If you cannot pay your Council Tax

If you miss Council Tax payments, you’ll owe your local council money. This is called being in 'Council Tax arrears'.

Council Tax is a priority debt. This means it can cause serious problems if you do not deal with it.

If you think you’ll struggle to pay your Council Tax, contact your local council as soon as you can. They may be able to help, for example:

let you pay your Council Tax in smaller amounts
check if you can get a discount, a reduction or an exemption

Contact your local council about Council Tax

What happens if you miss a Council Tax payment

If you miss a Council Tax payment your council will first send you a reminder. This will tell you to bring your payments up to date within 7 days. It will also tell you how much you need to pay.

If you do not pay this amount within 7 days, you’ll need to pay the full remaining balance for the year. You'll have another 7 days to pay this.

If you miss another payment in the same financial year, your council will usually send you a reminder again.

If you miss a third payment, you’ll not get another reminder. You’ll get a final notice instead, telling you to pay the full remaining balance in one go.

If you miss a payment after 31 December you'll also get a final notice and must pay the full remaining balance.

If you do not pay your Council Tax arrears after the final notice, the council can:

add 10% to the amount you owe
ask a sheriff officer to make a payment agreement with you
ask a sheriff officer to take the money you owe from your earnings or bank account

Get money help and advice

There are organisations that can help you with debt and money.

Get help with Council Tax arrears on Citizens Advice Scotland.

You can also call the Citizens Advice Scotland helpline on 0800 028 1456 to get financial advice. Their opening times are from 9am to 5pm Monday to Friday.

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What happens if you miss a Council Tax payment

Get money help and advice