Support for the people of Medway
If you’ve missed a Council Tax payment, you’re in 'arrears' - this means you owe money to your council.
Don’t wait for them to contact you. You should contact your council straight away. Ask to speak to someone in the Council Tax office and tell them about your situation.
If you ignore Council Tax arrears, it’s likely your council will take you to court quickly to get all the money at once. You’ll have to pay court costs and possibly bailiff fees as well as your debt, which can add hundreds of pounds to your bill.
If you can’t pay your Council Tax
Speak to your council if they’ll let you pay your Council Tax in smaller amounts. This will reduse the amount you're required to pay monthly.
You’ll probably be asked to commit to paying a regular amount each month. If you're not sure how much you can afford, you can use our budgeting tool or talk to a specialist adviser at Citizens Advice.
If you're on a low income, you might be able to get a reduction on your Council Tax bill. Theres more informaiton on this below.
When you miss a Council Tax payment
You’ll get a reminder from the council about 2 weeks after you miss a payment.
If you pay within 7 days, you don’t need to do anything else. The debt will be clear and you’ll be able to continue paying your Council Tax in instalments.
Check the letter you get from the council to make sure you pay your Council Tax arrears into the right bank account. It might be different to the one you normally pay your Council Tax instalments into.
If you don’t pay within 7 days of the reminder
If you don’t pay within 7 days of the reminder (or if it’s the third time you’ve been late with Council Tax payments this year), the council will send you a ‘final notice’.
The final notice will tell you to pay all of your Council Tax for the rest of the year within 7 days.
If you don’t pay within 7 days of the final notice
Your council will usually apply to the courts for permission to collect the debt from you - this is known as a ‘liability order’. They might send a bailiff to your home or take money from your pay.
The court can also take money from benefits payments like:
- Income Support
- Employment and Support Allowance
- Jobseeker’s Allowance
- Pension Credit
- Universal Credit
If the court gives the council a liability order, you’ll have to pay the cost of the court fees. You might also have to pay bailiff fees.
You can read more information about what to do if bailiffs are on your doorstep.
If you still don’t pay your Council Tax
In extreme cases you could go to prison, but normally only if you’re deliberately not paying your Council Tax. We would strongly suggest that you check your entitlments to Council Tax Reduction before things progress to this stage.
Check if you're entitled to a Reduction.
You might be able to get:
- discounts - for example, for a single person or an empty property
- Council Tax Reduction (CTR) if you have low income
- a different reduction if you can’t get much CTR
Check if you can get a discount on your council tax
You might get a discount automatically on your council tax bill. If you're not sure whether you're already getting a discount, check your bill or contact the council. You can find your council's contact details on GOV.UK.
If you're not getting a discount, you might still be entitled to one. It depends who lives in the property.
Check if you can get a single person discount
If you're the only adult in your home, you’ll get a 25% discount on your council tax bill.
When working out how many people live in a property, some people aren’t counted - they’re called ‘disregarded people’.
If everyone who lives in the property is disregarded there’s still a council tax bill, but it will have a 50% discount. If everyone in your home is a student or severely mentally impaired, you won't pay any council tax.
If you're entitled to a discount because someone has moved out, tell the council. You're entitled to the discount from when the person moved out, even if you told the council later.
A young person living at home
Someone will be disregarded if they’re:
- aged under 18
- aged 18 or 19 and someone is entitled to Child Benefit for them
- aged 18 or 19 and were still in education on 30 April
If they’re a school or college leaver aged 18 or 19 and they left after 30 April, they’ll be disregarded until 1 November.
In education or training
Someone will be disregarded if they’re:
- a full-time student on a degree level or postgraduate course
- a person aged 19 or under on a course before degree level - for example A levels or GNVQ level 3
- a student nurse
- a young person on a government training scheme
- following some kinds of apprenticeship
- a Foreign Language Assistant on the official British Council programme
Someone might also be disregarded if they're related to a student and they aren't a British citizen themselves.
