Council Tax Reminders
If you are having payment difficulties please complete our online Council Tax enquiry form so that we can get in touch with you to discuss your options. You will need your Council Tax account reference number to hand.
If you are finding it difficult to pay your Council Tax, it is important that you let us know as soon as possible. The longer you ignore a debt problem, the worse the situation will become.
If you miss a Council Tax instalment payment you will receive a reminder notice. Although the Council Tax Regulations only allow you 7 days to bring your instalments up to date, the Council allows you 14 days.
You will be asked to pay the full outstanding balance of your Council Tax bill if:
- you don't pay within this time
- you fall behind with your payments again, following a second reminder
If you don't pay the full balance, we may start legal action to recover the money.
Read information from the government on paying Council Tax arrears
Pay online
You can make your payment now by using our secure Online Payments system:
Pay by phone
You can pay by calling our Telephone Payments line on 0300 123 4000 (Option 1)
This is a 24-hour automated system.
Pay by Direct Debit
You can pay your Council Tax by Direct Debit. It's easy to pay by Direct Debit and it means you will never miss a payment again. You only set up your Direct Debit once and in future your payments will be automatically adjusted for your new bills. Your Direct Debit is fully covered by the Direct Debit guarantee. This means that you can cancel it at any time and are guaranteed a refund if a mistake is made.
Set up a Direct Debit
Why do we send reminder notices?
We will send you a reminder notice if you have not paid your instalment(s) in full as shown on your Council Tax bill. Payments are due on the date stated on the bill and we can send a reminder any time after this date. Please note that due to the number of reminders we send we cannot check each one individually. Therefore, you should ensure you pay by the due date.
What happens if you don't pay?
If you don't pay the amount shown on the reminder we will send you a summons to appear in the Magistrates Court for non-payment.
The instalments shown on your bill are cancelled and you have to pay the full amount of Council Tax for the year. We also add £47 court costs.
Once you are issued with a summons the only way to stop your case going to the Magistrates Court is to pay the outstanding balance. The amount due is the outstanding balance for the year in full including the £47 costs. On the court date we apply for a Liability Order. This is a Court Order that allows us to take further action to recover the money you owe. The action we take could include taking deductions from your wages or benefits or using Enforcement Agents.
What if you have trouble paying the bill?
If you are on a low income and have less than £16,000 in savings, you may be entitled to Council Tax Reduction (the £16,000 limit may not apply to some people of Pension age). Visit our Council Tax Reduction webpage for more information.
Do not ignore your bill. If you do not pay your instalments we will take further recovery action.
What if you are waiting to hear about Council Tax Reduction?
You still need to pay until your application is completed. We may need extra information from you. If you wish to find out how your application is progressing please contact us.
If you are unhappy with Council services
You cannot stop paying your Council Tax and you need to bring your account up to date. However, please contact us to tell us what is wrong, so that we can put it right.
You have received a reminder, but you don't get paid until the end of the month
Payment is due within 14 days of issue to prevent further recovery action.
You can set up a direct debit online. There is a choice of monthly dates on which to make your payment, or you can make a payment now. See the details at the top of the page.
If you are experiencing financial difficulty and you are unable to bring your account up to date, you can request an arrangement:
Complete our online enquiry form and select “Help with your Council Tax”
Can you pay with a post-dated cheque?
We do not accept post-dated cheques. Payment is due within fourteen days of issue to prevent further recovery action.