Your Council Tax bill explained

Council Tax bills are sent when:

  • the annual bills are sent in March
  • you have a change of address, occupants or tenants
  • you set up or cancel a Direct Debit
  • there is a change to your Council Tax Support, discount or exemption

If the amount you need to pay changes, you will be sent a new bill. You should pay the amount on your most recent bill.

 

Watch our explaining your Council Tax video

 

What each section of your bill means?

This is an example of the Council Tax bill we'll send you. 

Each number is explained in detail after the image.

Example of a council tax bill

  1. The year the bill is for
  2. The name of the person responsible for paying the bill and the address we sent the bill to
  3. The date we printed the bill
  4. This is your Council Tax reference number. You’ll need this number if you're  contacting us about your Council Tax account or when making a payment.  
  5. The address of the property this bill is for
  6. The council tax band for your property set by the Valuation Office
  7. This shows how the money collected from your bill is split between the London Borough of Redbridge and the Greater London Authority (GLA)
  8. The percentage change compared to last year’s council tax amount
  9. The amount of Council Tax you owe before any discounts or reductions
  10. Any discounts for example single person discount or Council Tax Reduction that is applied to your bill
  11. The total amount of council tax you need to pay for the year
  12. This is the reason the bill was sent to you. In most cases this will be ‘annual’ which means you're getting the bill because it's the beginning of the new financial year. Bills are also sent out when there is a change to your council tax account  
  13. This shows how you are paying your council tax bill. In this example, payment is made by cash. There are other ways to pay. The easiest way is by direct debit
  14. The bill's memorandum note shows any outstanding payments from previous years or credits that have reduced your charge. Any outstanding payments must be paid separately
  15. This shows the instalments you need to pay an when these payments are due. Payment is spread over 10 dates for the year. But you can ask to pay over 12 dates instead