Paying your Council Tax

Direct debit is the easiest way to pay. Payments are made automatically by your bank or building society and you’re fully protected by the Direct Debit Guarantee.

You can choose to make your payments on either the 8th, 15th, 21st or 28th of each month.

If you would like to pay your council tax by direct debit you can complete and return the Direct Debit Form located at the bottom of this page to Revenues and Benefits, PO Box 5, Birmingham, B4 7AB

Alternatively, call us on 0121 303 1113 (Lines are open from 8.00am to 8.00pm Monday to Friday except Bank Holidays). You will need to have your bank details to hand and advise us of your chosen payment date and we will do the rest.

The Direct Debit Guarantee

• This Guarantee is offered by all Banks and Building Societies that take part in the Direct Debit Scheme
• The efficiency and security of the Scheme is monitored and protected by your own Bank or Building Society
• If the amounts to be paid or the payment dates change Birmingham City Council will notify you 10 working days in advance of your account being debited or as otherwise agreed
• If an error is made by Birmingham City Council or your Bank or Building Society, you are guaranteed a full and immediate refund from your branch of the amount paid
• You can cancel a Direct Debit at any time by writing to your Bank or Building Society. Please also send a copy of your letter to us

To pay online now click the Pay Council Tax Online button above. Please have your debit or credit card details and your ten-digit account number to hand. The minimum payment amount is £5.00. You’ll need to give us your contact details in case we need to get in touch (we will keep a record of this information).

You can pay your council tax online by debit or credit card. We accept Mastercard, Debit Mastercard, Visa, Visa Debit, Maestro and Solo.

When you’ve completed the payment form, you’ll then need to enter your debit or credit card details on WorldPay. Your card details will be encrypted and stored on a secure server at RBS WorldPay.

RBS WorldPay will then approve the payment and tell us that your payment has been authorised. We will then process your payment within one working day or the next available working day after weekends or bank holidays.

To pay your Council Tax online via personal internet banking, your bank needs the council's bank sort code, bank account number and a billing reference number.

Our Bank Sort Code is 08-90-01.

Our Bank Account number is 61314007.

Your Billing Reference number is a 10-digit number, which starts with 5 and is shown on your bill and/or payment card.

Please note

The billing reference number allocates your payment to your own Council Tax account. This number can change when you receive new payment documents. Please make sure that you tell your bank if your billing reference number changes.

Please call 0121 464 2001. This is an automated telephone answering service. You’ll need your debit or credit card details and your ten-digit council tax account number.

Please make cheques and postal orders payable to Birmingham City Council. You must write your ten-digit account number on the back and send them to:

Birmingham City Council
Resources Department (Revenues & Benefits)
PO Box 5
Birmingham
B4 7AB.

• Do not staple, pin or fold cheques.
• Please do not send your payment card, if you have been issued with one.
• Do not send cash by post.
• If you want a receipt, please enclose a stamped self-addressed envelope. We’re unable to issue receipts without this.

Payment cards are not automatically issued with new bills. If you require a payment card to make payments with then please contact us.

If the front of your bill says that you will be paying by payment card and you haven’t received it within seven days of receiving the bill, please contact us.

Unlike your annual bill a payment card is not issued each year. If you lose your card or it is damaged please contact us so that we can issue a replacement.

If you move house you will need a new payment card as your account number will change.

You can use your payment card at:

• The Post Office: make cheques payable to ‘Post Office Limited’. There’s no charge for this.
• PayPoint or Payzone outlets: only cash is accepted at these outlets and there may be a limit to the amount you can pay.

Your bill is automatically set for you to pay by monthly instalments. If you prefer, you can choose to pay annually on 1 April, or in two instalments on 1 April and 1 October. Please contact us so we can amend your payment plan and issue a revised account.

A receipt will only be issued upon request

If you miss a payment we will send you either a Reminder Notice or Final Notice.

If you receive a Reminder Notice this is because you have not made payment in line with the instalments detailed on your Council Tax bill. To prevent any further action you need to pay the amount specified on the Reminder within 7 days. If you are having financial difficulties in paying please contact us and we may be able to help.

To prevent further Reminder Notices being issued due to late payment you can pay all future instalments by Direct Debit on a choice of dates that best suits you. A printable direct debit form is available for you at the bottom of this page.

If you receive a Final Notice you must pay the full outstanding balance in 14 days and pay any future instalments that become due on time. We are unable to make a payment arrangement with you at this stage. Again you may consider paying future Council Tax instalments by Direct Debit. A printable direct debit form is available for you at the bottom of this page.

If you do not pay the amounts specified in the Notices we will send you a summons to appear in Court. On the issue of this summons, costs will be added to your account.

Summons

If you don’t pay your bill after receiving a final reminder a summons is issued requesting you to attend a hearing at the Magistrates’ Court. The summons includes court costs that are added to the amount you owe.

At the court hearing we will ask the magistrate to grant a liability order. The court only considers whether you’re liable for council tax and not your ability to pay. If you don’t attend the court hearing the case will be dealt with in your absence.

