Recovery process and charges
If you miss Council Tax payments, extra charges can be added.
You should always pay your bill in line with the payment plan shown on it. Payments must be made by the due dates shown on your bill.
Reminder notices
If you miss a payment, we will first send a reminder recovery notice. This asks you to bring your account up to date within 7 days.
If you do not pay within 7 days, you may lose the right to continue paying by instalments. No further reminders will be sent and we may apply for a magistrates’ court summons.
If you pay the amount requested but miss another payment later, we may send a second reminder recovery notice asking for payment within 7 days.
If you miss payments for a third time, we will issue a final recovery notice. You will lose the right to pay by instalments and must pay the full balance within 14 days.
Court summons and costs
If you do not pay the amount requested in any reminder or final recovery notice, we may apply for a magistrates’ court summons.
A summons adds court costs of £75 to your account.
Liability order and next steps
If the court grants a liability order, further action may be taken to recover the debt.
Before any enforcement action, you can contact us to set up a payment arrangement. No additional costs are added for this.
If the debt is not paid or an arrangement is not kept, recovery action can include:
- deductions from benefits, such as Universal Credit or Jobseeker’s Allowance
- deductions from wages, with costs added each time your employer deducts
- passing the debt to enforcement agents, which adds further costs
Enforcement agent action can include:
- an enforcement letter, which adds costs of £79 (£154 in total)
- an enforcement visit, which adds costs of £247 (£401 in total), plus 7.5% of the amount outstanding if it is over £1,900
Enforcement visit costs do not apply if you receive Council Tax Support.
The diagram shows these stages and where charges may be added.
If you are struggling to pay, contact us as soon as possible to avoid further action and charges.
Page last updated: 1 May 2026
