Problems paying your council tax
If you are having problems paying your Council tax, please let us know. We want to help you pay your Council Tax and we may be able to come to a payment arrangement that you can afford. If you don't let us know that you are having difficulty making regular payments, you may incur further costs and charges which will have to be paid.
I am having difficulty paying my council tax. What can I do?
You can make a payment arrangement with us at any stage of recovery. We may ask you for details of your income and outgoings to help you make an arrangement which you can afford.
I find it difficult to pay my council tax on my payment date. Can I change my day of payment?
If your payment date is inconvenient, consider paying by Direct Debit as this gives you a choice of payment dates. If you pay by Direct Debit, you can be sure that your payment will reach us on time and you won't have to worry about further recovery action. We can arrange this for you.
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Download a Direct Debit application form![(PDF [38.6Kb] opens in new window)](/images/PDF.gif)
What happens if I don't pay?
If you don't pay your Council Tax on time, we will send you a reminder notice. If you do not bring the instalment or instalments up to date within seven days, you will lose your right to pay by instalments and, without further notice, after a further period of seven days, we may ask you to pay the full amount you owe for the year.
We will only send a maximum of 2 reminder notices in any financial year. If the payment is not brought up to date in accordance with the reminder notice or we do not hear from you, you will be sent a summons and this will incur you costs and charges.
If you receive a reminder or summons and are unable to pay, contact us immediately to agree a suitable payment arrangement.
Unless the summons is served incorrectly, we will not normally withdraw it. At the court hearing, which you have a right to attend, we will apply for a Liability Order which will give us additional powers to collect the money you owe.
We will notify you if we are granted a Liability Order and request that you complete a form about your financial position. Failure to complete this form could result in a maximum fine of £500 from the Magistrates Court. Once we have obtained a Liability Order, we can deduct a set amount from your salary or wages. If you receive Job Seekers Allowance or Income Support, we can ask the Department of Social Security to deduct money from your Benefit.
If all other attempts to reach a payment arrangement fail, we will pass the debt to our bailiffs to collect. You will incur further costs and charges and if the bailiffs are unsuccessful, we can apply to the Magistrates Court for committal proceedings. We can also commence proceedings to make you bankrupt. As a result of either of these courses of action, you will incur further costs and charges.
Remember, we are here to help you, so please contact us if you are having problems making payments.
Contact us
Post
Revenues Service
Liverpool City Council
PO Box 834
Liverpool
L69 2UT
In person
You can visit us at any of our one stop shops
Telephone
0151 233 3008