Frequently asked questions

Council tax is a tax that local authorities in the UK charge for homes. The amount you pay depends on how much your home is worth, which is called your council tax band.

If you live in a property as your main home, you may have to pay council tax. However, if you are under 18, you don't have to pay.

You can find more information about who is responsible for paying for council tax: Lewisham Council - What is council tax and who has to pay?

Council tax helps pay for local services the council provides like schools, rubbish collection and libraries, as well as services provided by other London-wide organisations like the Greater London Authority, which includes the police, fire brigade and transport.

You can find more details about how we spend council tax here. 

The amount of council tax you pay depends on which valuation band your home is placed in and the number of liable adults in the property. The band is determined by the market value of your home as on the 1 April 1991.

The valuation band is set by the Valuation Office Agency (VOA) which is a central government agency. You can visit the VOA website, if you want more details: Valuation Office Agency - GOV.UK

HMOs are banded for Council Tax, however the landlord is responsible for paying the council tax. If you are a tenant in a HMO you do not have to pay Council Tax.

From the 1 December 2023 all HMOs are to be revalued as a single property for Council Tax. This means that rooms in HMOs will no longer have their own bands. One Council Tax band will now cover the whole property.

If you live in an unlicensed HMO, you need to contact the VOA: Valuation Office Agency - GOV.UK

Please use the property checker to find out your property band: Search for a property - Check and challenge your Council Tax band - GOV.UK

If your property is not listed in the property checker this may be because your property is a new build and has not yet been banded by the VOA.

Yes, your band can change. Bands can change if there are changes in the market value of the property for example. It could also happen if there’s a challenge in the band, that could result in the band going up or down. You can find more information here: Council Tax band challenges – Valuation Office Agency

Also, you must notify us when changes take place in the property (it doesn’t matter if you’re an owner or a tenant.) You can find more information on our dedicated website: Lewisham Council - Tell us about a new or altered property.

Yes. If you think your home is in the wrong band, you have six months from the date you become liable to appeal. You can challenge your council tax band online, you must provide evidence to support your case. If you can’t use the online service, you can also call or email the Valuation Office Agency at:

Valuation Office Agency

ctinbox@voa.gov.uk

Telephone (England): 03000 501 501

Monday to Friday, 9:00am to 4:30pm   

You must continue to pay the council tax charge based on your current banding until the outcome of the appeal.

The "Freeman on the Land" movement claims individuals are only bound by laws they consent to, but this isn't legally valid for council tax in the UK. Council tax is mandated by the Local Government Finance Act 1992, and everyone must pay it regardless of consent. Courts have consistently rejected attempts to avoid paying council tax using these arguments.

If you have concerns about council tax, it's best to seek proper legal advice.

You can find more information about Freeman on the Land and other requests about the legality of Council Tax on our dedicated website: Lewisham Council - Council tax and Freeman on the Land

If you’re renting the property, please confirm that the landlord or letting agency haven’t registered you as a new tenant. Please, do not rely on your landlord to register you.

You can always fill out the following form: Report a change of address. We will then open a council tax account for you and the liable people in the property and send you a letter with your council tax account number and the breakdown of payments for the year.

Please, provide as much information as possible, since that will help us to keep our registers updated and avoid any delays in closing your account when you move out of the property.

If you moved to a new build property you might not have a band yet, so we won’t be able to advice of the charge immediately, but we will let you know the band as soon as we can.

Note that the only way to register for council tax is by filling out the above-mentioned form. Registering for the Electoral Register or the online portal won’t report your change of address and, therefore, assign you a council tax account.

Once you or your landlord/agency tell us you’ve moved (Report a change of address), we will assign you a council tax account number and send your bill through the post.

If you moved to a new build property you might not have a band yet, so we won’t be able to advice of the charge immediately, but we will let you know as soon as we can (see Council tax – general information section: How can I find out in which band my property is?) You will still receive your council tax account number through the post.

Once you fill out the form, you need to wait 14 full days (10 working days) for it to be actioned. Your bill should arrive within 21 days at your property, or the forwarding address given. If you haven’t received it after that period, please phone us on 020 8690 9666.

There might be a delay in the definite charges for your council tax. Once we confirm your banding, we will issue your bill considering the moment when you moved to your property.

We suggest you pay at least £120 per month to avoid a large bill once the banding has been confirmed. You can pay through our online payment portal, the phone or bank transfer. Please, find more details in our dedicated website: Lewisham Council - Pay your council tax

If you don’t have an account number assigned, you will be unable to pay, please register for council tax in the following form: Report a change of address

Landlords are responsible for paying council tax if you reside in a room and don’t have access to everywhere in the property. If this applies to you, and you’ve been charged for council tax, please contact the Valuation Office Agency: Valuation Office Agency - GOV.UK

You can let us know about a change in occupancy by filling out this form: Council tax landlord or agent notification of occupancy change

Please, let us know about any tenancy changes as soon as this happens to allow us to send accurate council tax bills out to the right people.

