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.