Council Tax

What is Council Tax?

• The Council Tax is a local tax set by your local councils.
• It helps to pay for local services such as schools, libraries, refuse collection and sports centres which are provided by Worcester City Council, Worcestershire County Council, West Mercia Police and Hereford & Worcester Fire Authority.
• If you live in the parish of Warndon or St Peters you will also pay a small amount for parish council services.
• You pay your Council Tax to the City Council and we send the county, police or parish the amounts they have asked for.
• You can find out more about what your Council Tax pays for in our Council Tax leaflet or from http://worcestershire.whub.org.uk/ or www.westmercia.police.uk or http://www.hwfire.org.uk/.

I'm moving, How do I tell you?

If you are moving house, or if someone is joining or leaving your household you need to tell us.

You can do this by using one of our on-line moving forms or by looking at the details of how to contact us.

Who has to pay the Council Tax?

• There is one Council Tax bill for each property.
• In most cases someone living in the property will be responsible for the Council Tax (the ‘liable person’). That will be either the owner-occupier or a tenant if the property is rented.
• If no-one lives at an address, or it is not the main home of the people living there, then the owner has to pay.

How much will I have to pay?

• How much you pay will depend on which valuation band your property is in and your personal circumstances.
• Every property has been valued by the Inland Revenue Listing Officer based on market values at 1st April 1991. You can find out which band your property is in by looking on your Council Tax bill, or by contacting us.

The Council Tax leaflet shows you how much of your Council Tax goes to Worcestershire County Council, West Mercia Police, Hereford & Worcester Fire Authority, Worcester City Council and your parish council (if you live in Warndon or St Peters)

• You could pay less than the amount shown for your property band if you qualify for a discount, benefit or reduction for disability.

How can I pay my Council Tax?

You can pay the Council Tax by monthly instalments. Your bill will show the amounts you have to pay and the date of each instalment.

Direct Debit

• The easiest way to pay Council Tax is by Direct Debit.
• More than 25,000 people in Worcester already pay this way
• It can save you time, effort and money
• You can choose to pay on the 1st, 10th, 15th or 25th of the month, whichever suits you best
• If you have a bank account all you need to do is give us the details and we will do the rest.

Paying by direct Debit - the easiest way to pay your bill is by Direct Debit.  Just Contact us now and we will be able to offer you a choice of payment dates each month.  Alternatively you can download an application form here. 

At our Customer Service Centre

• You can pay by cash, cheque, debit card or credit card

Customer Service Centre
Orchard House
Farrier Street
Worcester
WR1 3BB

Tel : 01905 722233
Automated payments Tel : 0845 6023408

How To Find Us

We are open

By post

Please make your cheque payable to 'Worcester City Council', write your Council Tax account number on the back and send it to:

Revenues and Benefits,
PO Box 11,
Pershore
WR10 1PU

Automated telephone payment system

You can pay by debit card or credit card 24 hours a day. 7 days a week, using our automated telephone payment system. Just dial 0845 6023408 and follow the instructions. Please note that there is an additional charge of 2% for payments made by credit card.

Internet Payments

You can pay by debit card or credit card at any time using the payment facility on this website. To make a payment now click here. Please note that there is an additional charge of 2% for payments made by credit card.

Could I pay less Council Tax?

• You could pay less Council Tax if you qualify for one or more of these reductions:
• Council Tax Benefit – for people on low incomes
• discount – for example, if you are the only adult at your address
• reduction for disabilities – for homes adapted for a person with a disability

How do I get Council Tax Benefit?