Landlords are responsible for paying council tax under two circumstances:

• When the property is empty
• If the property is rented to several people as a HMO

Yes, also from 1 April 2023 the 28-day empty property reduction will no longer be available. The full council tax charge is due whilst your property remains empty and might incur a premium if it’s empty for over a year. 

The landlord is responsible for paying the council tax bill of the property. 

We offer different payment methods:

• you can set up a Direct Debit. You've got the option to pay in 12 monthly instalments and can also choose the date you pay - the 1st, the 18th, 28th of each month, or you can pay weekly, every Friday
• pay your council tax by debit or credit card through our secure online payment portal available on our website. Note that we don’t accept American Express and Diners Club credit cards.
• you can make a payment by debit or credit card 24 hours a day, seven days a week simply by using our direct automated telephone line 020 8690 8707. We do not accept American Express and Diners Club credit cards
• bank transfer, please make sure that you only quote your council tax account number on the ‘Reference’ open text box when prompted by your bank
• you can pay in person at your local post office or nearest PayPoint
• you can pay by cash you have the option of paying on the 1st or 15th of the month over 10 or 12 instalments.

Find more information about ways of paying council tax.

To pay by bank transfer via your online bank account, please use the following details: 

• Sort code: 20-00-00
• Account number: 93380513
• Account name: London Borough of Lewisham

Please make sure that you only quote your council tax account number on the ‘Reference’ open text box when prompted by your bank – this will prevent any further delays in processing your payment.

You can find more information about ways to pay your council tax.

You can let us know by specifying it on this form: Contact Council Tax team.

Our International Bank Account Number (IBAN) is CPBKGB22OSS08902961073843. 

Please, only quote your council tax account number as reference when prompted by your bank. 

Your council tax account number is an 8-digit number starting with a 4 or a 7. You can find it on your annual bill right under the title of it. 

You can also find it on your MyLewisham account if you have already created and linked your accounts. Sign in to MyLewisham.

You can find your monthly payments and their due date on your annual bill. 

Alternatively, if you have a MyLewisham account, and you already linked it to your council tax account, you can check your monthly payments on your personalised section on the website. Click on ‘View this account’ and then scroll down to ‘When is my next payment due on my bill?’

If you don’t have a MyLewisham account, you can create one and link it to your council tax account in less than 10 minutes, you just need to have a valid email address and your council tax account number. Create a MyLewisham account.

You will not receive paper Council Tax bills in the post if you link your Council Tax account to MyLewisham.

Your balance might take up to two business days to be processed by our systems during weekdays, and longer if the payment is made on a Friday or during the weekend.

If you have already created a MyLewisham Account and linked it to your council tax account, you will be able to access your balance at any times.

If you don’t have a MyLewisham account, you can create one and link it to your council tax account in less than 10 minutes, you just need to have a valid email account and your council tax account number. Create a MyLewisham account.

You can also call to our automated phone line 020 690 8707, select option 1, input your council tax account number when prompted, and your council tax balance will be confirmed. Your balance might take up to two business days to be processed by our systems during weekdays, and longer if the payment is made on a Friday or during the weekend. 

Sometimes our payment portal might not work properly, please wait a few hours, and try again later. If the problem persists and your payment is late, you can pay through other methods like bank transfer or over the phone, find ways to pay your council tax.

You might have missed the email box during the payment process, or it could be an issue on our side. Please check your bank transactions to confirm that the payment has been made - in the event you need to dispute a payment in the future we are able to use your transaction details to find the payment and allocate it correctly into your council tax account. 

You can also check your remaining council tax balance for the year in the next days (it might take up to 48 hours to be updated in your council tax account and longer if the payment was made on a Friday or during the weekend) on MyLewisham account if you already have an account.

You can also call our automated phone line 020 690 8707 to check your outstanding balance for the year. Please, allow our systems 48 hours during business days and a little longer if your payment was made on a Friday or during the weekend to update your balance. 

If your income is low, you can find out if you can apply for our council tax reduction scheme. 

If that’s not your case, give us a call as soon as possible and, based on what you tell us, we can provide you different options:

• spread your payments over 12 months instead of ten
• agree a payment arrangement to help you pay the current year’s bill by the end of the financial year
• reduce your payments for a short time in exceptional circumstances
• agree a longer payment arrangement if you have council tax debt from the last financial year

You might also need to seek debt advice, please check different organisations that can help you: Get free debt advice.

Please, be mindful that, if you do not pay your council tax, you could face extra costs and court action. See what happens if you don’t pay your council tax, and how we recover council tax debt.

