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What to do if you can't pay your Council Tax
Find out how we can help if you're having trouble paying your Council Tax, and what happens if you don't pay.
Spread your payments over 12 months
If you're struggling to pay your Council Tax, you can spread your payments over 12 months instead of the usual 10 to reduce the amount you need to pay each month.
Set up or change your Direct Debit.
Get help and advice
See if you can get a:
- Council Tax discount, for example, if you live by yourself, you're a student or you have a disability
- Council Tax reduction if you have a low income or you're on benefits, including Universal Credit
If you're already getting a Council Tax Reduction, you can apply for extra help from our discretionary payments.
You can also request financial help and other support for yourself or someone else at our Community Hub.
Council Tax reminders
If you miss a payment, we'll send you a reminder notice giving you 7 days to pay. If you don’t pay within 7 days, we'll apply to the court for a summons and you'll have to pay the whole year’s Council Tax and any costs.
If you miss another Council Tax Payment, we'll send you a second, final, reminder notice.
You’ll only get a maximum of 2 reminder notices in a financial year - this runs from 1 April to 31 March of the next year.
If you miss a payment for the third time we will apply to the court for a summons. You'll have to pay the whole year’s Council Tax and any costs.
Pay your Council Tax bill online within 7 days of receiving the reminder.
If you're struggling to pay your Council Tax, phone us on 01273 291 900 immediately so we can help you manage your payments.
Court summons
If you get a court summons because you haven't paid your Council Tax, we'll add the court costs to your Council Tax bill.
To avoid further costs, you'll need to set up a Direct Debit instalment plan before the court date.
Further action
If you still don't pay your Council Tax or contact us before your court date, we may take money:
- directly from your earnings
- from any benefits you get
If there's no other way to recover your debt, we can also:
- send Enforcement Agents (bailiffs)
- put a charging order on your property
- open bankruptcy proceedings
- apply for your committal to prison
If the court decides you need to pay Council Tax and you refuse to pay, you could be sent to prison for up to 3 months.
You can find out more about what happens if you don't pay your Council Tax on GOV.UK.