• You have to claim Council Tax Benefit – it will not be given automatically
• You can only claim Benefit if you live at the property and you are the person who has to pay the Council Tax (the ‘liable person’)

You should claim if:

• you are on low income
• you are on Income Support or Job Seekers Allowance

How much you get will depend on:

• your personal circumstances, income and savings
• your partner’s circumstances, income and savings
• the circumstances of other adults living in your home
  Please note – you will not qualify if you have savings of £16,000 or more.
• You can get a benefit claim form from the Customer Service Centre in Farrier Street.
• You should fill in the form and return it to us as soon as possible - benefit cannot be backdated except in special circumstances
• If you make a claim, please make sure that you provide all the details and documents that we ask for on the form. We will then be able to work out your benefit quickly and accurately. You must provide original documents to support your claim – for example, payslips as proof of your income.

(For more information about Council Tax Benefit see the Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) website: www.dwp.gov.uk.)

How do discounts work?

The full amount of Council Tax will be payable if there are two or more adults living in a property.

If only one adult lives in the property we will give a 25% discount and reduce the council tax bill by that amount.  If you would like to apply for this discount then please click on the following link to download an application form.  (Single person discount application form).

If a property is no-one’s main home and has been empty for more than six moths or is used as a second home or holiday home we will give a 25% discount.

Some people are not counted (they are ‘disregarded’) when we look at how many adults are living in a property. This means that you could still get a discount even if two or more people live at your address. For example, if two adults live in a property and one of them is in the list below, then the bill will be worked out as if only one adult lives there and reduced by 25%.

The people listed below are ignored when counting the number of adults in a property:

• Full time students, student nurses, apprentices and youth training trainees
• People whose only or main home is in a hostel, hospital, residential care home or nursing home where they receive care
• Severely mentally impaired people
• 18 and 19 year olds who are at school or have just left
• Care workers employed by a charity or local authority for at least 24 hours each week and paid up to £36 per week
• Carers living in the same home as someone they provide care for who is not their spouse, partner or child. They must provide care for at least 35 hours each week.
• Monks and nuns
• Diplomats, members of visiting armed forces and certain international institutions
• People living in certain hostels or night shelters
• People in prison – unless they are in prison for not paying a fine or Council Tax.

The list above only gives brief details. If you think you might qualify for a discount you can apply or ask for more information using our on-line enquiry form.

If your bill shows a discount and you are not entitled to it, for example if someone in your household was a student and their course has finished, you must tell us immediately. If you do not let us know within 21 days you could be fined £50.

Can people with a disability get a reduction?

You could get a reduction if at least one resident in your home is substantially and permanently disabled.

To qualify for a reduction your home must contain either

• a room used mainly by the person with the disability – for example, an extension or extra room used for storing dialysis equipment or wheelchairs, or
• an extra bathroom or kitchen for use by the disabled person, or
• extra space inside the property to allow for use of a wheelchair.

The person with the disability could be an adult or child. The extra room or facility must be essential to enable them to live in the property or to prevent their health suffering or their disability becoming more severe.

If you qualify for a reduction the amount of Council Tax you pay will be based on the band below the one your property is in. For example, if your property is in band C we will only charge the amount for band B. If your property is in band A you will still get a reduction.

If you think your household might qualify please contact us to find out how to apply.

What types of dwelling are exempt?

Some properties are exempt from Council Tax which means there is nothing to pay. There are different classes of exempt property which are listed below.

Properties are exempt if they are:

• occupied entirely by students, or by students as term time accommodation, or are a student hall of residence;
• occupied only by people under 18 years old;
• armed forces accommodation;
• occupied only by people who are severely mentally impaired or occupied together with one or more students, but only when the severly mentally impaired persons &/or students would otherwise be liable to pay the Council Tax;
• an annexe or other self-contained part of a property occupied by an elderly or disabled dependant relative of the people living in the rest of the property;

The following properties are exempt for a limited period:

• properties which are unoccupied and substantially unfurnished – exempt for up to 6 months. This can include newly built dwellings.
• properties which are unoccupied, unfurnished and need or are undergoing major repair works to make them habitable, or are being structurally altered. This exemption can last up to 12 months. Once the works have been substantially completed the property could be exempt for up to another 6 months (if it remains unoccupied and unfurnished) depending on how much of the one year limit remains.
• properties left unoccupied when a person dies, if an administrator or executor of the person’s estate is responsible for the property. The exemption applies for up to 6 months after the grant of probate or letters of administration.