You have the right to appeal if you think you shouldn’t be liable for council tax. Before you appeal, contact us first: 
London Borough of Lewisham
PO Box 58993 
London
SE6 9GZ

If you can’t resolve your appealing directly with us, you should write to: 
Valuation Tribunal Service 
2nd floor, 120 Leman Street
London E1 8EU

You must continue to pay the council tax charge until the outcome of the appeal.

If you have made an arrangement outside your council tax bill, you will need to refer to your bills and notifications on your MyLewisham account, they will show you your arrangement letter. You should also have a letter, sent by us, specifying your payment arrangement. 

We can’t disclose information and details due to GDPR. However, we can disclose if an authority to discuss has been completed by the account holder, if you need a letter of authority, please contact us and we will send by post. Please upload the authorisation letter. 

If you call on 020 8690 9666, please ensure that the council tax account holder is present to give permission for you to discuss the account. No information can be disclosed if the account holder is not there, or we do not have a letter or authorisation.

Direct Debit is an automated way of paying your council tax bill, meaning that you don’t have to worry about paying your council tax each month. You just need to have a bank account (credit cards are not accepted) to be able to pay through this method.

When setting up your Direct Debit, you can choose to pay over ten or 12 instalments monthly, quarterly, weekly, half yearly and yearly. Find out more about ways to pay your council tax.

You can set it up in the following link: Set up a direct debit to pay council tax.

You will be able to specify the number of instalments during the set-up process. Please follow the instructions on the form. 

Please, fill out the following form modifying the information according to your new preferences: Set up a direct debit to pay council tax. We will then update your information on our systems.

Please, fill out the following form modifying the information according to your new preferences: Set up a direct debit to pay council ta. We will then update your information on our systems.

Please, fill out the following form modifying the information according to your new preferences: Set up a direct debit to pay council tax. We will then update your information on our systems. 

Please, fill out the following form modifying the information according to your new preferences: Set up a direct debit to pay council tax. We will then update your information on our systems.

You can check your payment date on your latest annual bill or with your bank.

Alternatively, if you have already created a MyLewisham account and link it to your council tax account, you can find it by clicking on your account number and then under ‘When will my Direct Debit payment be taken?’

If you don’t have a MyLewisham account, you can create one and link it to your council tax account in less than 10 minutes, you just need to have a valid email address and your council tax account number. Create a MyLewisham account.

Before contacting us, please: 

• check if you had sufficient funds in your bank account when the payment was supposed to be taken
• to avoid any escalation actions from our side (a reminder from us for example), pay the instalment amount by non-Direct Debit (visit our ways to pay your council tax webpage to find out about other payment methods)
• verify with your bank your Direct Debit status
• if the bank confirms that everything is fine on their side, please wait 14 days to complete a new Direct Debit request 

We only take double charges to bring your account to date, this could happen if you had insufficient funds in your bank account in the previous months. Your direct debit will be cancelled if there are two unsuccessful direct debit collections.

No, you need to cancel your Direct Debit on your end directly with your bank. You can set up a new Direct Debit at any time in the future. Please be mindful that, from the moment you cancel your Direct Debit, you will be responsible for making manual payments every month. 

Under the Direct Debit guarantee you must be informed at least 14 days before a change in the Direct Debit value. A new bill or arrangement notice has been issued with the new amount. Please refer to the latest council tax bill/arrangement notice to confirm. 

Please, register to MyLewisham to confirm the balance of your account. You can also call to our automated phone line 020 690 8707, select option 1, input your council tax account number when prompted, and your council tax balance will be confirmed.

If you’re the only named person in the bill (one liable person in the property), you can request a refund by filling out this form: Request a council tax refund. 

If there’s more than one liable person in the property, please print, fill out and upload this form. Make sure that all the liable occupants sign up the form to avoid any delays in refund payments. Once you fill out the form, please upload it on the Evidence and Changes form on our website, please provide details about your situation on the open optional text box.

If you pay by Direct Debit, then we will refund this automatically in both scenarios.

We aim to process refunds in 20 working days. Note that if you paid by Direct Debit the refund will be done automatically. 

Yes, inform us in the form and provide the bank details for each party.

A reminder is sent for late or non-payments. If you paid your instalment after the due date a reminder has been sent to remind you to pay on time.  Please refer to your Council Tax bill for your instalment date and amount.

Please check and make sure that the payment was successful by checking with your bank. You can also check your MyLewisham account to confirm the payment has been received. 

If you have already paid and the payment is not reflected on your balance and you have a proof of payment, you can dispute a missing payment. 

Depending on how you made your payment, you will be able to provide different type of proof of payment. 

