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Worried about council tax arrears?

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i This advice applies to people living in England, Wales and Scotland only.

Council tax arrears

Dealing with council tax arrears

When you miss council tax payments, you fall into arrears. Council tax arrears are a priority debt. That means you should always try to pay them ahead of other debts. Your council may agree to a payment plan.

Councils have legal powers to collect council tax. They:

  • Often act quickly if payments are missed
  • Can send bailiffs (or sheriff officers in Scotland) to your home
  • Can take court action against you

Households in Northern Ireland pay 'rates' rather than council tax. Read our guide to dealing with rates arrears.

Questions people ask us about council tax arrears

What happens if I am in council tax arrears?

There is a process to collect what you owe that starts as soon as you miss a council tax payment.

  1. Your local council sends the first reminder letter to you

    Your local council will send you a reminder letter 14 days after you miss a payment.
  2. Your local council sends you a second reminder letter

    This will be sent to you if you miss another payment. You will have to pay the full amount owed within seven days.
  3. Your local council sends a final notice

    You will only get two reminder letters in each financial year (April to March) before your local council sends a final notice. A final notice means you must pay the full amount for that year.

    At this point you will be at risk of being taken to court if you don't pay.

    The council can issue a court summons for the full amount owed. On top of this you will also have to pay the court costs.

You can avoid going to court if you pay the amount in full before the court deadline.

  • If you pay the amount in full before the court deadline: You will avoid being taken to court
  • If you pay within seven days of getting the final notice: You can keep paying your council tax in instalments
  • If you do not pay within seven days of getting the final notices: Your local council can ask you to pay your council tax for the whole year

The court process is different depending on which country you live in. Find out more about what happens if you don't pay your council tax.

How long does it take for council tax debt to be written off?

There are different ways for council tax to be written off. This can happen, in some circumstances, by:

  • Waiting for the debt to become statute barred
  • Asking the council to write off the debt
  • Having a debt solution in place that writes off debt

Paying what you owe, if you are able to:

  • Is less risky
  • Avoids further action being taken against you to collect the debt

Statute barred debt

Council tax arrears may become ‘statute barred’ after some time. This does not mean they are written off but they cannot be enforced by law.

This can happen when the debt has not been ‘acknowledged’ by you for six years.

During this time:

  • Action can be taken against you to collect the debt. Such as court action and bailiffs visits
  • The missed payments will be recorded on your credit file. This means you are likely to find it hard to get credit

To understand more about how this works, read our guide to statute barred debt.

Councils writing off arrears

Councils do have the power to do this through 'discretionary relief'. Discretionary means it is up to the council to decide whether to offer you this type of help.

They may choose to write off your arrears if:

  • Your home cannot be lived in, due to fire or flood damage
  • You do not have any money left after paying your usual living costs and this will last, or has already lasted, for a long time
  • You are dealing with a serious ill health condition, including mental health conditions

How to apply for your council tax arrears to be written off

You need to:

  1. Write to the council and ask for 'discretionary relief'
  2. Quote 'Section 13A Local Government Finance Act 1992'
  3. Share your budget to prove you cannot afford to pay

Councils must consider all applications. They cannot ignore them.

What if the council refuses to write off my arrears?

You can:

  1. Make a complaint to the council and ask them to assess your case again
  2. Take your complaint further to the Valuation Tribunal if you are unhappy with the response. This is an independent organisation who help to settle council tax disputes
  3. Raise a complaint with the ombudsman services

    In England - Local Government Ombudsman
    In Wales - Public Service Ombudsman for Wales
    In Scotland - Scottish Public Service Ombudsman

Some debt solutions may be able to write off council tax arrears

With an IVA or protected trust deed, you can include council tax arrears in your proposal. But your application must be approved by the people you owe. This includes your local council and they may not agree to write off these debts.

It is very important to get free and impartial debt advice before going ahead with any debt solution.

Looking for help? Our free debt advice and support services are available whenever you need them. It’s easiest to get started online. Get online debt advice today.

Does having council tax arrears affect your credit score

Yes, it will affect your credit score because your credit history will show:

  • Any missed payments
  • Any further court action taken to collect what you owe

Lenders use this information to produce credit scores that help them work out how much risk there is in lending to you.

If you have missed payments or there has been court action (such as a CCJ) against you, they may decide that:

  • They do not want to lend to you
  • They need to charge you more interest

Read our guide to credit scores.

What is a council tax liability order?

Local councils can ask for a liability order to be issued. This lets them:

  • Involve court-appointed debt collectors
  • Take further legal action

Find out more about liability orders.

Can council tax arrears be written off?

Councils do have the power to do this. It is called 'discretionary relief'. They may choose to write off your arrears if:


  • Your home cannot be lived in, due to fire or flood damage
  • You do not have any money left after paying your usual living costs (happening over a long period of time)
  • You have serious ill health, including mental health conditions

To apply for your council tax arrears to be written off, you need to:


  • Write to the council and ask for 'discretionary relief'
  • Quote Section 13A Local Government Finance Act 1992
  • Share your budget to prove you cannot afford to pay

Councils must consider all applications. They cannot ignore them.

What if the council refuses to write off my arrears?

You can make a complaint if the council turns you down.

You can escalate your complaint to the Valuation Tribunal if you are unhappy with the council's response. The Valuation Tribunal are an independent organisation who help to settle council tax disputes.

Are there any debt solutions that can write off council tax arrears?

Some debt solutions may be able to write off council tax arrears, including:


With an IVA or protected trust deed, you can include council tax arrears in your proposal. But your application must be approved by the people you owe, and your local council may not agree to write off these debts.

Need help with debt?

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What should I do if I cannot pay my council tax?

1. Work out your monthly budget

Making a budget is an easy way to find out where your money is going. Look at your income and spending and see if there are any areas where you can cut down on spending. This will help you pay your council tax arrears.

2. Ask the council to agree to a payment arrangement

Your local council might accept lower payments if you can show them you are struggling to pay the full amount.

Use your budget to make an offer to them and prove you are offering what you can afford.

The council can refuse your offer. If this happens, pay them what you can afford anyway. You can also raise a complaint.

3. Check if you can pay less on council tax

In some situations, you may:

  • Get a discount your council tax, or
  • Be exempt from paying

This could happen if you are:

  • On certain benefits
  • Living alone
  • On a low income
  • In full time education
  • Under 18 years old
  • A student nurse
  • Severely mentally impaired

See full details about council tax discounts and exemptions on the GOV.UK website.

4. Let the council know if you are getting debt advice

The council may be more patient with you if they know you are getting help with your debt. They might even be more open to payment offers because of this.

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