What Happens if you Don't Pay Your Council Tax
Information on the statutory arrears process that will be followed if you do not make your Council Tax payments as detailed on your bill.
Council Tax is an important source of funding for your council, helping to pay for essential services.
By law, you must make your Council Tax payments on or before the due date as detailed on your bill. If you do not pay as detailed on your bill you will be in arrears.
If you fall into arrears we will send you a statutory reminder notice requesting that you make the missed payment within seven days.
If you do not make the payment within seven days then, by law, you will lose your right to pay your remaining Council Tax for the year in instalments after another seven days.
The amount you owe for the rest of the year will then be due immediately and we will apply to the Sheriff Court for a 'summary warrant'. At this stage we will add statutory costs of 10% of the amount you owe to your bill.
If you are issued with a summary warrant you may end up having:
- money taken from your wages;
- your bank account 'frozen', which means you cannot use all the money in the account;
- money taken from your Income Support, Jobseeker's Allowance, Employment and Support Allowance, Pension Credit or Universal Credit, or
- your goods taken away and sold at auction.
Important:
Please note that by law, only two reminders will be issued in the year. If, after a second reminder is issued, you bring your account up to date and then fall behind again no further reminders will be issued. At this point you will lose your right to pay your remaining Council Tax for the year by instalments and we will apply to the Sheriff Court for a summary warrant. At this stage we will add statutory costs of 10% of the amount you owe to your bill.