• If you paid by Direct Debit, bank transfer, our payment portal or by phone, you can submit your bank statement. 
• If you paid by our online payment portal, you can also submit your email receipt/email confirmation or statement. 
• If you paid in-person, take a clear picture of your receipt/payment slip/stamped bill and submit it as evidence.

Please, pay as soon as possible to avoid any escalation actions. If you’re struggling to pay your council tax bill this month, please refer to the question I’m struggling to pay my council tax bill this month, can you help me? On the ‘Ways to pay’ section. 

Find more information about all the type of council tax reductions and exemptions.

Please be mindful that you must provide evidence as proof of eligibility. 

You’re entitled to a 25% discount if you live alone, are the only person over 18 living in the property or all other adults are disregarded. Other circumstances can also apply, you can find more information about the Single Person Discount.

Apply for a single person discount. You just have to apply once. 

Yes, please send your response to Civica directly. If you do not respond, your Single Person Discount (SPD) may be removed. You can find more information about our single person discount review process. 

To be entitled to an exemption, you must be a full-time student (at least been involved in 21 hours of study every week and your course must last at least 24 weeks.
Your college or university must provide you with a certificate that you must send to us as soon as possible. 

Only fulltime students qualify for this type of reduction but if you're a part time student, you might be entitled to make a claim under the council tax reduction scheme if you're on a low income. 

You can find more information on low income council tax reductions.

Even though this reduction applies for council tax, the benefits team is in charge of reviewing your application. Read more about the Council Tax Reduction Scheme. 

You can also use this online benefits entitlement checker before applying. You can also use our BetterOff service, you might need to create an account to access it. 

If you’re not eligible for council tax reduction, you might still be able to apply for a council tax discount/exemption based on other factors, please check our webpage: Council tax reductions and exemptions.

Yes, you need to apply for a council tax reduction. Apply for housing benefit or council tax reduction.

No, please contact the Benefits team online or by post on the address below:
Housing Benefits Team
PO Box 58996
Catford Road London SE6 9JD

If your benefit query does not relate to Council Tax Reduction Scheme, please visit the government benefits calculator.

There are no reductions for empty properties or second homes, and you’ll need to pay a full council tax for them. The full council tax charge is payable and can be subject to a premium based on the length of time the property has been vacant. 

However, some properties might be exempt. Please refer to our dedicated webpage about empty properties to find out more about it.

The documents will vary depending on the discount/exemption you’re applying for. Apply for a discount or exemption. You will be advised of the evidence required for your application to be considered.

Please fill out the form as accurately as possible to avoid any delays in our resolution. If any information is missing, we might contact you or you can submit evidence later online.   

You should receive a response within 14 days.

You have the right to appeal if you think you've been refused a discount or exemption that you think you're entitled to. Before you appeal, contact us at the following address: 
London Borough of Lewisham
PO Box 58993 
London
SE6 9GZ

If you can’t resolve your appealing directly with us, you should write to: 
Valuation Tribunal Service 
2nd floor, 120 Leman Street
London E1 8EU

You must continue to pay the council tax charge until the outcome of the appeal.

If you have an extenuating circumstance you can apply for a one-off discretionary reduction. Please, refer to this extenuating circumstance document to find out more about it. 

Please, select ‘I would like to end my single person discount’ in our dedicated form: Apply for or end a single person discount

We will send you a new bill confirming the update, please be mindful that your council tax account number will change, meaning that any manual payments will have to have the new account number to avoid any missing payments. If you’re currently paying by Direct Debit and you wish to continue paying by that method, please confirm that you would like to pay by Direct Debit once the form prompt you.    

We will start sending the annual bills mid-March via post. Please keep your annual bill safe since contains important information like your council tax account number, monthly payments, and their due dates.

If you had created a MyLewisham account and linked it with your council tax, then you will not receive a paper copy, and an email will be sent advising you to check your annual bill through MyLewisham account. The email will come from donotreply@lewisham.gov.uk.

To ensure the service level provision of the Council, Council Tax charges change annually. You can find more information about charges and how Lewisham Council spent council tax in the previous financial year in our council tax booklet.

Also, if your income or circumstances have changed, your council tax reduction amount could have changed – this can happen at any point during the year. If you have any questions, please contact the benefits team.

You usually have to pay the council tax if you are 18 or over and you own or rent a home. The council tax is normally paid by the person living in a property. There are circumstances where the owner is responsible for the council tax: 

• empty homes
• nursing homes and other similar homes
• houses of religious communities
• houses in multiple occupation (where rooms are let individually)
• residences of staff who live in houses which are also occupied by an employer
• residences of ministers of religion

Your instalments are stated at the bottom of your bill. If you think you shouldn’t be liable for council tax at this property (you’re not the owner or tenant), please contact us. You will need your council tax account number located at the top of your council tax bill. 

Your monthly payments are specified on the front page of your annual bill. 

