Don't pay your council tax bill by direct debit? Check now to see how and when you'll get your £150 rebate

Under the rebate scheme, councils are making a £150 non-repayable payment to households in council tax bands A to D in England, Scotland and Wales.

While most councils have prioritised getting the money to households that pay their council tax bill by direct debit first, all have now released information on how they expect to pay those who pay their council tax bill by other means. As it's now too late to set up a direct debit to receive the money, you'll instead get your rebate another way.

We looked at the websites of all 332 councils across England and Wales that are responsible for paying the rebates. Here are the different payment methods we found:

• Complete a form online and get paid into your bank account. This is the most common payment route for people who don't pay by direct debit and our research shows it is being used by 274 councils. The forms allow you to share your bank details with your council safely, so it can put the £150 directly into your account. Some of the forms will require you to provide a unique code, and this'll likely be contained in a letter sent by your council – so keep a look out for that.
  
  If you have the option of filling in an online form but don't, your council will either apply the £150 rebate as a credit to your council tax account (reducing your monthly bill) or send you a Post Office voucher. Deadlines for filling in the form differ by council, and some have already passed – so if you want the cash, complete the form as soon as you can.

• A voucher to be redeemed at the post office. Forty-six councils have said they will send you a letter in the post containing a unique barcode that you'll be able to take to any of the UK's 11,500 post office branches to receive the £150. Use the Post Office's branch finder tool to find your nearest.

• A credit applied to your council tax account. Nine councils in England and Wales have said they will apply the £150 credit to the council tax accounts of all eligible households. If you owe your council money, this'll reduce that amount. But it's still worth contacting your council to see if it will refund the £150 as cash.

• A cheque in the post for you to cash with your bank. Three councils said they are sending households a cheque worth £150 to those who don't pay by direct debit. You'll be able to cash this at your usual bank or building society, or via its smartphone app.

If you live in Scotland, all 32 councils with responsibility for the rebates have already made a full or partial payment. Here, all councils will offer the full £150 discount off one monthly council tax bill, or they'll debit it across the year's bills (which are typically broken down into 10 months). However, Aberdeenshire Council allows households to exchange their council tax discount for a cash refund if they wish to.

For more information on council tax and how you might be able to change your council tax band and save £1,000s, see our Council tax bands guide, which also includes details of council tax discounts you may not be claiming. You should also check if you've overpaid council tax as you may be due a refund.