Your Council Tax bill

We send out Council Tax bills for the year ahead by the end of March. Here, we explain how your bill is broken down and what it means.


An example of a Council Tax bill print out

What your bill means

1. Date of issue

This is the date your Council Tax bill was produced.

2. Council Tax account number

This is your Council Tax account number. You must quote this number if you want to speak to us about your bill. 

3. Band of property

This tells you which Council Tax band the property is in. The band affects how much Council Tax you are charged. 

4. Property reference

This is the unique reference of the property that you live in. Each property has its own reference.

5. Name and address

The name of the person(s) registered/responsible for paying the bill, and their contact address. The address shown here may differ from the property address on the left-hand side of the bill (number 6). For example, if the property is unoccupied and the bill is issued to the person registered for Council Tax instead of the property address.

6. Address of property (if different from the account holder's address)

This is the address of the property that the Council Tax bill is for.

7. Breakdown of annual charge

The annual charge for the property for the financial year shown, and also the percentage change from the previous year's charges.

It includes your contribution towards council services, Merseyside Police, Merseyside Fire & Rescue Service and the Local Town and Parish Councils. Read a full breakdown of how the council's services are funded.

8. Charge for period

The annual charge for the property for the financial year shown. You must tell us if your circumstances change by using the contact details on the back of your bill. You can also tell us about a change online.

9. Discounts or reductions

This shows any discounts we've granted for the property, including exemptions, disregards or Council Tax Support.

10. Amount due

The total amount you have to pay for the year after any discounts, exemptions, disregards or Council Tax Support have been applied to your Council Tax account.

11. Payment instructions

How you pay your bill, for example by direct debit or cash instalments.

  • If you pay by direct debit, payments are collected automatically from your bank or building society on the dates shown.
  • If you make cash payments you must do so by the dates shown.

12. Council Taxed owed from previous years

If you owe Council Tax from previous years, the balance will be shown here. This will not take into account any payment you have made towards a previous bill after the issue date of this bill.

If you need to speak to us about making payments you can use the contact details on the back of your bill or contact us.

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