What happens if I don't pay my Council Tax?
Introduction
These pages explain what happens if you do not pay your Council Tax.
We would prefer not to have to take any of the actions described - if you are having trouble paying your Council Tax, please contact us so we can see if we can help you.
If you do receive a letter about unpaid Council Tax, do not ignore it - it will only make matters worse and the amount you owe may increase.
When we take action to recover unpaid Council Tax, we will follow the promises set out in the Council's Charter for the Collection of Debt.
Recovering unpaid debt
You pay your Council Tax by monthly instalments. The amount of each instalment and the date it must be paid is shown on your bill.
If you do not pay your instalments when they are due, we will send you a reminder which explains:
- you must pay the instalments which you have not paid within seven days; and
- if you do not, you will lose the right to pay by monthly instalments and you must pay the full amount of the year's Council Tax immediately.
We will only send reminders for the first and second time you do not pay your instalments. If you do not pay your instalments for a third time, we will send you a final notice for the full amount of Council Tax.
If you do not pay the amount on the reminder (or the final notice), we will ask the Magistrates' Court to issue a summons for the full amount which you owe plus costs of £32.
If you do not pay the amount on the summons (including costs), the Magistrates' Court will grant a liability order. This will cost you another £18.
The liability order gives us the following powers to collect the amount you owe by:
- attachment of earnings;
- attachment of Income Support or Job-Seeker's Allowance; or
- using to a firm of bailiffs.
'Attachment' means we can ask whoever pays your salary, wages or benefits to deduct part of what you owe us before they pay you, until you have paid all the money you owe us.
If we pass your account to bailiffs, they will charge you for visiting your property to collect the amount you owe. They also have the power to remove goods to sell at auction to recover the amount you owe.
If none of these methods is successful, we will apply to the Magistrates' Court for you to go to prison.