Council tax

Aggressive council tax debt collection practices – even after missing just ONE payment – are putting up to two million people at risk of serious harm, new research from charity the Money and Mental Health Policy Institute (MMHPI) has found. The charity's chair and founder Martin Lewis has called for Government action and urged local authorities to look at their methods in the meantime.

If you moved home and started paying council tax to a different local authority, you could be one of 808,000 households in England, Scotland and Wales who are owed a share of over £141 million in overpaid council tax, an investigation by MoneySavingExpert.com (MSE) has found.

Council tax for most of Scotland's 2.5 million households will be frozen at current levels until April 2025, the Scottish Government has confirmed.

Council tax bills will rise for millions of people from 1 April, with most local authorities in England preparing increases of 5% – adding around £100 to a typical band D bill. In Wales, most councils are planning rises of between around 5% to 10%, while in Scotland council tax bills are mostly frozen. 

Carers should check if they can get £1,000s off their council tax bills under the 'live-in carer' or 'severe mental impairment' (SMI) discounts, as one dad providing full-time support for his daughter has shared how he got a £7,500 refund and 50% reduction on future bills after reading our tips – and is now encouraging others to claim.

The parents of a woman living with multiple sclerosis have claimed a £10,000 council tax refund on her behalf after watching MoneySavingExpert founder Martin Lewis talking about the little-known discount on TV. Her future bills have also been reduced to zero. Below we explain how to check if you're one of the 100,000s who could also claim the 'severely mentally impaired' (SMI) council tax discount.

Council tax bills will increase for millions of people in England from 1 April, with the majority of local authorities set to hike rates by 5% – though in some cases bills will rise by up to 15%. Council tax bills are also expected to rise in Scotland and Wales where nationwide caps are not in place.

Around 300,000 households are yet to claim their £150 council tax rebate, according to the latest Government figures. You've now got until 30 November to claim the payment from your local council, so make sure you don't miss out. Here's what you need to know. 

If you don't pay your council tax by direct debit it's likely you've yet to receive your free £150 energy rebate from the Government. To help you find out when and how you're expected to get your money, we've put together this council-by-council guide.

If you weren't eligible for the £150 council tax rebate to help with the cost of living but are struggling to pay your energy bills, you may be entitled to a one-off cash payment. We've trawled the websites of every UK council to see which ones have released their eligibility criteria for the money, and so check below.