Students

Updated on 26 April 2023

Things students need to know to get their tax right and to understand how student loan repayments work after they graduate.

Illustration of students, a laptop, books and a graduation hat

What main tax points should I look out for as a student?

Many students work part-time, whether during term time, in vacations or both. This means students often have an income, which then may be subject to tax. Students on an apprenticeship will also be earning while they are on their course. It is important that you understand what income you can earn before you start paying tax and National Insurance contributions, what your payslip shows you and, if you have overpaid tax, how you obtain a refund.

Some students may also have other income such as grants, scholarships, savings or property rent receipts. If you do, do you know if the money you are receiving is taxable or not?

There are other complexities that you may come across as a student. It may be that you have come to the UK to study so you will need to understand how the UK tax system works. Or maybe you are working during a sandwich year as part of your course, going abroad either during your course or when you have graduated, or volunteering or working as an intern. All of these may have tax consequences and you need to understand what these are.

Then, after you have finished your course and started work, you may need to start paying back your student loans; do you understand how these repayments will work?

What information and help can I find in this section?

We cover the following tax issues in this section with many pages linking to other areas of this website.

Going abroad: tax information if you are going overseas to study or work

Other income: tax pointers about savings, gifts and scholarships

Student loan repayments

Types of students: guidance for international, part-time and mature students, and students with disabilities

Volunteering and training: tax pointers for interns, volunteers and trainees

Working as a student whether in a job or running your own business

Tax refunds: why you may have paid too much tax

Tax credits and benefits if you are studying

Do students have to pay council tax?

Student finance applications: where to find information about your taxable income to include on your application

Glossary of Forms

Jargon Buster: An easy-to-understand A-Z glossary

Where can I get further help and information?

Tax guides

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