Council tax - account enquiries

Contents

• Council Tax Online services
• How can I pay my Council Tax?
  • Direct Debit
  • Internet payments
  • Telephone payments
  • Post Office and Paypoint
  • Cash and cheques
• Problems paying my Council Tax
  • Before you contact us
• What happens if you don't get in touch?
  • What happens after a summons is issued?
• Attachment of earnings
• Deductions from income support or Jobseeker's allowance
• Bailiffs
  • What happens if you have still not paid?

If you have any questions or concerns about your Council Tax account, you can use our Council Tax online services or you can contact us.

Council Tax Online services

Our Council Tax online service is easier and cheaper for you:

• It’s quicker - no postal delays
• No postal costs
• Updated bills can be sent at any time
• Better for the environment.

Once signed up you can:

• check your account, view transactions and see the bills or correspondence we've sent to you
• complete a direct debit form to set up or change your direct debit
• pay your bill
• sign up for e-billing
• view council tax bands for properties in Derby.

How can I pay my Council Tax?

You normally pay Council Tax in 10 monthly payments, but we offer different ways to pay and payment dates.

Direct Debit

We encourage payment by direct debit and offer a choice of convenient payment dates, 1st, 10th, 15th, 25th or 28th. You can also choose to pay weekly, over 12 instalments or twice yearly.

To pay by direct debit you will need to complete a direct debit form. You can do this by completing:

• a secure online form
• a paper form

Internet payments

You can pay using all major debit or credit cards through our online payments service.

Telephone payments

You can pay by credit or debit card using our 24 hour automated payments service on 0845 600 1982. Please have your Council Tax account number and your payment card with you when you phone.

Post Office and Paypoint

Payment can be made at any Post Office or a PayPoint outlet using the barcode that is printed on the front of your bill. This barcode is specific to your account.

PayPoint is for cash payments only but you can use any PayPoint outlet across the country. PayPoint collection terminals are located in newsagents, convenience stores, supermarkets, garages and off-licences. You can search for your nearest collection point on the Paypoint website.

Cash and cheques

You can pay by cash, crossed cheque, debit card, credit card or postal order at our Customer Service centre on Albion Street. Please bring your Council Tax bill with you when you pay.

Do not send cash by post if you can avoid it, but if you do, always register it.

Cheques should be made payable to Derby City Council, not any individual officer. Please let us have the whole bill if you want a receipt. You will only be given a receipt if you ask for one when you pay. Receipts cannot be given after the date of payment. Post-dated cheques will not be accepted.

Problems paying my Council Tax

If you are having difficulties paying your bill, please contact us straight away - don't wait for a reminder. If you do not get in touch early we might not be able to help you and recovery proceedings could be taken which will cost you more money.

Your bill may be too high because you have not claimed any discounts, exemptions, disabled relief or Council Tax benefit you may qualify for. You may also be entitled to Housing Benefit, which would reduce the amount of rent that you pay.

Before you contact us

List all the money you have coming in. Don't forget to include yours and your partner's take home pay, benefits, income from people who live with you, and regular income, such as works pension or maintenance. Check you are getting all the benefits you may qualify for, as some people miss out on income they are entitled to.

Then list where your money goes. Your rent and mortgage are the most important bills followed by fuel and water. Council Tax payments take priority over debts such as credit cards, catalogues and loans.

From this you will be able to see how much you can offer to pay and it will help us to come to an arrangement with you.

What happens if you don't get in touch?

A reminder for non-payment of Council Tax is normally issued around 14 days after an instalment is due. If the reminder and further payments are not paid on time, then the right to pay by instalments is cancelled and the full amount left for the year becomes due. Then, if the full amount isn’t paid, a court summons may be sent in as little as 21 days after a reminder. This adds costs to the amount due which are payable by you.

What happens after a summons is issued?

If you receive a summons for non-payment of Council Tax and you wish to dispute the charge, have any queries about a summons or would like to discuss an arrangement to pay, contact us as the Court cannot accept payment or make any arrangements. Where two or more people are responsible for paying the bill copies of the summons will be sent to each person named on the account for the total balance outstanding and the costs.However, costs will only be charged once.

You have the right to attend the court hearing to present your case to the Magistrates if you wish. However, you do not need to attend if you have made arrangements to pay.

Proceedings can only be stopped in some circumstances, for example:

• pay in full, including the costs, before the Court date
• provide sufficient evidence to us that you are not liable for the charge
• bankruptcy or winding up proceedings have been started against you
• an administration order which includes this charge has been made by the County Court
• it is more than six years since you have had an initial bill for this charge.

If any of the above applies to you or you have any other queries please contact us before the hearing date.

If you don't pay the amount on the summons the Council will apply to the Magistrate’s Court for a liability order. This gives us the power to demand information about your earnings and employment and various steps can be taken to recover your debt. These can include:

Attachment of earnings

An Attachment of Earnings order is made to clear Council Tax arrears by taking a regular payment directly from your wages (employers can charge a deduction made for administration).

Deductions from income support or Jobseeker's allowance

An Attachment of Benefits can be applied when a magistrate has granted a liability order for non-payment of Council Tax and you are claiming income support or Jobseeker's Allowance. An application is made to the Department of Work and Pensions for weekly deductions direct from the benefit.

Bailiffs

If contact or payment in full is not made, then arrears may be passed to a bailiff to recover the debt. Bailiffs can take goods from your home to clear the arrears and will charge extra costs.

What happens if you have still not paid?

If the bailiffs cannot recover the arrears the Council may apply to the Magistrate's court for a warrant to send you to prison. This step will only be taken when all other efforts have failed.

Useful forms

• Online Council Tax Direct Debit set-up
• Council Tax Direct Debit Mandate form (word, 58kb)
• Council tax