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

Introduction to the tax system How do I work out my tax? What income is taxable? What tax allowances am I entitled to? What tax rates apply to me? How is my tax collected? What if I cannot pay my tax bill? Do I need to complete a tax return? Self Assessment: understanding the basics What is Simple Assessment? How do I claim tax back? How do I claim back tax I have overpaid through PAYE on wages or pensions? How do I claim back tax if I complete a tax return? How do I claim back tax if I am taxed under the Construction Industry Scheme (CIS)? How do I claim back tax on savings income? How do I claim a marriage allowance refund? How do I claim back tax on a payment protection insurance (PPI) pay-out? Should I use a tax refund company? What is National Insurance? How do I get a National Insurance number? What are Specified Adult Childcare credits? What is Scottish income tax? What is devolution? Do I have to pay Scottish income tax? How does Scottish income tax work? What is Welsh income tax? Do I have to pay Welsh income tax? Do I have to join a pension scheme? Tax relief on your pension contributions HMRC digital services Enquiries, penalties, appeals, complaints and debt Enquiries How to survive an enquiry by HMRC Tax penalties Tax appeals Alternative Dispute Resolution How do I complain to HMRC? What if I cannot pay my tax bill? What if I have a tax credits overpayment?

Am I employed, self-employed, both or neither? Working through a limited company What is the national minimum wage? How do I work out my tax? What income is taxable? What tax allowances am I entitled to? What tax rates apply to me? How is my tax collected? How is tax collected on taxable state benefits? How do I check my coding notice? Do I need to complete a tax return? What tax do I pay on redundancy payments?Employment benefits and expenses What are benefits-in-kind? What payments and benefits are non taxable? What if I incur expenses in relation to my job? What travel expenses can I claim? What if I use my own car for business purposes? Payroll giving Allowances and expenses paid to armed forces personnel and deductions from their income Pensions and employees What is automatic enrolment for employees? What National Insurance do I pay as an employee? How do I repay my student loan? What if I do not pay enough tax? What if I pay too much tax? What if I work abroad temporarily? What if I am in the armed forces and work overseas? First time workers Apprenticeships

Am I employed, self-employed, both, or neither? How do I register for tax and National Insurance? What business records should I keep? Working out profits, losses and capital allowances When do I make Self Assessment payments and file my tax return? How do I pay tax on self-employed income? What tax allowances am I entitled to? What is the trading allowance? What National Insurance do I pay if I am self-employed? What is the Construction Industry Scheme (CIS)? Tax checks for taxi, private hire and scrap metal licences How do I work out my profits for universal credit? Do I have to pay VAT if I am self-employed? What is Making Tax Digital for VAT? Pensions and self-employment How do I repay my student loan if I am self-employed? Introduction to enquiries

Tax status Setting things up How the Pay As You Earn system works Taking on a new employee Reporting PAYE in real time Pay and deductions Ongoing payroll tasks End of year processes Employee leaving Employment law Keeping records Getting things wrong Getting more help

Can I live and work in the UK? Residence and Domicile Employment and self-employment National Insurance for migrants Coming to the UK to study Other migrant issues EU and EEA countries

Going abroad Other income Student loans Types of student Volunteering and training Working Do students have to pay council tax? Glossary of Forms Jargon buster Where can I get further help and information?

Help for employees and the self-employed Help for employers Independent living Caring for someone VAT reliefs for disabled and older people Trusts for disabled people Apprenticeships and disability

Savings and tax Property income Council tax and rates Giving to charity Income from a trust or from the estate of a deceased person Capital gains tax Cryptoassets and tax Do I need to register my trust?

Tax credits and benefits Tax credits State benefits Child benefit Universal credit

Employer-supported childcare Free childcare places Tax credits childcare support Universal credit Other childcare support Tax-free childcare

Taxes on death: overview Dealing with the deceased's own tax affairs Tax on income and gains after death Death of a spouse or civil partner Joint property on death Pension and life assurance policies on death Income from a deceased's person's estate Inheritance tax reliefs and exemptions State benefits on death Getting help with bereavement and inheritance tax Bereavement jargon buster

Share this page