Bills are arriving on doormats in April as the average Band D council tax reaches £2,392 a year in England but some people could be given reductions of 25% or even get it free
Millions of people are receiving their Council Tax bills to find they are much steeper than last year. The 2026/2027 bills land on doormats across England, Scotland and Wales in April while in Northern Ireland they will also receive their annual bill for domestic rates as they do not have Council Tax.
According to BBC Morning Live consumer expert Holly Hamilton, for most people, the bills will not only have risen, but they will be up by the maximum amount that they are allowed. Speaking on the show she said: “In England, I think most rises look to be just around under 5% which is the usual cap actually in place without any special permissions. In Wales, increases look to be pretty similar there. In some areas, it’s actually even higher.
“And in Scotland, there’s a bit of a shift there as well, because council tax has been frozen, of course, but for the second year in a row, big increases there, up to 10% in some areas.” She said Northern Ireland is different as it’s not council tax there, but domestic rates.
She added: “Again, the storyline is pretty similar. All the bills are going up now everywhere is quite different in terms of what that looks like.”
She said the average Band D bill in England is now about £2,392. That is up £111 on last year. She said: “We’re not talking about small money here. These are pretty big bills coming in, and how much it’s gone up actually, really depends on where you live as well.
“It’s a bit of a lottery, because in some areas it might have gone up by about 2% like I mentioned, in Scotland, it’s going up by up to 10% and these councils would say that they are under huge financial pressures.
“That’s what this is all about. They’re dealing with rising costs, as we all are, but for things like social care and housing and even things like your bin collections and your street lighting and council tax, of course, is one of the ways that pays for that”
However there are some changes which are coming into effect for people in England to help those who fall behind on their payments. She said the changes could be a “good thing” adding: “The rules at the minute are really quite harsh if you miss just one of those monthly payments. In some cases, the council can come back and say, right, we want the full year now upfront, because you missed that one payment, and they’ll only give you a few weeks to pay it.
“And I think it’s fair to say for most people, they would struggle with that. It’s just not realistic. So under these new plans that are set to come in, that’s going to ease that up quite a bit. Instead of that quick escalation things getting out of hand, you will get 63 days. So that’s just over two months to try and sort things out.
“So I think there’s, there’s also more of an expectation that councils will work with people now, so looking at longer repayment plans, rather than just jumping straight into court action and things like your liability order cost, that’s all going to be capped now, so that won’t spiral quite as easily.
“And the other change, I think, is really good and will help people with budgeting. A lot of people currently pay their council tax in 10 months. You get a break, don’t you those two months in February and March. Under this new system, the default will be 12 months.
“So spreading that payment a little bit more evenly, making your monthly payments a little bit less so. For most people, they might prefer that, but if you still prefer the 10 month option that will still be open to you, you should still be able to choose it. But essentially, the idea is just to make payments feel a little bit more manageable each month.”
However she warned these changes were not immediate with most expected to come in next year. She said while it was England at present it was thought others would follow suit. She said Wales was also looking at the 63 days as well to try to catch up. However in Scotland and Northern Ireland there are “no plans in place just yet”.
She added: “So no your bill isn’t changing because of this just yet, but the system around it helping to become a little bit more flexible and less punishing if you do fall behind.”
Who can get reduced bills
Holly had advice for those who are struggling this year She said: “Let’s be honest… this envelope drops through your door. It can fill a lot of people with dread, and a lot of people really cannot cope with it. And actually, what’s important here is that there is help out there, but a lot of people don’t realise it. They don’t know that they’re entitled to certain discounts.”
Holly set out four groups of people that could be entitled to discounted bills:
- somebody living on their own should be getting a 25% discount
- students should be exempt altogether
- in most cases, if you or someone you live with is disabled, you probably will qualify for a lower band as well
- reductions for any properties in England and Scotland and Wales, if the property is vacant such as the occupier staying in hospital long term, in a care home or in prison
She had one key piece of advice adding: “I would say to do is go to your local authorities website. So just check what is available to you.”
Other help available
Holly advised people might also qualify for a benefit to help with the bill. She said: “There’s also something called Council Tax Support, which, again, is really important council tax reduction, and that, again, is for people on lower incomes.
“This can make a really big difference to people, but what is really important is that it does not happen automatically. This is crucial. You have to apply for it, and a lot of people don’t realise this. So even if you already receiving benefits right now, you still have to apply through your local council.”
She said in England, each council runs its own scheme, so what you get can really depend on where you live. In Wales and Scotland, it’s the systems are “more nationalised” while in Northern Ireland itis built into the rate system.
The expert said it was also important as it also made the local authority aware if someone was struggling as they may offer help such as longer payment plans. She added: “They will work with you. They will point you in the direction towards additional support funds.
“So just don’t assume that that bill is fixed, that it is set in stone. There’s a decent chance that there’s help available to you. If you just go looking for it, just ask the question.”