If they're related to a student, they'll only be disregarded if they:
- are the student's wife, husband, civil partner or dependent
- can't work or can’t claim benefits in the UK
Temporarily away from home
Someone will be disregarded if they’re:
- a long-term hospital patient or care home resident
- living in a hostel which provides care or treatment because of their age, physical or mental disability, past or present alcohol or drug dependence or past or present mental illness
- staying in a hostel or night shelter
- a prisoner or someone in detention awaiting deportation or under mental health legislation
- living in a bail or probation hostel
People with learning disabilities or severe mental impairment
Someone will be disregarded for council tax if their condition is permanent - for example, they have dementia. They’ll need a doctor's certificate, which should be free. The certificate needs to say when their mental health condition started.
They must also be claiming one of the following benefits:
- Universal Credit with limited capability for work or work related activity
- Employment Support Allowance
- Attendance Allowance
- standard or enhanced rate of the daily living component of Personal Independence Payment
- middle or higher rate care component of Disability Living Allowance
- Armed Forces Independence Payment
- the disability element in Working Tax Credit
- Incapacity Benefit
- Severe Disablement Allowance
- an increase in Disablement Pension for constant attendance
- Unemployability Supplement
- Constant Attendance Allowance paid from industrial injuries scheme
- unemployability allowance paid from War Pension Schemes
- Income Support including a disability premium due to incapacity for work
Ukrainian citizens
If you host people under the ‘Homes for Ukraine’ scheme, they’re disregarded for council tax.
Some other people might also be disregarded - for example, some live-in care workers. Your local council will tell you if they’re disregarded when you apply.
If you live with an adult who isn’t disregarded
You might be able to get another discount called a 'second adult rebate’. The person you live with must be on a low income or getting certain benefits.
You can find out more about second adult rebate.
If you have another home
Your local council might give you a discount if you have another home you don't live in - for example, if it's not safe to live in or it's connected to your main home.
If you have a holiday home or second home, you need to pay council tax on it. Some councils sometimes offer a 'second home discount' because no one lives there on a permanent basis. This discount might only be for a short time but could save you up to 50%. Contact the local council where your holiday home or second home is, and ask them if you can get a discount.
The council must give you a 50% discount if your second home is either:
- owned by someone who can’t live there because they have to live elsewhere in England, Wales or Scotland because of their job or their partner's job
- a pitch with a caravan on it or a mooring occupied by a boat
An extra home that's connected to your home is called an 'annexe.'
Local councils give a 50% discount on an annexe within a main property if the annexe is used by people who live in the main property or by their immediate family members, including parents and teenagers.
You won't pay any council tax on the annexe if a dependant family member lives there. Your family member might be dependent if they’re aged 65 or over, or they have a physical or mental disability.
If your annexe is empty, you don’t need to pay council tax on it.
If you or someone you live with is disabled
The council tax bill for the property might be reduced.
You must be able to show that a disabled person lives in the property to claim a reduction. The property must also have either:
- an extra kitchen or bathroom to meet the needs of a disabled person
- any other room (except a toilet) which is mainly used by a disabled person to meet their needs
- enough indoor space for a disabled person to use their wheelchair
If you or someone you live with is disabled, the council will charge you the rate for the next lowest council tax band instead.
For example, if your property is in band D, you'll pay the band C council tax rate. If your property is in band A, your council tax bill will be reduced by 17% instead - this is because band A is the lowest band.
Ask your local council if you can get a ‘disabled person’s reduction’. You can find your council's contact details on GOV.UK.
Some local councils ask for extra evidence - for example, a doctor’s letter.
If you think your bill is wrong
If you think you should get a discount and your bill doesn’t show you got one, you should apply to your local council for a discount as soon as possible. You can find your council's contact details on GOV.UK.
If your bill shows that your local council has applied a discount and you think you shouldn’t have had one, you must tell your local council within 21 days. If you don’t, your local council might send you a £70 penalty.
If you have a complaint about your discount
You can write to your local council and explain your complaint. They should get back to you within 2 months. If they don’t agree with you or they don’t reply within 2 months, you can appeal to a valuation tribunal.
You can find out more about how to appeal your council’s decision.
Check if you can apply for Council Tax Reduction
If you’re on a low income you might be able to get your council tax reduced. If you get benefits or have other people living with you, this might affect how much your council tax is reduced by.
Your local council will ask you details about your income and your circumstances, so they can work out if you’re entitled to Council Tax Reduction (CTR). They will then work out your new bill and tell you how much council tax you need to pay.