You do not have to appear at court if:

• You pay the full amount that you owe, including costs, before the court hearing date. We won’t apply for a liability order and your case won’t come before a magistrate;

• You contact us immediately, before the court hearing date, and agree an acceptable arrangement to pay what you owe, including court costs. An arrangement will only be agreed if you tell us your employer and income details. We may also ask you to make an immediate payment to help reduce the amount you owe, so please have your credit or debit card details to hand.

We will still apply for a liability order, but as long as you keep to the agreed arrangement, we won’t take any further action.

Liability Order

If the court grants a liability order, you have seven days to either pay the full outstanding balance (including court costs), or come to an acceptable arrangement to pay it.

A liability order means we can demand information from you about your personal circumstances. It entitles us to recover the debt from you in the following ways:

Attachment of Earnings

If you’re working we can ask your employer to make deductions from your wages or salary to pay the amount you owe. The deductions are set by law and are taken as a percentage of your net earnings. For each deduction your employer can take an extra £1 towards their administration costs. Deductions can be taken for two liability orders; a separate deduction is made for each. You must tell us in writing of any change in your employment within 14 days of it happening.

Deductions from Weekly Earnings

Deductions from Monthly Earnings

Deductions From Income Support Or Job Seekers’ Allowance

We will ask the Department for Works and Pensions to make a deduction of £3.25 a week directly from your benefit. They will tell you from what date the deductions will start.

Valuation Banding

The valuation of properties for Council Tax purposes is the responsibility of the Valuation Office Agency and any queries should be referred to the Agency. If you wish to make an appeal against the banding of your property, it has to be made in writing to:

The Listing Officer
Valuation Office Agency
Regent Court
14-17 George Road
Edgbaston
Birmingham
B15 1NU

Telephone Number : 03000 505600

and not Birmingham City Council.

You can only appeal if:

• You were not previously the Council Tax payer in respect of the dwelling, but have recently become liable or

• The property has been entered onto the Valuation List on a date after 1 April 1993, ie newly built dwellings, subsequently adapted properties.

• The appeal must be made within 6 months of the person becoming the Council Tax payer.

Information on valuation matters and appeals can be found at the Valuation Office Agency website at www.voa.gov.uk and the Valuation Tribunal website at www.valuation-tribunals.gov.uk.

Other Matters

If you think that you are not the person who should have to pay the Council Tax, for example, because you are not the resident, tenant or owner, or you disagree with the amount payable, you should appeal by putting your reasons in writing to:-

Birmingham City Council
Revenues and Benefits
P O Box 5
Birmingham
B4 7AB

Yearly Council Tax bills are issued during March and are payable over 10 monthly instalments unless a different payment scheme has been requested. Instalment payment plans commence in April. As Council Tax payments are mostly paid in advance where there is a change in a Council Taxpayer’s circumstances a credit may occur on their account. These credits can be refunded to the Council Taxpayer by cheque after the credit has been verified.

Reasons for Overpayment

A Council Tax account can fall in to credit for the following reasons:

• A discount has been awarded
• An exemption has been awarded
• Customer vacates or their liability ends
• Council Tax benefit has been awarded
• A banding alteration
• Customer overpaying

How to Claim

Claims for refunds can be made as follows:

• by e-mail
• by telephone
• in writing to the Council Tax office

The Valuation Office Agency values every domestic property in England and Wales for council tax purposes.

Your council tax is based on your home’s value on 1 April 1991. To determine the right band for your home, the valuation office agency takes into account the size, age, character and locality of the property. They then look at what price similar properties sold for on 1 April 1991. Even new homes are valued on the basis of what they would have been worth in 1991.

From that valuation your property is placed into one of eight valuation bands, A to H (A being the lowest). Every financial year, effective from 1 April, we set a charge for each band.

The links below show the charges for each band for the current financial year.

Your council tax bill will show in which band your home has been valued. If you want to know the valuation band of other properties, please go to the Valuation Office Agency and enter the address.

If your property is in the Frankley area of Birmingham a precept is added to the council tax to provide funding for New Frankley in Birmingham Parish Council. Your local view can confirm if your property is in Frankley.

The link below shows the charge for each band in Frankley for the current financial year.

A copy of the Valuation List is held at the Council Tax Office and the Central Library, Chamberlain Square.

Bailiffs

If your debt is passed to a bailiff, costs are added to the amount you owe.

If a bailiff calls on you, they will give you the opportunity to make an acceptable arrangement for payment. They will ask to enter your home to make a list of any of your belongings that come to the value of the unpaid council tax and costs.

If you make an arrangement with the bailiff but then don’t make the agreed payments, the bailiff can return to your home and take your belongings. They will sell them to repay the full amount you owe.

Charging Order

We can apply to the court for a charging order if your debt is £1,000 or more and you own your home. If you sell your home, you will have to repay the debt first, before you are given any of the sale proceeds. A charging order is a way of securing the debt against your property.

Bankruptcy

If your total debt exceeds £750, we can apply to make you bankrupt.

Prison

If the bailiff has been unable to collect the debt, we can apply to the Magistrates’ Court for your committal to prison. If you don’t attend court, a warrant will be issued for your arrest.

The magistrates will assess your circumstances and ask why you haven’t paid. If they believe you should have paid, they may issue a committal warrant and you could go to prison for up to 90 days.