{"id":24912,"date":"2021-09-02T07:51:50","date_gmt":"2021-09-02T07:51:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/transfergo.wpengine.com\/everything-need-know-council-tax-uk\/"},"modified":"2024-10-29T20:45:24","modified_gmt":"2024-10-29T20:45:24","slug":"everything-need-know-council-tax-uk","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.transfergo.com\/gb\/everything-need-know-council-tax-uk","title":{"rendered":"Everything you need to know about council tax in the UK"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

If you\u2019ve recently moved to the UK (or you\u2019re planning on it), you might be wondering about council tax. How much is it? What does it pay for? How can you get a reduction? And what happens if you don’t pay your bill?<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Well, our brief guide to council tax in the UK is here to help.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

What is council tax?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Council tax is an annual bill that\u2019s collected from your local council. Every April, you\u2019ll receive an annual bill with the choice to pay the amount in full or over instalments. If you choose the latter, you\u2019ll usually pay council tax in 10 instalments across the year. For two months of the year, you don’t have to pay. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Each property in England and Scotland has a council tax band, ranging from A (the cheapest) to H. Meanwhile, Wales has nine bands, ranging from 1 (the highest) to 9. Which band your property falls in depends on a number of things, including where you live and the size of your property. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you\u2019re living in a property in the UK, it\u2019s your responsibility to pay council tax. This is the case whether you\u2019re the owner and occupier, or a tenant in a privately rented or council accommodation. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

There are some properties and people that are exempt from paying council tax. And some individuals are eligible for a 25% or 50% discount depending on who else lives on the property. If you live alone, you won’t have to pay the full amount. We\u2019ll explain more about this later in this article. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

What does council tax pay for?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Council tax contributes to 25% of all government spending. The rest of the money comes from business rates. It is the responsibility of your local council to distribute the money as they see fit. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Most of the council tax fund is spent on local and community services. This includes things like police, fire services, street cleaning, street lighting, parks maintenance, elderly and vulnerable support and local leisure facilities. Council tax also pays for rubbish collection and disposal, local administration and record-keeping, libraries and education services. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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How much is council tax?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The amount of council tax you owe depends on the value of your home and where you live. If you live in England, you can find your local authority and work out how much you have to pay here<\/a>. <\/span> Living in Scotland? Your information can be found here<\/a>. <\/span>And if you\u2019re residing in Wales, this link here<\/a> has all the information.<\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Once you\u2019ve clicked on the relevant link above, you\u2019ll be able to find out more information about your local council tax. You may also be able to contact your local council to ask.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

How do you get a council tax reduction? <\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

If the thought of council tax expenses on top of all other bills is leaving you a little stressed, don’t worry. You may be able to get a reduction. This applies if you\u2019re:<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n