Difficulty paying your Council Tax bill
If you experience any difficulty in paying your Council Tax it is important that you contact us as soon as possible.
You may be entitled to a discount or exemption to reduce your Council Tax bill. Alternatively if you are on a low income you may be eligible for Council Tax Assistance which could help to reduce the amount of Council Tax you have to pay.
The actions we will take to recover Council Tax from you are as follows:
Reminder Notice
Failure to pay your account by the instalment date will result in the issue of a Reminder Notice. If that is not paid by the specified date we will issue a Final Notice, at which time the full outstanding balance will become due.
Final Notice
We will issue up to two Reminder Notices for each financial year. If another instalment is not paid by the due date, we will issue a Final Notice which will require the full outstanding balance to be paid. You must pay this amount to avoid a Summons being issued. You can still contact us to discuss a further arrangement if you are not able to make this payment in full. Please do not ignore this notice, the issuing of a Summons will result in costs be added to your account.
Summons
If you have not paid your account or contacted us, we will apply to the Magistrates' Court for a Summons to be issued against you for non-payment, at which point costs will be added to your account. You can still make an arragement to pay the amount due by contacting us before the Court hearing takes place.
Liability Order
If you do not pay the balance shown on your Summons documentation before the Court hearing, we will apply to the Magistrates' Court for a Liability Order to be issued against you. You will have the opportunity to attend the Court but do not have to. We would encourage you to call us before the hearing to discuss matters relating to payment arrangements. Any issues relating to the banding of your property or claims relating to Council Tax Assistance will not be dealt with by the Court.
Further Actions
At this point we would still encourage you to contact us to make an arrangement. We will continue to offer help and support in anyway that we can. However the granting of a Liability Order will allow us to collect your debt using different methods, which include:
- Requesting that the DWP collect the debt owed directly from your benefit
- Contacing your employer to arrange for the debt owed to be collected from your wages
- Referral to an Enforcement Agency - who will call you and potentially visit your property to discuss repayment of the debt. This action will result in further costs being added to your account.
Enforcement agents
If you have been visited by an enforcement agent in relation to outstanding Council Tax you should, in the first instance, contact them directly to discuss the debt using the appropriate link below:
Advisory services and budget planning
Access the free Personal Budget Planner from the Money Advisory Service.
Additionally if you require further help, these organisations offer free, independent, financial advice:
Depending on which district the property is located, please also look at the information about offer of payments.
Information about Broadland District Council offer of payment