If, for any reason, you don't pay your council tax on time we are legally obliged to issue documents advising you of this and warning you what could happen next. What document you get depends on how many times you have missed your payment. It could be a reminder, final notice or a summons.
If you receive a summons then the matter is likely to go to court where we will be applying for a liability order. A liability order gives us various powers to help us to recover the debt:
- To request information
- To attach earnings
- To make deductions from Income Support / Job Seekers Allowance
- Charging Order
- Bankruptcy / Insolvency
- Distress (removal of goods to pay a debt)
- Committal to Prison
For more information about reminders, final notices and summons please select one of the underlined words or pdf download our leaflet (142 KB) .
If you have problems paying your council tax please contact us - we may be able to make a special arrangement with you.
You may be entitled to benefits - why not try our benefit calculator, visit our benefit web pages or contact our benefit section to see if there is anything you can claim.