The following properties are exempt while they remain unoccupied:

• properties previously owned and occupied only by one or more students as their main home and who are still students
• properties previously occupied by someone who is now in prison (except for non-payment of a fine or council tax)
• properties left unoccupied by people who have moved to receive personal care, either in hospital, a care home, nursing home or elsewhere
• properties previously occupied by people who have moved to provide personal care to someone else
• annexes which cannot be let separately from the property they are attached to because of planning conditions – this could apply to an empty granny flat
• properties where the liable person is a trustee in bankruptcy
• properties whose occupation is forbidden by law or are unoccupied because of compulsory purchase
• vicarages or similar properties which are awaiting occupation by a minister of religion who will perform his or her duties from there
• properties which have been repossessed by a mortgage lender.

If you think your property might qualify for an exemption you can apply or ask for more information using our on-line enquiry form.

What should I do if my circumstances change?

If your circumstances change in any way which could affect your Council Tax you must tell us immediately. Examples include:

• your household moving to a new address
• someone moving into or out of your property – if it affects your entitlement to a discount, benefit or liability to pay
• other changes which could affect your discount or liability – for example, someone becoming 18 years old in a household with only one other person or a student finishing their course.

If in doubt, contact us for advice.

What if I have trouble paying the bill?

• It is important that you pay each monthly instalment on or before the due date shown on your bill. As soon as you realise you have a problem paying your bill you should contact us immediately – do not wait until you have received a reminder. We will look at your account to see if you qualify for any reductions and we may be able to reschedule your payments.

What will happen if I don’t pay?

• If you miss an instalment you will get a reminder notice giving you seven days to bring your payments up to date.
• If you fail to pay the missing amount by the due date you will lose the right to pay by monthly instalments and will have to pay the outstanding balance of your Council Tax bill – the full amount for the rest of the year. We will send a final notice showing the full amount which you will have another seven days to pay.
• If the full balance is not paid, the Council will start recovery action by applying to the Magistrates Court for a liability order. You will receive a summons telling you when the court will consider your case and how much is owed. This will be the outstanding amount of Council Tax plus the cost to the Council of taking court action.
• You have the right to attend the court and offer evidence as to why the liability order should not be made. If you decide not to attend, you should contact us before the date of the hearing. We will try to come to a reasonable arrangement with you for payment but we can only do that if you contact us. You can also

speak to the local Citizens Advice Bureau for advice.

• If you do not pay or contact us to make an arrangement, the Court will grant a liability order. This gives the Council the legal power to demand certain financial information from you about employment and earnings to help us decide how to recover the debt. The main options for recovery are:

Attachment of earnings order – we will instruct your employer to deduct the amount directly from your wages or salary and pay it straight to us.

Deductions from income support – we can apply to have a set amount deducted from your income support or Jobseekers Allowance

Bailiffs – we can employ bailiffs to recover the amount due. This can involve considerable additional charges which are set out in legislation. We will give you notice before this procedure starts to give you the opportunity to settle the arrears without incurring any extra charges.

What if I think my bill is wrong?

• You should tell us immediately if you think your Council Tax bill is wrong in any way.

How can I find out more about my Council Tax?

• See the contact details page

Relevant Documents

Below is a list of PDF documents relating to the content on this page:

•  Council Tax Leaflet 2010 (pdf)
• Council Tax Leaflet 2009 (pdf)
• Council Tax Leaflet 2008 (pdf) 
• Business Rates Guide 2008 (pdf)
• Application for Small Business Rate Relief for period 1 April 2010 (pdf)
• Application for Small Business Rate Relief for period up until 31 March 2010 (pdf)
• Cut Your Council Tax Leaflet (pdf)
• Council Tax and Business Rates Direct Debit Instruction (pdf)