Alternatively, if you have created and linked your MyLewisham and council tax accounts on our website, you will be able to find it on your account section. Click on the account you want to check (‘View this account’) and then scroll down to ‘When is my next payment due on my bill’. 

Please, use our contact us form and specify that you need a copy of your bill, we will ask you for your council tax account number. 
Please note that the copy of your bill may take up to five working days to reach your address.

Alternatively, if you have created and linked your MyLewisham and council tax accounts, you will be able to find it on your account section. Click on the account you want to check (‘View this account’) and then scroll down to ‘How can I view my annual bills?’

If you have registered to view your council tax bills online, you will not receive a paper copy in the post.

If you are unable to access your bill, please contact us. 

It will take up to five working days the bill will be sent by second class post.

Bills cannot be sent via email, but once you link your MyLewisham and council tax accounts, you will be able to view/download/print your bill via our website.

You have access to your annual bill on your MyLewisham account 24 hours a day. 

If the name on the council tax bill is incorrect, please fill out the changes form and submit a proof of name change or a copy of your passport with the right details. 

If you recently moved in and are receiving letters addressed to someone else, please report your move and return the letter through the post (return to sender) with your full name and occupancy details on the front of the envelope. 

If your reduction on your bill is incorrect, please, contact us and we will amend your details.  

If you receive a bill addressed to another person, please put it back on the post (return to the sender), and complete the move in form with your details.

The benefits team deal with the Council Tax Reduction Scheme, please contact the benefits team. You can also find all the information related to your benefits online on MyLewisham account. 
If you haven’t created a MyLewisham account, please check this guide: How to use the benefits portal.

Yes, even though you’re moving within Lewisham you must inform us of any changes in your current property occupancy: Report a change of address. 

Once you inform us, we will check the balance as well as any amount due in your account and, if everything’s in place, we will close the current council tax account and assign you a new account and council tax account number. 

If you currently pay by Direct Debit and would like to continue this payment method at your new address, this can be advised on the move form. 

No, we will assign you a new council tax account number since you will be liable to pay council tax for another property. Every time you move, you will be given a new account number. 

We will proceed to close your account once we know when the tenancy ends/completion date of a sale. Please, let us know that you’re moving out up to six weeks in advance. 

You will have to provide a forwarding address for us to send you the final bill. 

This payment is calculated by dividing your yearly charge by the number of days in that year (365 or 366) and then multiplying it by the number of days that you will be liable for the property (until your tenancy ends or the property is sold.)

For example, your amount due for this year is £1500. It’s April and you’re moving out of the property on the 15 of the month. Your final council tax payment should be then: (£1500/365) times by 15 = £61.64. Remember that the annual billing starts on the 1 April and finishes on the 31 March of the following year. 

Once the final payment is made, wait 48 hours on weekdays and a little longer on weekends to allow our systems to process your final payment. By then, you will have a balance equal to £0.00. 
You can check the balance by:

• Calling to our automated payment phone line, press 1 to pay council tax and provide your council tax account number. The recording will confirm the outstanding balance for the year (in this case should be equal to zero.)
• If you have a MyLewisham account, you can check your outstanding balance for the year by going into your account area. The balance should be zero. If you need this as a proof of payment, you can take a screenshot.

Otherwise, contact us. 

The quickest way of amending a name is by requesting it online. Please enter your personal information and council tax account number and provide the details of your request.

We will ask you to provide evidence to allow us to rectify the information in the bill, it could be a proof of name change or passport. 

The quickest way of amending a name is by requesting it online. Please enter your personal information and council tax account number and provide the details of your request. 
We will ask you to provide evidence to allow us to rectify the information in the bill, it could be a proof of name change or passport.

The only scenario in which your council tax account number changes is when there is a change in occupancy in the property: every time someone who is liable to pay council tax moves in or out, then a new council tax account number is given. 

Please, double-check your latest council tax bill to verify your council tax account number. If you don’t have your latest council tax bill you can access it on your MyLewisham account.

If you receive a bill addressed to another person, please put it back on the post (return to the sender), and complete the move in form with your details.

No, once a form is submitted it can’t be amended. The quickest way of contacting us is through the website though our contact us form. Please explain what the mistake was and confirm the correct information. 

You will need your council tax account number to be able to access the contact us form. 

If the name(s) on the form is(are) incorrect, please fill out this form and submit a proof of name change or a copy of your passport(s) with the right details. 

If you recently moved in and are receiving letters addressed to someone else, please report your moving and return the letter through the post. 

If it’s a discount detail, please fill out the council tax discount form again, and we will amend your details.

You’re receiving a reminder because you paid late, make a partial payment or missed an instalment as per your council tax bill. The reminder lets you know that your payment is late or not the value expected and gives you seven days to make the payment(s) you have missed.

