4.4 million UK households have been warned they haven’t actually paid their council tax. According to Freedom of Information data obtained by property firm Sell House Fast, across the UK, over 4.4 million council tax bills have gone unpaid.
That has resulted in a total debt of more than £4.4 billion. This has pushed over one million people into the hands of bailiffs. Liverpool City Council tops the list with the highest unpaid council tax debt of more than £361 million.
Birmingham City Council comes next with £194 million, followed by Hillingdon Borough Council at £114 million. A survey by Sell House Fast revealed that the number of cases referred to court for liability order issuance rose by 14 per cent from 2022/23 to 2023/24.
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Online, the government warns: “Contact your council as soon as possible if you’re struggling to pay your Council Tax or are behind with your payments. You can choose to spread your payments over 12 months instead of the usual 10 to reduce the amount you’re asked to pay on each bill. Ask your council to set this up for you.
“Your council may give you a one-off discount if you still can’t pay what you owe. You should also check if you’re eligible for Council Tax Reduction if you’re on a low income or get benefits or a reduced council tax bill, eg if you live on your own.”
It said: “Your council will send you a reminder notice giving you 7 days to pay if you miss a payment. If you don’t pay within 7 days, you’ll have to pay the whole year’s Council Tax instead. You’ll be sent a second reminder notice if you miss another Council Tax payment.”
You’ll only get a maximum of 2 reminder notices in a financial year – this runs from April 1 to March 31 of the next year. The government also warns your council will send you a final notice saying you must pay the whole year’s Council Tax if you miss a payment for the third time.
If you don’t pay your whole year’s Council Tax within 7 days, the council may take legal action to get the Council Tax you owe.