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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Am I being thick or what?

27 replies

Handlechug · 31/01/2019 18:26

I need someone to explain this to me because I genuinely can't get my head round this.

We paid council tax on our previous band c property monthly - £163 a month for 10 months and then we had January and Feb off (start paying again March) which apparently is the norm.

We moved late November and paid our November instalment of £163. We've moved to a band D so I know this will be higher monthly payments.

They've issued the council tax bill and say we owe £373.13 and need to pay £187 odd January and £186 odd February. How can this be right? We've already paid £1,630 to the council from them previous property and the total bill for the year is £1751.10.

So in my eyes we owe them the difference between the 2, so £121 odd. I've queried it and they still say we owe £373. If we pay them the £373 we will have paid them nearly £2000 including the council tax payments from the previous band c house.

How can this be right? I just don't understand and need someone to explain it simply

OP posts:
AutumnCrow · 31/01/2019 18:29

If your bill is definitely the whole annual amount spread over 10 payments, with Jan and Feb 'off', which is what many of us have, then I don't understand either.

Philosykoss · 31/01/2019 18:30

Just ring them?

Ali1cedowntherabbithole · 31/01/2019 18:32

I think...

The bill is for the whole 12 months it's just paid in 10 instalments.

You owe A (total yearly Bill) divided by 12 times number of months of band A

Plus

B (total yearly bill) divided by 12 x number of months of band B

Original poster
Handlechug · 31/01/2019 18:32

I have rung and emailed them and they state it's payable in full. When I said all of the above they just said it's worked out on a pro rata basis and the bloke made me feel stupid because I didn't understand!

OP posts:
StrongTea · 31/01/2019 18:33

Will they mean the december and january payments for your new property. That would get you up to date then not pay feb and march.

Ali1cedowntherabbithole · 31/01/2019 18:33

Is it possible you are being charged for November for both properties??

JacktomyDaniel · 31/01/2019 18:34

This just happened to me. They denied anything was wrong but then mysteriously issued a rebate from my old property for £300.
Basically they charge you the full amount for both and then refund the previous. It’s ridiculous and has taken us 6 weeks to sort.

Original poster
Handlechug · 31/01/2019 18:36

They want me to pay £187 January and £186 February so I will still have to make a payment as normal in March so technically I am paying council tax for 12 months instead of 10. If I had stayed in my original property i wouldn't have paid anything in January and Feb then resumed my £163 in March

OP posts:
FabulouslyFab · 31/01/2019 18:36

What is the council tax on your new house?

ChariotsofFish · 31/01/2019 18:36

What you’ve paid on the previous property is irrelevant, that’s not how council tax works. You owe council tax on the current property for 4 and a bit months of the financial year you can’t do 12 months payments spread over 10 months as you won’t have been there long enough. The figures look about right.

leghairdontcare · 31/01/2019 18:37

What's the total annual charge for the new house?

happytoday73 · 31/01/2019 18:37

I thought it was feb and march that were payment free as starts in April? the 10 payments confuses matters. is if same council? you owe 4 months at higher band (1/3 of total year payment) and 2/3 of lower payment... add the two up if you will have paid about that overall you are sortee

mrsjoyfulprizeforraffiawork · 31/01/2019 18:37

Is it the same borough that you were in in your old house? I'm just wondering if the people you bought your new house from only paid up to the end of October, thus still owing for another two months (November and December) and that is what is owed on your house now so as you are now the owner the Council are expecting you to pay it but allowing you to pay in January and February in instalments for the outstanding sum before the new year's bill begins???? Probably completely wrong but that is the only explanation I could think of...

Justajot · 31/01/2019 18:38

You need to ask for a refund for some of the council tax you paid on the old property. Depending on when the council tax year starts and your move date, it sounds to me like they should refund 2/12 of the £1630 you had paid. You then need to pay for 2/12 of the year's tax for the new property.

