Monumental council tax fuck up, can anyone help?

[YellowGreenFlowers]

We moved house in September and moved council. The new council took until December to send our bill, which was huge and originally due in full in January.

We contacted them. They extended the date until 1st March, but told us if we could to make payments towards the total and the outstanding amount would be collected on 1st March.

We did this, it was all fine, the books were balancing- and then on March 1st they took the entire amount as a direct debit instead of just the outstanding amount.

Either DH or I have been on the phone every weekday since then. They're claiming that the money hasn't cleared, and it can't be refunded until it does.

It's certainly cleared out of our bank and things are getting a bit desperate. I need to get it sorted tomorrow.

Can you raise it with your bank as an unauthorized payment?

Have you tried going to the council offices in person?

Have you tried going to the council offices in person?

No, we're both working. I suspect they wouldn't even see us without an appointment.

Can you raise it with your bank as an unauthorized payment?
I was wondering if I could do something like this. We made the payments online through our council account so I doubt it.

You can raise the direct debit that took the full amount as unauthorised with the bank though.

It depends on your local authority so do check first, but I've definitely just dropped in to see someone before now.

It's a pain as you often have to wait, but if things are really that desperate can one of you take a morning or afternoon off?

Ring your bank. You will be covered by the Direct debit guarantee.

If the payment was made by Direct Debit then you can claim it back under the DD gaurantee.

Every time you sign up for a direct debit you are given a copy of the direct debit guarantee. I haven't read it until now, but it says you can get a full and immediate refund from your bank.

www.directdebit.co.uk/DirectDebitExplained/pages/directdebitguarantee.aspx

Snap cluedo

If the large unexpected payment was made by direct debit then claim it back via your bank using the direct debit guarantee

Ring your bank they all do 24 hour phone banking.

My heart just leapt at the words 'full and immediate'

Next question, if I were to do that we would be in arrears with our council tax, as we're 'only' due back 2/3 of the amount. Do you think that would be a huge problem?

You need to contact you bank and ask for it to be refunded under the direct debit guarantee. www.directdebit.co.uk/DirectDebitExplained/pages/directdebitguarantee.aspx

Get the full refund and then pay what you want to by standing order.

Once you get the full amount back, make the payment you actually owed them.

No, just pay back what you owe straight away.

I can't tell you the relief. I'm actually sitting here shaking. Should have posted on Mumsnet twelve days ago.

Thank you all very much

This happened to us a few years ago. Got the money back immediately via DD Guarantee. And now will only pay our council manually.

Don't worry about the outstanding amount (ex-council tax officer here)

The new bill for 2019/2020 will be with you already and payments for that start 1/4 and you just need to come to an arrangement to pay the arrears for 2018/2019 too.

Depending what system they are using you may well have 2 account numbers so they can see where to allocate your payments to.

The deal is that all council tax is due to be collected in on 1st Jan of each year but due to people moving or needing longer to pay this can mean 1st Feb and even 1st March payments.

You are paying and that is the main thing the council tax officer should be looking at. To anyone who cannot pay their usual monthly instalment in full at least pay something towards it.