Council tax

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.

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 our business rates pages.

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