Original poster
Handlechug · 31/01/2019 18:39

It's the same borough. Just moved from a C band to a D band. The total nearly cost for the new property is £ 1751.10

OP posts:
Lifeofa · 31/01/2019 18:39

I think newer council tax payments are on a 12 month direct debit. Is your total council tax for the year for band D £183 X 12?

cushioncuddle · 31/01/2019 18:40

I think you should have to pay the difference from the two bands for January and February not the whole amount.
I would ask for their workings out.

Quartz2208 · 31/01/2019 18:42

are you sure its March to December - the norm is April to January (so Feb and March off)

So are you sure you have paid 1630 and 1467

Because then if you havent you need to pay 2 months of the new council tax for December and January which is 350 plus presumably £27 to cover the bit in November that you moved for

So it does make sense if you are on an April to January schedule (which is due to tax year) I would be surprised if it started in March

Original poster
Handlechug · 31/01/2019 18:46

On the council tax bill it says from the period to 1st March

OP posts:
Ali1cedowntherabbithole · 31/01/2019 18:50

So if you moved on 1st Nov you owe

Annual bill for old house divided by 12
Then times 7 (April - October)

Annual bill for new house divided by 12
Then x 5 (November to March).

Stop focusing on the free months. They aren't free - you just pay most of the bill earlier Smile

Urwotu8t · 31/01/2019 18:53

Basically council tax is calculated on a daily basis on the property you occupy.

When you move out your liability to pay council tax on that property ends. The council tax on your property is a new account and is totally separate.

You need to ask the council to transfer your overpayment to your new account.

FabulouslyFab · 31/01/2019 19:01

What Alice said. Less what you have already paid .

Catrabbit75 · 31/01/2019 19:01

Although you pay your bill over 10 months, the bill is actually for the full year - so from 1st April to 31st March (or which ever dates they use). So February and March aren’t actually ‘free’ months, it’s just that the bill for the full year is split into 10 instalments. The property that you have moved out of, once the relevant department has been notified of your move out date and amended accordingly, you will be charged for that year from 1st of April (of that council tax year) to the date you moved out. The new property, once the relevant department has been notified of your move in date and the account amended accordingly, you will be charged from the date you moved in, to the end of the council tax year (31st. March?). So once the amendments have been actioned there should be a credit on the account for the property that you have moved out of which will get transferred over to the account for your new address. As the new property is a different banding, there will be a small amount to pay. Unfortunately when changing addresses, things don’t always get transferred over smoothly!- it depends who has notified the council tax dept of your change of address. It will get sorted out eventually and the account corrected, it may need a phone call to your local council tax helpline though. I used to work on a council tax helpline so came across this issue regularly. You can calculate the daily rate of council tax charge for your property by taking the yearly charge and dividing between 365, x by the number of days you lived in the property, that will give you an idea of the amount owed/charged for each property. Hope it gets sorted out soon for you.

RayRayBidet · 31/01/2019 19:06

Council tax is calculated daily. From 1st April to 31st March. Your 10 payments are for 12 months. April to January. Feb and March you don't pay.
If you move out and are no longer liable at your old address the council calculate a final bill and you will most likely have a credit left if you are up to date.
Were you still liable after moving? Eg you moved 1st November, tenancy ended 15th November? Or you moved out 1st November property sold on 15th November? Then your bill is calculated up to the end of tenancy/date property sold. Possibly with exemption at the end if all your furniture was removed.
Your new bill at new property is calculated from date you become liable (start of tenancy/date of purchase) at the new address until 31st March.
You can ask to transfer a credit from one to the other.
The council has to give you a certain amount of notice of your instalment and have to collect before April.
It will work out at correct amounts in the end how quickly bills are issued depends how up to date they are on correspondence.
If the dates are wrong on the bills then contact them.

Poshjock · 31/01/2019 19:06

You don’t get “free” months. At the beginning of the year your annual bill is splint into 10 payments. You will have overpaid your old house and will need to get a rebate. You only get offered the ability to make 10 payments at the beginning of the financial year. As you have moved mid year your bill is split to the remaining months.