Find out what happens if you don't pay your council tax. 

A reminder is sent for late or non-payments. If you paid your instalment after the due date a reminder has been sent to remind you to pay on time.  

Please check and make sure that the payment was successful on your end by checking with your bank. You can also check your MyLewisham account to confirm the payment has been received.  
In a scenario where you paid by Bank Transfer, make sure that you quoted your council tax account number in the ‘Reference’ field provided by your bank. Failing to provide a valid council tax account number might delay or even prevent the allocation of your payment in our systems.

If you have already paid and have a proof of payment, please send us evidence of a council tax payment. You can submit different proof of payment depending on how you made it:

• If you paid by Direct Debit, bank transfer, our payment portal or by phone, you could submit your bank statement. 
• If you paid by our online payment portal, you could also submit your email receipt/email confirmation. 
• If you paid in-person, take a clear picture of your receipt/payment slip/stamped bill, and submit it as evidence. 

Once the payment is found we will let you know. 

If your income is low, please see our section about the Council Tax Reduction Scheme.

If that’s not your case, give us a call as soon as possible and based on what you tell us, we can provide you different options:

• spread your payments over 12 months instead of ten
• agree a payment arrangement to help you pay the current year’s bill by the end of the financial year
• reduce your payments for a short time in exceptional circumstances,
• agree a longer payment arrangement if you have council tax debt from the last financial year

You might also need to seek debt advice, please check different organisations that can help you. 

Please, be mindful that if you do not pay your council tax, you could face extra costs and court action. Find out what happens if you don't pay your council tax.

Some scenarios where this could happen include: 

• you moved but haven’t told us
• the payment crossed with the reminder, please check if the money has left your account
• if you recently moved, have you checked you most recent bill? We might have sent you a bill with any outstanding balance on your account that has to be paid

In any case, I you haven’t paid, please pay as soon as possible to avoid any escalation actions from our side.

You’re receiving a final notice letter because you’ve missed a payment or paid late. The final notice letter lets you know that your right to pay in instalments has been removed and the full balance is now payable. You have seven days to pay the full remaining amount for the year or set up a payment arrangement. If you do nothing, you will receive a Court Summons plus extra fees. 

• Pay in full
• Request a payment arrangement. We will contact you in 14 days with our decision. 

Find more information about what happens if you don’t pay your council tax.

You can request a payment arrangement, we will contact you in 14 working days with our decision. Please, note that we might not agree with your payment arrangement.  

If you don’t pay your council tax after receiving a reminder/final notice or haven’t been in touch with us to agree a revised payment plan, you’ll receive a court summons, and you will be liable to pay the whole year charge plus £72.50 cost if paid in full before the liability hearing date, the date is confirmed on the summon.

At this point you can still pay your council tax in full. Or make a payment arrangement request. 

If you do nothing, we will apply to the court for a liability order.

You’re receiving a court summons because you have missed one or several council tax payments, paid late or not paid enough (the amount due shown on your bill) and haven’t made any contact with us to sort your situation out.

When the council issues a summons, this means that there has been an application to the Magistrates’ Court for a liability order. If more than one person lives in the property and are named on the council tax bill, the summons is issued for the full amount to each member of the household - but the amount outstanding should be paid only once. 

When we issue a summons, a cost of £72.50 is added to your account. This charge is related to Court’s costs if the balance is not paid in full before the liability hearing date additional Liability Order costs will be added to the balance. 

If you disagree with the summons, you can challenge a liability order.

There are two scenarios for a court not to issue a liability order: 

• the council hasn't done what they need to do to make sure you have to pay council tax, and you haven't paid it – You can find more details about this in the Supplementary section of your Summons’ insert
• You have paid in full, including extra costs

If you feel that you have a valid defence, the court asks that you contact the Council at least seven days before the hearing date (the summons is issued up to four weeks before the hearing) to try to reach an arrangement. You can also complete the summons enquiry form and explain your situation.

If you and the council cannot reach an agreement after this discussion, you may choose to attend court to object to the order. In this case, the court will have to decide. If you contest the case, the court will reschedule it for another hearing, even if you attend court on the date mentioned in the summons.

You can stop the hearing from happening (as well as the issuing of the liability order) by paying your outstanding balance in full by phone, bank transfer or through our payment portal. 

You can pay through our regular channels: our online payment portal, by bank transfer or by the phone. Remember to pay your outstanding amount plus any extra charges accrued over time. 

When paying by bank transfer, please only quote your council tax account number when prompted by your bank to avoid any delays in your payment allocation. 

