Council Tax is one of our top advice topics.
Council Tax can be confusing, especially if you get behind with paying. If you need advice about your Council Tax, this quick guide shows you where to get online advice for questions about Council Tax problems.
How much Council Tax do I have to pay?
What help is there to reduce my Council Tax bill?
Help! I’ve fallen behind. What if I can’t catch up?
What can the bailiffs do about Council Tax?
Council Tax advice online and locally
How much Council Tax do I have to pay?
Your Council Tax is a charge that helps to pay for local services such as schools, roads, police and fire services.
Your Council Tax is a yearly charge which is shown on your Council Tax bill and there eight different bands for payment which go from A – H. Band A is the lowest band, and H is the highest.
The Council Tax year runs from April to March. This means that your new Council Tax bill is due from April each year.
If you can’t find your bill, you can check the different amounts to pay are in North Somerset by looking at this council tax rates summary poster. The poster shows the full amount to pay, you may be entitled to a discount or reduction.
The bill is usually set up for you to pay over 10 monthly instalments. This means that you would pay every month from April and have a two-month payment holiday in February and March. You can ask to have your Council Tax split over 12 monthly instalments instead.
You can register to pay your Council Tax online with North Somerset Council here.
You can pay for your Council Tax by Direct Debit, over the phone, through your bank, by cheque, at the Post Office with the barcode on your bill, or at a Council self-service kiosk. Find out how to pay the Council here.
Top tips:
- check your bill to know how much Council Tax you have to pay
- ask to have your Council Tax paid over 12 monthly installments rather than 10, this will be easier to budget for
More from the Money Advice Service about your Council Tax, including how to check if you think you’re in the wrong band.
Council Tax can be complex. If you are unsure about your rights and responsibilities regarding Council Tax, you should get more detailed advice.
What help is there to reduce my Council Tax bill?
There are a number of ways to reduce your Council Tax.
There are discounts, and help from Council Tax Support.
Discounts If you are a single person living alone you will get a 25% reduction on the amount of Council Tax. Some adults aren’t counted for the purposes of Council Tax. Read more about who has to pay on the GOV.UK website. There are also discounts which you may be entitled to for disabled people and for second homes and empty homes.
Council Tax Support This is a means-tested benefit which helps with paying Council Tax. You may qualify whether your rent or own your home. If you have a low enough income you will qualify for help with your Council Tax bill. In North Somerset, unless you’re a pensioner, you will still have to pay a small amount towards Council Tax, even on a very low income or on benefits.
You can apply for Council Tax Support online from North Somerset Council here.
You can use a benefits calculator to know how much help you might get, such as Turn2Us or Entitled to. You’ll need all your income details for this.
Because Council Tax Support is means-tested, changes in your income and household will affect the amount you get.
Top tip:
- if you get Council Tax Support, let the Council know about any changes which could affect your benefit
More from Citizens Advice about Council Tax.
Council Tax can be complex. If you are unsure about your rights and responsibilities regarding Council Tax, you should get more detailed advice.
Help! I’ve fallen behind. What if I can’t catch up?
If you miss a payment of Council Tax, the Council will send you a Reminder letter, asking you to catch up.
If you don’t catch up with the instalment within seven days, the Council will send a Final Notice asking for the whole year’s Council Tax.
If you don’t pay this total amount within seven days, the Council can ask the Court to make a legal demand for payment. This legal demand is called a Liability Order. The first you hear about this is a ‘summons’ letter, which is a letter giving a court date. If you can’t catch up the whole year’s bill, you should get advice.
You can also contact the Council and try and arrange repayment. You can do this at any time and it may stop further action being taken. See National Debtline for some advice about what you can do when you’re behind with Council Tax.
For help working out what you could repay, use a budget planner to put your income and spending in to see what’s left to repay the Council: Money Advice Service budget planner
Council Tax is a top priority when looking where your money needs to go. See National Debtline for an explanation of what could happen if you don’t get in touch to arrange repayment with the Council.
North Somerset Council have put together a list of Frequently Asked Questions about non-payment of Council Tax, which covers many things you need to know.
Behind with Council Tax?
Top tips:
- don’t ignore it, because the consequences could be serious. Keep opening your post as you may miss important information otherwise.
- contact the Council and make an offer to repay what you owe
- get advice about your situation
Council Tax can be complex. If you are unsure about your rights and responsibilities regarding Council Tax, you should get more detailed advice.
What can the bailiffs do about Council Tax?
Bailiffs are agents who are granted powers to collect money. Different bailiffs have different powers.
Bailiffs collecting for Council Tax have certain powers. See National Debtline’s factsheet for what powers they have against you. The rules on what bailiffs can do may be different if they have already been in your home – National Debtline explain more.
Citizens Advice has some tips for avoiding bailiff action and making a payment offer to the bailiffs. Citizens Advice also explains what fees they can charge.
Top tips:
- get advice about bailiffs and your rights
- don’t ignore the bailiff’s letters – Council Tax is a top priority
Council Tax can be complex. If you are unsure about your rights and responsibilities regarding Council Tax, you should get more detailed advice.
Council Tax advice online and locally
Council Tax can be complex. If you are unsure about your rights and responsibilities regarding Council Tax, you should get more detailed advice.
Free National helplines These are charities who can advise you about your rights regarding Council Tax debt:
- National Debtline – website – A charity advising about debt. Their helpline is open Mon-Fri 9am – 9pm 0808 808 4000
- Stepchange – website – A charity advising about debt. Their helpline is open Mon-Fri 8am – 8pm 0800 138 4000
Online There’s some great information in National Debtline’s factsheet about Council Tax Debt, which we’ve provided links to in this article. You can also check out Citizens Advice or Stepchange for more information. Make sure you read about your responsibilities and rights carefully.
Face-to-face Finally, for local advice, go to our Advice Directory under Money and Debt, then on the Filter click ‘advice’ and then click ‘Filter’. Check the list or Map view to see where you can get advice about Debt.