If you have other people living with you who are aged 18 or over, you might all be responsible for paying council tax. Only one of you needs to apply for CTR.
If you're awarded CTR, you won't normally get an actual payment. The council will reduce the amount of council tax you have to pay.
Check if you can claim UK benefits
You'll need to show that the UK, Ireland, Channel Islands or Isle of Man is your main home and you plan to stay - this is known as being ‘habitually resident’.
If you've recently returned to the UK after a period of living or working abroad you might have difficulty showing that you are habitually resident.
If you're from the UK, European Economic Area (EEA) or Switzerland you can check if you have the right to reside for benefits. The EEA includes EU countries and also Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway.
If you’re subject to immigration control you need to check if you can access UK benefits and services.
Advising on CTR and immigration status
Generalist advisers can help clients with Council Tax Reduction issues related to their immigration status - this topic isn’t regulated by the OISC. You can check what immigration advice is regulated by the OISC.
Check which CTR rules apply
Which rules apply usually depends on whether you’ve reached State Pension age. You can check your State Pension age on GOV.UK .
If you’re under State Pension age, the ‘working age rules’ apply.
If you've reached State Pension age, it depends if you or your partner get certain benefits.
The working age rules still apply if you've reached State Pension age and you or your partner get:
- Universal Credit
- income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA)
- income-related Employment and Support Allowance (ESA)
- Income Support
If you've reached State Pension age and don't get any of these benefits, the 'pension age rules' apply.
If the working age rules apply
Your local council can make its own rules about who’s entitled to CTR and how much you’ll get.
You’ll need to check with your local council to find out if you’re entitled to CTR. It's likely that you’ll have to pay something towards your council tax bill.
If the pension age rules apply
Your local council will need to work out your income to see if you’re entitled to CTR and how much CTR you might get. If you have a partner, the council will also include their income.
You'll also need to have less than £16,000 in savings and property - this is called 'capital'.
You can get CTR with more than £16,000 in savings and property if you get the guarantee part of Pension Credit.
If you own capital jointly
If you own capital jointly with someone else who isn't your partner, you’ll usually be treated as owning half. For example, if you have a joint savings account with your son worth £16,000, you’ll be treated as having savings of £8,000.
If you share the account with your partner, you’ll be treated as having savings of £16,000.
What counts as your client’s capital
The main types of capital are:
- savings, including stocks, shares and ISAs
- life insurance policies
- most lump sum or one off payments
- redundancy payment or compensation for unfair dismissal or discrimination
- national savings certificates and premium bonds
Notional capital
Capital still counts towards your client’s total if they deliberately spend it or give it away so they can get CTR – this is called ‘notional capital’. For example, your client’s savings still count as capital if they give the money to their children. Notional capital decreases over time.
You can check what counts as capital - see the CPAG Council Tax Handbook, 13th edition, chapter 8, page 163 to 165, 'Capital'.
If another adult lives with you the council might reduce how much CTR you get. This is because some adults are expected to pay towards your household bills.
The council won't reduce how much CTR you get if the other adult is your partner, or if they're also responsible for paying council tax.
If you can’t get CTR
If you’re not able to get CTR, you might be able to apply for another discount called ‘second adult rebate’.
You can find out more about second adult rebate.
If you’re struggling to pay for essentials
Your local council can still reduce your council tax bill or cancel it altogether, this is called ‘discretionary reduction’. They’ll normally only do this if you can show that you’re suffering severe hardship and can’t afford to pay council tax. If you’re in this situation you should ask your local council for help. You’ll need to show them evidence of your circumstances.
You can find your council’s contact details on GOV.UK.
If you don’t get a discretionary reduction
You might be able to appeal to a valuation tribunal. If the tribunal agree with you they can order your council to reduce or even cancel your council tax bill.
You can find out more about how to appeal.
If you want to make a complaint about your local council
You should use your local council's own complaints process first. You can find your council’s contact details on GOV.UK.
If you're not happy with the council's response you might be able to complain to the Local Government Ombudsman.
Citizens Advice Medway have a specialist Debt Team regulated by the FCA. If you're struggling with regards to Debt, our team are here for you. Arrange an appointment by calling us on 01634 383 760, by emailing info@medwayadvice.org.uk, or by using our Contact Form.
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