What happens if you miss council tax payments?
Posted by CammyCozy@reddit | AskUK | View on Reddit | 29 comments
Has anyone been to court or received a summons! I’ve missed mine for 2 months and I got a letter today saying I might have to go to court? Has anyone got in big trouble over council tax or been to court or received a custodial sentence!
Just really worried about this!
abracadabrabeef@reddit
They will write to your employer and garnish your wages. I've had it happen about 15 years ago.
V65Pilot@reddit
My property manager didn't pay the council tax for over a year, along with the electric, gas and water bills. The council has just started sending him letters. Take from that what you will.
He also stole a few months of rent payments and all the security deposits for the tenants. He's left the country as far as we can tell.
UnknownTerrorUK@reddit
No custodial sentence but it went to bailiffs. My partner of 14 years ended up sectioned for 3 months and things went to shit. I managed to make sure most bills were paid all the time but stupidly I let the council tax slide.
Now the thing about council tax I realised is it's not a "monthly bill" they basically invoice you for an entire year and allow you to pay monthly. Once you break that bloody commitment they want the entire years worth out of you, like right now.
Anyway it got to bailiffs, I ended up making an offer to the bailiff that they accepted so I ended up paying Council Tax + their fees split over the rest of the tax year.
After that I went back to the council and asked them if i could reinstate monthly payments as normal as I had "learned my lesson and they could see I paid the bailiffs on time every month" etc..etc... and they allowed it again.
CammyCozy@reddit (OP)
Sorry you had to go through so much trouble! Hope your partner is okay now
UnknownTerrorUK@reddit
Maybe other councils handle their bills differently I couldn't tell you, but yes it was a bit of a hassle. I contacted them eventually but I had so much going on I buried my head in the sand.
She's been out of hospital now since December last year so I guess this is all still relatively recent but yes, she's OK now, back to work and stuff, right medication etc.
huskydaisy@reddit
I missed a few many years ago, they sent a demand for payment in full for the year or face proceedings so I rang them and sorted a monthly payment plan.
Of all the organisations to be in debt to; the local authority is not the one (if you have a choice).
sneakyblurtle@reddit
It's only 2 months. Call them and ask for a payment plan. That's the best thing to do.
I ignored mine for over a year and the extra stress and fines was not worth it. I received a court summons which I obviously ignored because I'm a twat and ended up paying it all back to a debt recovery company plus their fees.
It'll honestly be OK. If you can't call for whatever reason send them an email. Ignoring it is a gift of stress for the future you, do them and you a favour. You'll be fine.
CammyCozy@reddit (OP)
Thank you I did email them! They sent a letter to me on the 14th and want me to pay by the 21st!
And I only received the letter today.
Said they will get back to me in 10 days time :/
Hope they can set up a payment plan with me it’s my only option
melanie110@reddit
Problem is, if you miss it a few months, they are within their rights to ask for it all upfront. If they don’t get it, then it’s court. They will win. They always do. My mum went to prison (46 days) for none payment but she was a drunk and scammed and slipped everyone for payment. Council tax, rent, provvy man and even banks for mortgage when someone was stupid enough to give her one
CammyCozy@reddit (OP)
Thanks for sharing
sneakyblurtle@reddit
Are you paying the years council tax in 10 or 12 monthly installments? Usually it's 10 with no payment due in feb and March.
If you can offer to make up the difference in feb/march then you'll not see a big difference in your monthly payments.
CammyCozy@reddit (OP)
I’m paying it in 10 monthly instalments! I genuinely didn’t know it was in feb and match you didn’t have to pay… I feel like I’ve paid it every month
Rabblerabble890@reddit
If you’re on a 10 month plan you can call them and ask that the two months you missed are your months off. I would advise you call them as they can do it over the phone immediately and I know that emails can have a big backlog when reminders go out. Best to get it sorted before they summons you to court and you get court fees added
Timely_Egg_6827@reddit
If you have offered a payment plan within your capacity to meet, then going to court is unlikely to benefit them as judge is likely to take that as you acknowledging the debt and making steps to repay it. The court summons is real but they want it solved with minimal hassle to themselves as possible.
CammyCozy@reddit (OP)
That’s good to hear the letter just comes across so scaremongering and threatening! So got me all in a tizz!
Timely_Egg_6827@reddit
Well that's kind of the point. You are scared and worried so you have contacted them to work out a solution.
CammyCozy@reddit (OP)
Yeah I understand
Timely_Egg_6827@reddit
I get it though - those types of letters are really stressful but you've taken all the right steps to get out of the mess.
nathderbyshire@reddit
That's just standard payment demand. I'd hope it says somewhere on there you can set up a plan as well to pay back if struggling, probably mean increasing your current payments to cover the offset though.
CammyCozy@reddit (OP)
Yeah it does on the back of the letter. Hopefully I don’t get a summons by the time my email goes through
Martipar@reddit
I've been in trouble with my council tax, i didn't go to court but i've had fines and other problems. The most irritating time was relating to when i was a student.
I told the council I was going from being on benefits to being a student, they stopped my council tax benefits but didn't let me know that i needed proof that I was a student until a few months later by sending me a court summons for non-payment. They didn't ask for proof I was going off JSA so I figured they changed my status from not needing to pay for one reason to another. I was livid, i got it sorted but I had a £90 fine to pay.
Most of the other times were direct debits not going out and general forgetfulness.
Skiatio1a@reddit
Missing council tax payments can definitely lead to some stressful letters in the post, but it's great that you're looking to address it now! Typically, the process involves reminders and potentially a court summons where you can explain your situation. Actual custodial sentences are rare and usually a last resort. The best step you can take is to contact your local council as soon as possible to discuss your missed payments. They can often set up a payment plan to help you catch up. Councils usually prefer to work something out rather than take it all the way to court. It's a bit like homework; it's better to hand it in late than never.
DaveBeBad@reddit
Council tax is the most important bill. Is the only one where non-payment can see you in prison.
Saying that, they’ll work with you to sort out a payment plan but the arrears are up there with food and water.
CammyCozy@reddit (OP)
That’s good to know…
randomdemo@reddit
Careful
https://www.moneysavingexpert.com/family/council-tax-discounts/#warning
CammyCozy@reddit (OP)
Thanks for posting this
mrsc_52@reddit
Years ago, when I first lived in my own place, I missed a couple of payments. I wasn’t threatened with court but they said that I had to pay for the full year upfront - which I couldn’t afford. I just called them and they sorted a payment plan to carry on with monthly payments, making up for the missed amounts.
CammyCozy@reddit (OP)
Yeah hopefully I can go on some sort of payment plan.. would really help my situation
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