A house in Oxford lived in only by full-time students pays no council tax. At Oxford City Council's Band D charge of £2,676 a year, that exemption is worth about £223 a month — but only if you actually claim it.
| All-student household | Fully exempt |
| How to claim | Apply online, with every student resident confirming their status in the same application. |
| Evidence they want | An original certificate per resident ready to upload — or, for Oxford University and Oxford Brookes students, permission granted from your student self-service account so the council can verify you against the university list. |
| University sends your data directly | Yes |
| Band D charge, 2026/27 | £2,676 |
Oxford and Brookes students are verified once the new university lists arrive in the autumn, and the account is held meanwhile to allow time to enrol. Do not list anyone under 18 on the form. There is no exemption where two or more non-student adults live in the property.
The councils nearest Oxford City Council on the Band D charge — what the exemption is worth where you might have gone instead. The full table has every one.
| City | Council | Band D |
|---|---|---|
| Brighton | Brighton & Hove City Council | £2,579 |
| Salford | Salford City Council | £2,594 |
| London (Kingston) | Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames | £2,608 |
| Reading | Reading Borough Council | £2,613 |
| Liverpool | Liverpool City Council | £2,674 |
| Oxford | Oxford City Council | £2,676 |
| Bristol | Bristol City Council | £2,714 |
| Nottingham | Nottingham City Council | £2,755 |
| Aberdeen | Aberdeen City Council | — |
| Belfast | Belfast City Council | — |
| Chester | Cheshire West and Chester Council | — |
No, not if every adult in the property is a full-time student — the household is exempt. The exemption has to be claimed; it does not apply itself just because you are a student.
Apply online, with every student resident confirming their status in the same application.
An original certificate per resident ready to upload — or, for Oxford University and Oxford Brookes students, permission granted from your student self-service account so the council can verify you against the university list.
Checked 18 August 2026 against oxford.gov.uk. Councils change their forms and evidence rules; the council's own page is the authority when you claim.
Processes checked 19 August 2026 against each council's own pages. This is information, not advice, and the council's page is the authority when you claim.