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Council Tax - late payment and costs
If you can't pay your Council Tax, contact us immediately. We may be able to help by reducing your bill by either a discount or benefit, or if that is not possible we may be able to agree revised instalments.
You can contact us on ctax@guildford.gov.uk or telephone 0330 123 0081.
If you don't contact us, your right to pay by instalments may be removed and a summons may be issued incurring costs.
If it becomes necessary to issue a summons, you will incur costs of £80.50 and if the matter goes to court, we will apply for further costs of £20 making a total due of £100.50.
At the Court Hearing the Magistrates must grant us a Council Tax Liability Order against you (including costs) if:
- The court is satisfied the amount claimed is payable by yourself, and
- It has not been paid.
If the Court issues a Liability Order, it enables us to use a variety of debt enforcement measures. Which are:
- Obtain information about your financial circumstances, such as requiring you to disclose where you work, or what state benefits you receive.
- Attach your earnings, so that a set percentage of your earnings is deducted by your employer to pay off this debt - deductions range from 5 per cent up to 50 per cent, depending on your pay.
- Apply to the Department of Work and Pensions to have £3.70 per week deducted from your Income Support, Jobseekers Allowance, ESA, Universal Credit or Pension Credit guarantee.
- Use Civil Enforcement Agents to seize your possessions and, if necessary, sell them to pay this debt and their costs.
- Apply to the County Court to make you bankrupt.
- Apply to the County Court for a charging order on your property, so that your house could be sold and the proceeds used to pay the debt.
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