Council Tax Arrears Help: Dealing With Council Tax Bailiffs

Council Tax arrears are amounts from your Council Tax bill that were not paid by the required dates. Council Tax is treated as a priority debt because councils have statutory powers to obtain a liability order, deduct money from wages or benefits and instruct enforcement agents.

The council will normally issue a reminder giving you seven days to bring the account up to date. If you do not pay, you may lose the right to pay by instalments and the remaining annual balance can become due. The council may then issue a summons, obtain a liability order and use enforcement action.

A Council Tax reminder normally gives you seven days to pay the missed amount. If you do not bring the account up to date, the council can require payment of the remaining balance for the financial year.

You will normally receive no more than two reminder notices during one financial year. If you miss a payment for a third time, the council can issue a final notice requiring the remaining annual balance.

Yes. Contact the council promptly with an affordable proposal supported by an income and expenditure statement. The council does not have to accept every offer, but it may agree instalments based on your circumstances and the time remaining in the financial year.

You can ask your council to spread your annual Council Tax over 12 months rather than the usual 10 months. This reduces the regular instalment, although it does not remove any existing arrears.

You may qualify for Council Tax Reduction if you have a low income or receive benefits. Discounts or exemptions may also apply, including single-person discount, student exemptions, disability reductions and certain severe mental impairment discounts.

A Council Tax summons tells you that the council intends to apply to the Magistrates’ Court for a liability order. The summons normally shows the hearing date, unpaid Council Tax and recovery costs. Contact the council before the hearing even if you cannot pay in full.

A liability order is made by the Magistrates’ Court and confirms that the Council Tax and approved recovery costs remain due. It gives the council additional recovery powers, including deductions from earnings or benefits and referral to enforcement agents.

No. A Council Tax liability order is a Magistrates’ Court order rather than a County Court Judgment. It is not normally registered on your credit file in the same way as a CCJ.

A council can instruct certificated enforcement agents after obtaining a liability order. The enforcement company should normally issue a Notice of Enforcement before an agent visits to take control of goods.

Council Tax enforcement agents cannot usually force entry into a residential property on their first visit. They normally need peaceful entry through a door. Different re-entry powers may apply if they previously entered lawfully and listed goods under a controlled goods agreement.

You do not normally have to open the door or let an enforcement agent inside for Council Tax arrears. You can speak through a closed door and make payments without allowing entry.

A vehicle belonging to the person liable for the debt may be clamped or removed, including when it is outside the home. A vehicle owned by someone else or covered by a valid exemption should not be taken, but evidence may be required quickly.

For cases received by the enforcement provider from 1 May 2026, the standard fixed fees are £79 at the compliance stage, £247 at the enforcement stage and £116 at the sale or disposal stage. Additional percentage fees may apply to the part of a debt above £1,900.

The council may accept a direct payment, but once the account has been referred to enforcement agents, statutory enforcement fees can remain payable. Paying only the original Council Tax to the council may not close the enforcement account, so obtain written confirmation from both organisations.

After obtaining a liability order, the council can issue an attachment of earnings order. Your employer must then deduct a statutory amount from your net wages and send it to the council.

The council may ask for deductions from certain benefits, including Universal Credit, income-related Employment and Support Allowance, Income Support, Jobseeker’s Allowance and Pension Credit.

The council normally has six years from the date a Council Tax amount became due to apply for a liability order. If a liability order was obtained within that period, there is no general rule saying the debt becomes unenforceable six years later.

Council Tax arrears are not automatically written off because they are old or unaffordable. A council can reduce or remit an amount in limited circumstances, and qualifying arrears may sometimes be dealt with through a Debt Relief Order, IVA or bankruptcy.

Qualifying Council Tax arrears may be included in an IVA, depending on the date of the proposal and the circumstances. Current and future Council Tax bills normally still need to be paid. An insolvency practitioner should confirm the treatment before the IVA is proposed.

Qualifying Council Tax arrears can normally be included in a Debt Relief Order if you meet the eligibility rules. Current Council Tax that becomes due after the relevant date may still need to be paid.

Council Tax arrears and a liability order are not normally shown as a CCJ on your credit file. However, later bankruptcy proceedings or missed payments on other commitments caused by enforcement deductions can affect your financial position and credit history.

Qualifying Council Tax arrears can be included in Breathing Space. Once the council and enforcement company are properly notified, most enforcement action and additional charges relating to the protected arrears must pause. New Council Tax falling due remains an ongoing liability.

In England, imprisonment is possible only after further court proceedings and a means enquiry where the court finds wilful refusal or culpable neglect. You cannot be imprisoned simply because you are unable to pay. Imprisonment for Council Tax non-payment was abolished in Wales in 2019.

Contact the council in writing and request the account history, liability dates, payments, discounts and recovery costs. Provide evidence showing why you were not liable or why a reduction should apply. Some disputes can be appealed to the Valuation Tribunal.

Ask the council for copies of the bill, reminders, summons and liability order details, including the addresses used. Provide evidence of your move date and when the council was notified. An old address does not automatically cancel the debt, but it may affect available challenge or complaint options.

Where two or more people are jointly and severally liable, the council can generally pursue one liable person for the full outstanding balance. It does not have to divide the debt equally between the liable adults.