Council Tax – Change in Circumstances

Overview

Press the Report a Change in Circumstances button above to tell us about any of the following:

Change of name
Change of address
Change of billing address
Change in household composition
Change in property ownership
Experiencing difficulty paying council tax

You will be asked to provide the following information:

Name, address and contact details
Type of change (see above)
In what capacity you are reporting this change i.e. property owner, solicitor
Council tax number
Name of council tax payer
Billing address

If you are moving to a new address within Birmingham or leaving Birmingham, it is important you tell us without delay. Likewise, if your circumstances change and you think it might affect the amount of Council Tax you have to pay or change who is liable for the bill, tell us immediately using the form button 'report change in circumstances' above.

You can also notify us of a death so we can change your council tax payments if necessary.

Depending on what has changed, you may be entitled to a discount, an exemption or Council Tax Benefit to help reduce your bill. If you already receive any of these, we will need to see if you’re still eligible.

Essential Information

If you have recently moved or are about to move to a property in Birmingham, please tell us straight away.

We will set up your account and send you a bill. This will tell you what your instalments will be and when you need to pay them.

If you are unsure whether Birmingham City Council is responsible for collecting council tax at your new address, please check the Valuation Office Agency’s Website

You can then find out the charge for the current financial year through visiting the Council Tax enquiry page.
If you’ve been paying council tax for a property in Birmingham and have moved or are about to move, please tell us straight away by using the form link above. We will then make the appropriate adjustments to your account.

If your new address is in Birmingham, we’ll send you a new bill with a new account number. It will tell you what your instalments will be and when you need to pay them.

We will close your old account and send you a bill for any amount you still owe for your old address. If you have overpaid, we will either transfer the credit to your new account or refund it if you have moved outside of Birmingham.
Please use the online change in circumstances form above to tell us of your move. It will help to have the following details to hand, if applicable:
- The completion date(s) of any property sold or bought
- The name of the person who has bought your previous property
- Your tenancy start and end dates, if renting
- Your solicitor’s details
- Your landlord’s or managing agent’s details, if renting.
Please contact us if you require any further advice or assistance.
You need to tell us of any changes to your or the members of your households’ circumstances. For example:
- You are still resident but ownership of the property has changed
- You have bought or sold an unoccupied property
- The tenancy of a property has changed
- Your name has changed due to marriage or divorce
- Your are subject to an attachment of earnings order and your employer has changed
- Deductions were being made from a state benefit but you are no longer entitled to claim or
- If someone has left the household, leaving only one person aged 18 or over in the property or
- If someone has moved in and there is now more than one person aged 18 or over in the household or
- You are applying for or are subject to:
  - An administration order
  - Bankruptcy or
  - An individual voluntary arrangement or
  - A debt relief order.
Please use the online change in circumstances form to tell us to of the change or contact us if you require any further advice or assistance.
If your circumstances have changed since you were awarded a discount or exemption we need to check whether you are still eligible.

Examples of possible changes include:
- The number of adults occupying a property has changed;
- You have become a student and are not included; or
- A child who was previously not included is now 18 years old.
Please use the Discounts/Exemptions/Disabled Facilities Form to tell us of the change.

The change in your circumstances may mean you are now entitled to discount or exemption; for example, you are now the only adult living in your property.

You can find out more about circumstances that could entitle you to a discount or exemption in the section how your bill can be reduced.
If you currently receive council tax benefit and your financial circumstances have changed, CTB Change in Circumstances will give you further advice. Here you can also notify us of the change.

Frequently Asked Questions

- There is one council tax bill for each property.
  
  Usually the person living in the property has to pay the bill.
  
  In the following list, the first description you come to that applies to you or someone living in your home, is the person liable to pay the council tax.
  - A resident freeholder (so for an owner-occupied property the owner is liable);
  - A resident leaseholder (this includes assured tenants under the Housing Act 1988);
  - A resident statutory or secure tenant;
  - A resident licensee;
  - A resident;
  - The owner (this applies where the property is unoccupied).
  A resident is a person aged 18 or above who lives in the property as their only or main home.
  
  The owner is liable for a house in multiple occupation, that is, a house where a tenant rents a room and shares facilities with other tenants.
  
  Whether a property is treated as your main home will depend on a number of factors, such as how much time you spend there and whether it is your family home. You cannot have more than one main home for council tax purposes.
- Yes. We cannot use your bank details again without your authorisation and you will also be given a different account number for your new address. A printable direct debit form is available for you at the bottom of this page.
- Yes, for each property you are liable for, you will be given a different account number. We will send you a separate bill for each account.
  
  When making a payment it’s important that you quote the correct account number or use the correct payment card, if applicable. If you don’t do this, the payment will be misallocated.
- You only need to tell us if your bill is reduced by the award of a discount or exemption.
  
  If your child was under 18 when you made your application they would not have been included as a resident when we counted the number of adults living in your home.
  
  Although they are now over 18, they may still not be included. This depends on their circumstances, for example, students, apprentices and youth trainees.
  
  More information on who is not included is available in the section how your bill can be reduced. Here you can also notify us of the change using the form link above.
- If you think that you are not the person who should have to pay the council tax, you should appeal by writing to us.
  
  This might be because you are not the resident, tenant or owner, or you disagree with the amount payable,
  
  We have to make a decision within two months, although you should receive a response sooner than this. If you disagree with our decision, or we have taken longer than two months, you can appeal to a Valuation Tribunal. We will explain this process when we respond to your appeal.
- Yes, joint owners or joint tenants are jointly liable. Liable parties do not receive a bill each, only one is issued in joint names.
  
  If you are jointly liable you should ensure that the whole bill is being paid. Even if you have paid your own share of the bill, if other liable people don’t pay, we will still seek to enforce payment from you. Each person who is jointly liable is responsible for paying the whole charge.

Attachments

Direct Debit Form

Budget for Birmingham 2012/13

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External Links

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