The following options won’t stop the hearing from happening (meaning that the liability order will still be granted), but we can still help you at this stage if you get in touch with us. You can either: 

• request a realistic payment arrangement (once the liability order is issued, you will also incur on an extra £50 costs)
• if you’re still unsure about your circumstances, you can book a summons surgery, which is a phone call with one of our agents, before the hearing date on your summons notice

Please note that by requesting a payment arrangement you will not stop the action we’re taking against you. We will contact you within 10 days to confirm if we have agreed to your arrangement and the details of the amounts you need to pay.  If you have any questions, you can make any summons enquiry, you will need your council tax account number. 

You can make a summons payment arrangement request. Note that by requesting a payment arrangement you will not stop the action we’re taking against you. We will contact you (by letter or phone call) in ten working days to confirm if we agreed to your arrangement and the details of the amounts you have to pay. If an arrangement is made customers will still incur liability costs, as this will still be obtained on hearing date. The liability costs give the Council recourse to take further action if the customer defaults.

Yes, you can book a summons surgery slot, which is a telephone call with one of our officers. Our surgeries usually take place every Wednesday (except on public holidays) by telephone call, but days may vary. Please check the availability on the link above, the surgery slots are released on a weekly basis. 

Fill out the form with your personal details, your council tax account and summons numbers. Then select the timeslot that suits you best.  

The summons number is on the top right-hand side underneath your council tax account number. Not having your summons number won’t stop you from booking an appointment with us. 

Please, fill out summons enquiry form explaining your situation. 

Yes, if you fail to pay at this stage or arrange a payment plan that finishes after the hearing date, you will have to pay an extra £50 for the liability order. You will also incur in more costs if we pass your debt to internal or external enforcement services. 

You can find a breakdown of all your charges (excluding enforcement fees) by visiting your MyLewisham account. Your summons’ letter will also specify the breakdown of charges. 

Make any summons enquiry and we will contact you back in 10 working days. 

If you don’t pay the summons amount and costs before the court hearing date, we will ask the magistrates to give us a liability order, which gives us more powers to recover council tax. An additional £50 will be added to the money you owe at the hearing date once the liability order is given.

With a liability order, we might choose to deduct money from certain benefits or your wages, we could also ask internal or external enforcement services (bailiff) to collect the money from you. In some cases, we may also apply charging orders, bankruptcy, or a committal. You can find more information about these different proceedings on our website: What happens when we cannot recover your council tax charges.

Contact us to discuss your circumstances at this stage. 

Yes. If you have an extenuating circumstance you can apply for a one-off discretionary reduction. Please, refer to this document to find out more about it. 

A liability order is a notice of what the court has ordered when council tax remains unpaid. It gives the council more powers to take actions to recover the debt owed, such as:

• deducting money from your wages or benefits
• passing your debt to Enforcement agencies
• declare your bankruptcy, committal proceeding or charging orders against your house

If you receive a liability order, it's important to contact your council or seek advice to understand your options.

We work with Lewisham Enforcement Services, the department in charge of collecting Council Tax debts, at Lewisham Council. 
We also work with three external companies: Newlyn PLC, Equita Ltd, and Ross&Roberts Ltd.

If your notice of enforcement was sent to you by Lewisham enforcement services, please contact them on 020 8314 6020. Otherwise, contact the enforcement company managing your case – you will be able to find their contact details in the enforcement documentation.

In the same way, if you want to dispute a payment, please raise it with the enforcement company dealing with your case by contacting them on the number on the notice of enforcement or any related enforcement documentation.

Yes, you can always refer to the council tax reductions and exemptions page to check if are/were entitled to any reduction or exemption. Contact your enforcement agent or call us on 020 8314 6020 to discuss your circumstances, we are not able to give the discount, but we can help you. Discounts and exemptions can be applied retrospectively and might also have an impact on your liability order. 

Please use the enforcement services reference number to avoid delays on your payment allocation.

Refer to any Enforcement Services documentation. The paperwork contains a breakdown of fees, and the final amount owed. 

Your council tax bill won’t show the fees owed to enforcement agencies (Lewisham enforcement services or external companies). Final statement of fees can be requested by contacting the enforcement agencies directly. 

No.  

If your debt is being managed by Lewisham enforcement services, please pay enforcement services online, scroll down until you find ‘Pay enforcement services (bailiffs).’ 

If your debt was passed to an external agency, please follow their instructions or contact them directly. You can find more information on their websites:
Newlyn PLC: Newlyn, Equita Ltd or Ross&Roberts Ltd.

This could happen for the following reasons: 

• there’s an inaccuracy with payments, meaning that you have not been paying the agreed amount on your payment plan
• you quoted the wrong payment reference number when making payments, meaning that you entered your council tax account number instead of the Enforcement reference
• you paid by bank transfer and wrote the wrong reference when prompted by your bank
• enforcement agencies fees may remain outstanding

Monies should be paid directly to Lewisham enforcement services. When you do so, you must use your unique ref number provided. This is an 8-digit number displayed on the letters we’ve sent to you. Paying money on your council tax my account may cause delays with payments being credited onto accounts, which could cause further recovery letters being sent to you.

