A house in Portsmouth lived in only by full-time students pays no council tax. At Portsmouth City Council's Band D charge of £2,292 a year, that exemption is worth about £191 a month — but only if you actually claim it.
| All-student household | Fully exempt |
| How to claim | Use the council's online council tax portal to report a household of full-time students and request the exemption. |
| Evidence they want | Not specified on the council's student pages. |
| Band D charge, 2026/27 | £2,292 |
Student nurses and PhD students meeting the full-time test qualify, as do non-British partners and dependants living with a full-time student. The exemption runs only between the course start and end dates. Language school students in Portsmouth typically do not qualify.
Part-time students pay, and a sole liable occupant may be able to claim the single-person discount instead.
The councils nearest Portsmouth 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 |
|---|---|---|
| London (Lambeth) | Lambeth Council | £2,047 |
| Stoke-on-Trent | Stoke-on-Trent City Council | £2,183 |
| Colchester | Colchester City Council | £2,241 |
| York | City of York Council | £2,270 |
| Leeds | Leeds City Council | £2,272 |
| Portsmouth | Portsmouth City Council | £2,292 |
| Hull | Hull City Council | £2,295 |
| Lincoln | City of Lincoln Council | £2,323 |
| Bradford | City of Bradford Metropolitan District Council | £2,333 |
| Birmingham | Birmingham City Council | £2,353 |
| Loughborough | Charnwood Borough Council | £2,378 |
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.
Use the council's online council tax portal to report a household of full-time students and request the exemption.
Not specified on the council's student pages.
Part-time students pay, and a sole liable occupant may be able to claim the single-person discount instead.
Checked 18 August 2026 against portsmouth.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.