Frequently Asked Questions

1. I live alone. Do I still have to pay the full charge?
2. If I pay by Direct Debit do I still pay on the 1st of each month?
3. Can I make payments using my credit card?
4. I have recently lost my job and am finding it difficult to pay my Council Tax.
5. I have applied for Council Tax Benefit but it has not been assessed. Do I have to pay in the meantime
6. I've moved into a new house but my former property is still for sale. It is now unoccupied and unfurnished, do I still have to pay Council Tax on it?
7. I don't agree with the band that my property is in. What can I do
8. I have appealed against my property band but haven't heard anything. Do I still have to continue paying at the higher band rate?
9. What happens if I overpay my Council Tax
10. Why have I received a Reminder Notice/Final Notice/Summons?
11. What happens after a liability Order has been obtained against me?
12. Does Gedling Borough Council keep all of the Council Tax it collects?

1. I live alone. Do I still have to pay the full charge?
No. You are entitled to a single occupier discount. This means a reduction of 25% off your tax

2.If I pay by Direct Debit do I still pay on the 1st of each month?
Yes, but there are other dates available including the 7th, 15th or 28th of each month. Just complete the instruction on the back of your demand notice or ask for an instruction at the Council Tax counter.

3. Can I make payments using my credit card?
No, but you can pay by debit card (including Switch) and you can also pay via the Internet by logging on to www.billpayment.co..uk.

4. I have recently lost my job and am finding it difficult to pay my Council Tax. What can I do?
You can apply for Council Tax Benefit. Ask for an application form, complete it and return it straight away.

5. I have applied for Council Tax Benefit but it has not been assessed. Do I have to pay in the meantime?
Yes, until you are notified differently. If this is a problem, speak to a member of staff at the Council Tax counter.

6. I have moved into a new house but my former property is still for sale.  Is it now unoccupied and unfurnished, do I still have to pay Council Tax on it?

No.  As long as it remains unoccupied and unfurnished your property will be exempt for a maximum of six months.  If, at the end of six months, your property is still unoccupied and unfurnished, there will be a 50% charge

7. I don't agree with the band that my property is in. What can I do?
You should write direct to the Listing Officer at:

Valuation Office Agency
Block 5
Government Buildings
Chalfont Drive
Nottingham
NG8 3RT

or telephone 0115 980 0900 for further information.

8. I have appealed against my property band but haven't heard anything. Do I still have to continue paying at the higher band rate?
Yes. You must continue to pay your original instalments until you receive an amended demand notice showing your reduced band assuming that your appeal is successful. Any credit due will be sent to you automatically.

9.  What happens if I overpay my Council Tax

If you have overpaid your Council Tax account and you have no outstanding Council Tax in respect of a previous year’s liability, or a liability for another property, the overpayment will be refunded to you in the form of a cheque, or via BACS into a bank account.

If the overpayment relates to a previous “joint and several liability” and both liable persons are now at separate addresses and are no longer liable for Council Tax, a letter will be issued asking them who the refund cheque should be made payable to. This letter would need to be signed by both parties and returned before the refund could be issued.  

If you receive a refund cheque which you can not cash, because you don’t have a bank account, you can ask for the cheque to be made payable to cash. You should contact the Customer Services Office on (0115) 9013992 to arrange a convenient time when you can visit the Civic Centre for this to be done.  When you visit the Civic Centre you will need to bring in two types of identification, one of these would preferably be a passport or a driving licence. One form of identification should have on it either your signature or your photograph.

10. Why have I received a Reminder Notice/Final Notice/Summons?

Council Tax instalments should be paid on or before the due date shown on your demand notice. Should you fail to do so action may be taken to recover the unpaid Tax.

When one instalment is missed, a Reminder Notice will be issued.

• If your payments are not brought up to date within seven days the full balance will become due, if this is not paid within seven days a Summons is issued (see below).
• If your payments are brought up to date and kept up to date, no further action will be taken.

If a further instalment is then missed, a Second Reminder Notice will be issued.

• If your payments are not brought up to date within seven days the full balance will become due, if this is not paid within seven days a Summons is issued (see below).
• If your payments are brought up to date and kept up to date, no further action will be taken.

If a further instalment is then missed, a Final Notice is issued.

• On the issue of a Final Notice a taxpayer has lost the right to pay by instalments and has seven days in which to pay the full outstanding balance on their account. (At this point merely bringing the instalments up to date is not enough to halt the recovery action).

If the amount shown on the Final Notice is not paid with seven days, a Summons will be issued.

• The issuing of a Summons will result in the taxpayer incurring £30.00 additional costs. The amount shown on the Summons must be paid before the date of the Magistrates’ Court hearing which is shown on the Summons.

If the amount shown on the Summons is not paid before the date of the  Magistrates’ Court hearing, the Council will request at the hearing that a Liability Order is granted against the taxpayer. The Council will ask the Court for costs to be granted against the taxpayer. These will be a minimum of £20.00.

11. What happens after a Liability Order has been obtained against me?

You are obliged to provide the Council with details of your income and employment.The Council will look to agree a reasonable payment arrangment to enable you to repay the outstanding Council Tax before the end of the financial year. However the Council is not obliged to make an arrangement. If a reasonable payment arrangement can not be agreed, the Council can take further enforcement action against you. This could result in :-

• Your Council Tax account being passed to a firm of bailiffs for collection.
  All future payments on this account must be paid to the bailiffs and bailiffs costs will be incurred.
• An Attachment of Earnings Order being sent to your employer.
  Your employer will deduct a set percentage from your wages/salary depending upon the level of your wages/salary each pay period and forward it  to the Council until the debt is clEared. A maximum of two Attachment of Earnings Orders can be in force at the same time. Your employer can make an administration charge of £1.00 per deduction made.
• An Attachment of Benefits Order being sent to the Department of Works and Pensions.
  A set amount can be deducted from certain State Benefits each week and be forwarded to the Council until the debt is cleared.

Other recovery action that can be taken includes :-

• Initiating Bankruptcy proceedings against the taxpayer
• Applying for a Charging Order upon the taxpayer’s property
• Applying for the taxpayer to be committed to prison

12. Does Gedling Borough Council keep all of the Council Tax it collects

Download these frequently asked questions (pdf 96.6KB).

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