-time HND students, yes. And council tax is only the start. This guide goes through the main discounts a full-time HND student in London can claim, how each one works, and what you need to show to get it.

Are HND students exempt from council tax?

Council tax is the yearly bill your local council charges for each home. In London it runs to well over a thousand pounds a year for most flats, so this is the big one.

The rule is simple. Full-time students do not pay council tax. If everyone in your home is a full-time student, the home is exempt and there is no bill at all.

To count as a full-time student for council tax, your course must meet two tests.

• It must last at least one academic year.
• It must involve at least 21 hours of study a week for at least 24 weeks of the year.

A full-time HND, or Higher National Diploma, meets both tests. The 21 hours include your own study time and time spent on assignments, not only hours in class, so a compact timetable with two teaching days still counts.

An HND is a Level 5 course, which is the same standard as the second year of a university degree. For council tax purposes it is treated exactly like a degree.

What if you live with people who are not students?

The exemption is for the home, so it depends on who lives there.

If you live alone or only with other full-time students, the home is exempt. Nobody pays.

If you live with one adult who is not a student, you are disregarded. That means the council counts the home as if only one adult lives there, and the bill gets the single person discount of 25 percent. The non-student is the one who is liable for the bill.

If you live with two or more adults who are not students, there is no discount. The non-students pay the full bill between them. You are still not personally liable.

If you live with your parents, the same logic applies. Your presence does not add anything to their bill.

How do you prove you are a student?

You need a council tax exemption certificate, sometimes called a student status letter. The college gives you this. It states your name, your course, its start and end dates, and that it is full time.

Send it to your local council, usually through an online form on the council website. Harrow Council, like most London boroughs, has a page for student exemptions. Once it is accepted, the bill stops or the discount is applied.

Do this as soon as you enrol. Councils do not apply exemptions on their own, and they will keep sending bills until you tell them. If you have already paid, you can ask for the money back for any period when you were a student.

The exemption lasts until your course ends. If you finish in June, your council tax starts again in July, so plan for that.

Do part-time HND students get council tax exemption?

No. The exemption is for full-time students only. If you study part time, you pay council tax in the normal way.

This is one reason some people choose the full-time HND even when they work. The timetable is in compact blocks, so many of our full-time students still hold a job. Our guide to part-time HND options weighs up the two routes.

Can HND students get the 18+ Student Oyster card?

Yes, if the course meets the Transport for London rules.

The 18+ Student Oyster photocard gives you 30 percent off adult Travelcards and Bus and Tram Passes. It does not discount single pay as you go fares, so it is worth most if you travel to college and work often enough to buy a weekly or monthly pass.

To qualify, you must be 18 or over, live in a London borough during term time, and be on a course at a college registered with Transport for London. The course must be full time, which TfL defines as at least 15 hours a week for at least 14 weeks. A full-time HND meets that.

You apply online on the TfL website. You need a photo, a small fee, and your enrolment details. The college confirms your enrolment to TfL, so you cannot apply until you have started. The card lasts for one academic year and you renew it each September.

If you travel across London every day, this is worth several hundred pounds a year. Our guide to studying an HND in London on a budget works through the sums.

Can mature students get a railcard?

Yes. The 16-25 Railcard is open to full-time students of any age. If you are 26 or over, you fill in a mature student section on the application and the college signs it to confirm you are on a full-time course.

A railcard gives you a third off most rail fares. It costs about thirty pounds a year, so one trip home and back usually pays for it. If you are 26 to 30, you could use the 26-30 Railcard instead, which gives the same discount without the student form.

Railcards do not normally work on Oyster fares, except for off-peak travel if you load the railcard onto your Oyster card at a ticket office. It is worth asking at a station if you make a lot of off-peak journeys.

What is a TOTUM card and is it worth it?

TOTUM is the student discount card run by the National Union of Students. It gives discounts at shops, restaurants, cinemas and online. It also comes with a PASS proof of age card that works as ID.

It costs a small yearly fee. Whether it pays for itself depends on how you spend. If you eat out, go to the cinema or buy clothes, it usually does. If you do not, a free alternative like UNiDAYS or Student Beans covers most of the same shops with a verified student email address.

Ask the college what student email address you will be given. Most online discount sites verify you through it.

What other student discounts should HND students know about?

A few more things are worth a look.

• Student bank accounts. Most high street banks offer an account with an interest-free overdraft for full-time students. The overdraft is a safety net, not free money, but it is cheaper than a credit card if you have a tight month.
• Software. Many software companies give free or cheap versions of their products to students with a student email address. For a business or hospitality course, this can save a lot on the tools you use for assignments.
• Council leisure centres. Many London boroughs offer student rates at gyms and pools.
• Theatre and museums. London theatres sell cheap student tickets on the day, and many museums are free to everyone anyway.
• Phone and broadband. Some providers sell student contracts that run for nine or twelve months instead of two years.

None of these is huge on its own. Together they can take a real chunk off the cost of a year in London.

Does being a student affect your benefits?

This is the flip side, and it is important.

Most full-time students cannot claim Universal Credit, unless they have children, have a disability, or are under a certain age and live apart from their parents. If you currently claim and you plan to study full time, check your position with a benefits adviser before you enrol. Citizens Advice does this for free.

Student finance also counts as income for some benefits. Our guide to student finance for adult learners on an HND explains what you can apply for, and our post on the Childcare Grant covers the extra help for parents.

Frequently asked questions

Are HND students exempt from council tax?

Yes, if the HND is full time. The home is exempt if everyone in it is a full-time student. Part-time students are not exempt.

Do I need to apply for council tax exemption?

Yes. Get a certificate from the college and send it to your council. It is not applied automatically.

Can HND students get an 18+ Student Oyster card?

Yes, if the college is registered with TfL and the course is full time. It gives 30 percent off Travelcards and Bus and Tram Passes.

Can a 40 year old get a student railcard?

Yes. The 16-25 Railcard is open to full-time students of any age through the mature student route.

Do student discounts apply to part-time HND students?

Some do and some do not. Council tax exemption and the Student Oyster card are for full-time students. Shop discounts through TOTUM or UNiDAYS usually accept part-time students too.

Ready to study in London?

The HND Business and the HND Hospitality Management at LCK Academy are full-time courses, so our students qualify for council tax exemption, the 18+ Student Oyster card and the other discounts in this guide. Our campus in Harrow is a short walk from the Tube, and our guide to studying in Harrow covers the area.

• Email: admissions@lckacademy.org.uk
• Phone: 020 8161 3300

Get in touch and we will help you work out what you can claim.