What is Council Tax? Please click the following links to shortcut to the relevant sections:
Council Tax is a form of local taxation that helps pay for local services, such as parks, street cleaning and the police. It is charged on all domestic properties and the amount payable depends upon the value of the property. The value of your property determines which valuation band it is placed in. You will receive your Council Tax bill at the end of March each year, or as soon as you tell us you move into a property. The Council Tax came into existence from 1 April 1993 (1992 in Scotland) and replaced the Community Charge. The amount that you pay also includes certain other amounts that the Council collects on behalf of other 'precepting' authorities. The biggest such authority in London being the Greater London Authority (GLA). The Council Tax is levied on all domestic properties; commercial properties pay a Business Rate, which the local authorities collect on behalf of the government. If you have a commercial property and want to find out more, please visit the Business Rates section of the site. The Council Tax is payable annually in advance from 1 April each year. You should receive a Council Tax bill towards the end of March, or as soon after as practical, allowing for payment by 10 monthly instalments. The number of instalments will reduce as the number of months left in the Council Tax year reduces, you can find further information on this below. If you move in to your property during the year, you will have as many instalments as are still available. You can, if you wish, pay the bill in full as soon as you receive it. The Council Tax is broadly a property-based charge, being calculated against a tax level set for the valuation band of the property. It is calculated on a daily basis and any changes in your liability, such as moving or granting a discount, are apportioned accordingly. You should ensure that your Council Tax is paid promptly as demanded in order to help us keep the amount that you have to pay each year as low as possible. The best way to do this is to pay by Direct Debit. When paying by Direct Debit, transactional costs are cheaper, for example it costs councils between 50p and 65p to deal with a cash transaction, and between 1.5p and 5p for a Direct Debit transaction so if you pay by Direct Debit you will help us to maintain your low council tax charge. You can set a Direct Debit up for paying Council Tax at any time in the year, simply call us on 020 8871 7799 with your Council Tax account number and bank details to hand. Alternatively you may download the Direct Debit mandate form and return it by post:
The bill may also be paid in person, by post, standing order or by telephone via a debit card. Further information on the methods of payment can be found here. Please remember to tell us immediately if anything happens that may affect your Council Tax bill.
How Council Tax is calculated: What are valuation bands? You have a right to appeal against a Valuation Band on a property up to six months after first becoming responsible for the Council Tax, or if there are substantial alterations either to the property or the area in which it is situated. The Valuation Bands place properties in eight categories that are listed below. When considering an appeal, you must take into account that the valuations are based on market values as at 1 April 1991 and assume that the property is in a reasonable state of repair and is sold with full vacant possession. The actual circumstances, or whether you own or rent the property, are not considered. If you have made an appeal, you should remember that the Council Tax must be paid on the Valuation Band that is presently set. Should your appeal be successful, any credit will be refunded. Find out what valuation band your property is in at the Valuation Agency website.
How much is the Council Tax?
There are two levels of Council Tax payable within Wandsworth. Firstly, that set by Wandsworth Council and the GLA which is always published as the Council Tax payable and secondly, those properties which are subject to an additional precept (Commons Rate) by the Wimbledon and Putney Commons Conservators. The council tax rates for 2008/09 are detailed below.
It is estimated that the cost of collecting council tax per household is £20.20p for the period 2007/08.
Instalments For a bill issued on or after the 1st of May, but before the 1st January the number of instalments will be one less than the whole number of months remaining in the current financial year. Where the demand is issued between 1st January and 31st March, the Council Tax will be payable in a single instalment. The table below shows how many instalments you will receive if you receive a bill at a particular time:
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