Who should pay Council Tax

Reminder

We'll send you a reminder notice if you do not pay your council tax on time. If you don't pay within 7 days and don't contact us, you'll lose the right to pay in instalments.

If you make the payment on time but miss another payment in the same year, you'll receive another reminder notice.

You'll get a maximum of 2 reminder notices in each year.

If you miss a third payment and don't contact us, you will get a final notice and must pay the whole year's council tax.

Court summons

If you don't pay after a reminder or final notice or don't tell us why you're not liable to pay, the court will send a summons to you. You'll be summoned to court to explain why you have not paid. We will add £109 costs to the unpaid council tax bill.

You can avoid attending court if you:

• pay the total amount shown on the summons, including court costs, before the date of the hearing
• Contact us before the court hearing to arrange a payment plan covering what you owe. We will still obtain a liability order. You can propose a payment arrangement by completing a request for a repayment plan.

We'll ask the magistrate to issue a liability order at the hearing which will cost you a further £12. 

A liability order gives the council more powers to help collect the money you owe. You don't have to go to the hearing, but if you do, the magistrate will ask you if you have a valid defence which will stop the order from being issued.

Request a Council Tax Repayment Plan

What happens after the court hearing 

 If you still don't pay, we might:

• ask your employer to pay your unpaid council tax directly from your wages, or we might take the money from the benefits you get
• get an enforcement agent (formerly called bailiff) to collect what you owe, which could mean your possessions are removed and sold at auction. We will add the cost of this to your total amount owed to the council
• apply for a charging order against a property you own (if you owe more than £1000), and you will pay the amount you owe once the property is sold
• take action to make an individual bankrupt if more than £5,000 is owed
• apply to the court to send you to prison for up to 3 months, though we'll only take this step if all other efforts have failed or aren't applicable

If you are an employer who has received an order to make an attachment to earnings, more information can be found in this guide for employers.

Get help

Council Tax Reduction

You may be entitled to a reduction on your Council Tax bill if you have a low income. You can apply for a Council Tax Reduction within our benefits section.

How to apply for Council Tax Reduction

Request a repayment plan

If you cannot afford to repay the amount of Council Tax you owe, once a liability order has been granted you can apply for a Council Tax repayment plan. 

Request a Council Tax Repayment Plan

Video and audio recording

Why do we wear body cameras

Body Worn Video (BWV) Cameras are in operation to protect the safety of Council Revenue Enforcement and Visiting Agents and to ensure fairness, transparency and accountability.

Request body camera footage

You have the right to see BWV images of yourself only. This is called a Subject Access Request. You need to request in writing within 14 days of the recording to the contact below:

Kingston Enforcement Services
Guildhall
High Street
Kingston upon Thames
KT1 1EU

You will need to provide two forms of approved ID. Where possible, we will provide the images within 40 calendar days of your written request.