Problems paying council tax

Information about problems paying council tax. 

Difficulty making a transaction

Please contact us if you are experiencing problems with any payment method.

Struggling with an amount due?

Always let us know as there may be some help we can provide you with. However in some circumstances, it is not always possible to avoid recovery action. 

Can I change my payment date?

Cash payments are usually due on the 5th, if you find this date inconvenient; consider Direct Debit as it gives you a choice of payment dates. 

What happens if I don’t pay or pay late?

If a payment is not paid fully by the due date, then a reminder can be issued, giving seven days for the instalment to be brought up to date.

If you fall behind with your payments for a second time, another reminder may be issued. However, no more than two reminders can be issued for one billing period.

If you fail to bring your payments up to date after a first or second reminder, then a final notice will be sent, demanding the remaining amount for the financial year. Depending on the circumstances, a special arrangement may be set up by direct debit at this stage, however, recovery action would continue from the final notice if this is cancelled. In some cases a final notice can be issued without a reminder, e.g. where a balance has not been cleared on a closed account.

If the final notice is not paid (or a special arrangement is not put in place and kept to), then a court summons can be issued to obtain a liability order. There is a £70 charge for the summons being issued which would be added to the outstanding balance. In some cases, an arrangement, attachment of earnings or attachment to benefits can be set up at this stage but would have to include the summons costs.

Payment Arrangement - Income and Expenditure

A payment arrangement can be made depending on your income and expenditure. In most circumstances, we would only ask you to provide your income and expenditure information after a court summons has been issued for non-payment of Council Tax. However, we may ask you to complete this form if we need to assess a suitable arrangement for you.

If a payment arrangement is set up, please make sure that you make all payments on time as failure to do so may result in the balance being passed to enforcement agents for collection.

Provide details of your income and expenditure

Attachment to Earnings

If we are granted a Liability Order against you for non-payment of council tax, we may write to your employer, instructing them to make deductions directly from your pay. We will always write to you with a copy of the order so you will always have notice that this is going to take place.

This is a legal document which your employer must make deductions in accordance with, failure to do so can result in a fine for the employer. Employers may deduct £1 administration costs each time a deduction is made.

Please contact us immediately if you or your employee changes jobs. 

Click an earnings tab below for details on which deductions must be made from the total net pay;

Find out more in the Attachment orders guide for employers (external website)

Enforcement agents

Enforcement agents can be instructed to collect outstanding council tax after a liability order has been issued. Find out more about Enforcement Agents. 

How can I appeal a decision made by the council tax department?

If you wish to appeal against a decision made by the council tax department, you should contact the Valuation Tribunal for Wales (external website) who can provide general advice.

Please remember that the council tax should be paid while an appeal is on-going.