Help if you're struggling to pay
It’s important that you pay your Council Tax as this helps us to pay for essential services we provide to all local residents.
If you’ve fallen behind with Council Tax payments or are struggling to manage your bills in general, please don’t ignore the problem - get in touch as soon as possible and we’ll do everything we can to help you.
Officers can check you are receiving any discount or exemption you may be entitled to, or even discuss arrangements to spread repayments over a longer period of time.
Council Tax Reduction
You may be entitled to a Council Tax Reduction (CTR) if you have lost your job, had your hours reduced or are on a low income. You can apply if you own your home or rent. The amount you receive will vary based on your circumstances. CTR is not automatically awarded even if you are claiming UC so you need to apply separately for this.
If you have submitted an application for Council Tax Reduction and are awaiting a response, please try to pay what you can while waiting for your application to be assessed.
Scottish Government Debt Arrangement Scheme
If you have built up Council Tax arrears, along with other debts, we can provide information about the Scottish Government’s Debt Arrangement Scheme (DAS).
A DAS can provide much-needed breathing space, enabling you to repay your debt in full over an extended period of time through their debt payment programme.
Council Tax Debt Recovery Process
If Council Tax is unpaid, we are required to take steps to recover this and have outlined the process below.
- Firstly, a reminder notice will be issued to you if your Council Tax payments are not paid in accordance with the latest bill issued to you. Only 2 reminder notices will be issued to you in any financial year - these are known as a first reminder and a second reminder.
- If you do not bring your account up-to-date within 7 days following receipt of a reminder notice, you will receive a final notice. This means that you will lose the right to pay by instalments and will have to pay the full balance due on your account.
- If you do not bring your account up-to-date within 14 days following receipt of a final notice, you will receive a summary warrant notice and a 10% statutory surcharge will be added to the outstanding balance on your account.
- If the balance remains outstanding, the debt will be passed to a sheriff officer for collection.
We want to avoid this wherever possible, so please get in touch as soon as possible if you're struggling to pay your Council Tax.