We understand that peoples’ circumstances can change which leads to you not being able to carry on paying. We ask that you speak to us to Lewisham enforcement services or the agency managing your debt, we may be able to help with a short-term variation of arrangement.

If your debt is being managed by Lewisham enforcement services, please contact the service as soon as possible. You will also receive a broken arrangement letter. 
External companies will also send you a broken arrangement letter, and some may use text messages to prompt you to contact them.

You can contact Lewisham enforcement services on 020 8314 6020. You can also contact your Enforcement Agent if they have left their contact details in your address. 

You can also contact the external agency managing your debt. You can find their contact details on any letters or documentation sent by them. 

Unfortunately, Council tax is managed under strict regulations. That require a set fee to be charged at recovery stages. The Enforcement Agent fees are also regulated under legislation. Fees and charges cannot be varied. However, if you are looking to pay your arrears in full we would strongly advise to speak to a support member of staff over the phone to discuss your circumstances, there may be options available that may help you.

Contact the telephone number on the documentation as soon as possible – internal or external. 

Contact them instead of ignoring them. By speaking to an enforcement agent, they will be able to understand your circumstances and determine the course of action to take.

By talking to the Enforcement Agent, they can understand your circumstances. 

Yes, different enforcement agents might be managing different liability orders related to different years of arrears. 

If one of these companies is Lewisham enforcement services, contact them directly on 020 8314 6020 and they may be up to help you. 

At the stage of enforcement actions, you owe the remaining unpaid balance for the year plus: 

• court costs and liability order costs: £72.50 + £50 respectively
• there are also costs associated with enforcement actions: 
  • £75 for each liability order passed to enforcement agents
  • £235 (or 7.5% of any debt above £1,500) once your account moves to the enforcement stage
  • extra £110 (plus another 7.5% fee for any outstanding debt over £1,500) for the concept of sales or disposal of goods

Yes, please refer to the section called ‘recovery actions.’

The text messages are sent by Lewisham Council and will show on your device as ‘LBLewisham’, there may be a URL to the website which will provide additional information regarding our contact details, arrangements and information on available payment methods.

Whilst this service is offered to prevent residents from falling further into arrears, it should not be relied upon and may not always be available. Payments should reach your account by the due date to avoid further recovery. 

You can also contact our support staff, one of the most accessible teams in the Council, between 8am and 5pm, Monday to Friday, on 020 8314 6020. Talk to us. Our team can provide you with general guidance and support to manage your debt or discuss your further alternatives. 

We work with Lewisham Enforcement Services, the department in charge of collecting Council Tax debts, at Lewisham Council. 
We also work with three external companies: Newlyn PLC, Equita Ltd, and Ross&Roberts Ltd.

If your council tax remains unpaid and you don’t contact us, the council can ask your employer to deduct it from your salary. The amount taken will depend on your earnings. 

This type of recovery action could be agreed with you, or we can proceed without discussing it with you. Contact us to discuss your circumstances. 

You can find out how much we can deduct from your salary on our website: How we recover council tax debt.

You must tell us if you change your employment within 14 days of the change or you may be fined.

You must comply with the order and make the deductions of your employee’s earnings, or you could be fined. Read The Department for Work and Pensions guide to help you follow the process.

If you receive certain benefits, the council can ask the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) to deduct money from them to pay your council tax. The Department of Work and Pensions will inform you about these deductions, which will continue until your council tax debt is fully paid or your benefit entitlement ends. 

This type of recovery action could be agreed with you, or we can proceed without discussing it with you. Contact us to discuss your circumstances. 

Contact us to discuss your circumstances. 

If you own a property, a charge may be placed on it to cover unpaid council tax. Charging orders can secure debts over £1,000 and are tied to the property with the liability order. They can be an alternative to bankruptcy. To avoid this, pay the debt in full or arrange a payment plan. 

Find out what happens when we cannot recover your council tax charges.

If your debt exceeds £5,000, the council can apply to make you bankrupt. Bankruptcy means losing valuable possessions, affecting your credit rating, if you own a business, you could face closures and other restrictions. To avoid this, pay the debt in full or arrange a payment plan.

Find out what happens when we cannot recover your council tax charges.

If any of the methods listed above fail to collect your council tax debt, the council may start committal proceedings, summoning you to court and adding extra costs. You could be ordered to pay a set amount monthly, and if you don't, and the magistrates think that you can pay but not doing it on purpose, you might face up to 90 days in prison. To avoid this, pay the debt in full or arrange a payment plan.

Find out what happens when we cannot recover your council tax charges.