Council Tax bands and rates (2024)

FAQs

Which Council Tax band is cheapest? ›

England and Scotland have eight Council Tax bands – ranging from A (the cheapest) to H. Your home's Council Tax band is based on its rateable value – the more expensive the property, the higher the Council Tax band.

Council Tax does not require your consent or a contract with the council. The issue of a Council Tax Demand Notice (the bill) creates the debt. It isn't a criminal offence to not pay Council Tax.

A person may be disregarded if they are: Aged under 18. A prisoner, someone in detention awaiting deportation or detained under mental health legislation. Severely mentally impaired.

Westminster had the lowest council tax relative to house price, with band D residents paying £914 on an average house price of £927,774, or just 0.1 per cent. Out of the ten lowest charging councils relative to house price, nine are in London with only Elmbridge outside of the capital.

Westminster topped the list as have the lowest Band D council tax at £782. Wandsworth came in second, costing £800. The City of London was the third-cheapest at £800, and Hammersmith and Fulham the fourth-cheapest at £1,124.

In the tax year 2022/2023, the UK's most expensive Council Tax bills are in Rutland, where a band D home will pay around £2,300 this year, depending on which parish they are in. In contrast, The UK's cheapest Council Tax is in Westminster, London, where a band D property will pay approximately £866 a year.

People who are disregarded include:

full-time students, student nurses, apprentices and youth training trainees. people caring for someone with a disability, who is not a partner, or child under 18. patients living in hospitals, care homes, certain hostels or night shelters. people who have a severe mental impairment.

Which regions have the highest council tax bills in the UK? The areas with the highest council tax bills are Nottingham, Dorset and Rutland, where the respective annual Band D bills are £2,226, £2,223, and £2,195.

Your council can take you to court if you don't pay the money you owe and the bailiffs can't recover enough property to cover it. The court will consider whether you: can afford to pay the bill.

Usually one person, called the 'liable person', has to pay council tax. Nobody under the age of 18 can be a liable person. Couples living together will both be 'jointly and severally liable' - this means they are responsible as a couple but also individually.

Is council tax the same as property tax in UK? ›

The nature of the Council Tax

The tax is a mix of a property tax and a personal tax. Generally, where two or more persons reside in a dwelling the full tax is payable. If one person resides in the dwelling then 75% is payable.

Council tax is typically paid over 10 months, with no payments in February and March. You'll need to check your direct debit plan, and your bill, to find out whether you're entitled to a two-month Council Tax break, or you can contact your local authority to discuss it.

To pay Council Tax, contact your local council. They'll register you and send you a Council Tax bill. They'll also tell you how and when to pay. If you move to a new property or to a new area, tell your local council or tell the council for the new area you've moved to.

In 2023 and 2024, there are seven federal income tax rates and brackets: 10%, 12%, 22%, 24%, 32%, 35%, and 37%. Taxable income and filing status determine which federal tax rates apply to you and how much in taxes you'll owe that year.