UK Council Tax Calculator

How Council Tax works

Council Tax is an annual charge set by local councils to fund local services. Every domestic property in England, Wales and Scotland is placed into one of several valuation bands (A to H, or A to I in Wales), based on the property's value on a fixed historic valuation date, not its current market value. Each band pays a fixed proportion of the "Band D" rate: Band D is the reference point, lower bands pay less, higher bands pay more.

What is included in your Council Tax bill

In England and Wales, the figure this calculator shows is the full bill for the area: your council's own charge, plus "major precepts" from the county council (or the Greater London Authority in London), the Police and Crime Commissioner, and the fire and rescue authority, plus an area-average parish or town (or in Wales, community) council precept. An individual parish's own precept can differ slightly from this area average.

In Scotland, councils are unitary and there is no parish-precept layer, so the figure shown is Council Tax only, with nothing else blended in. Scottish water and sewerage charges are billed alongside Council Tax by your council, using the same band ratios, but are a separate charge, not part of Council Tax itself.

Council Tax bands and ratios

In England and Wales, each band pays a fixed fraction of the Band D rate: Band A pays 6/9, rising through to Band H at 18/9 (double Band D). Wales has an additional Band I, for the highest-value properties, at 21/9.

Scotland uses the same ratios as England and Wales for Bands A to D, but Bands E to H were revised in 2017 to steeper multipliers: Band E is 473/360, rising to Band H at 882/360 (around 2.45 times Band D), noticeably higher than England and Wales's 18/9 (2.0 times) at the top band.

Discounts, reductions and premiums

This calculator shows the standard full charge for a band and does not apply any discount or premium. In reality, several things can change what you actually pay: a 25% Single Person Discount if you are the only adult living in the property; Council Tax Support (or Council Tax Reduction), a means-tested discount administered separately by each council; and empty-home or second-home premiums, where some councils charge up to 100% extra on long-term empty properties or second homes. Check with your own council for your exact entitlement.

Finding your property's Council Tax band

This calculator estimates the charge for a band you select; it does not look up which band a specific property is in. To check a real property's band, use the official register: the VOA Council Tax band checker for England and Wales, or the Scottish Assessors Association portal for Scotland.

Where Council Tax money typically goes

Council spending varies by area, but across England, adult social care and children's services typically account for the largest single share of council budgets, followed by policing, fire and rescue, and other council services such as waste collection, roads, libraries and housing support. This is a general, UK-wide illustrative picture, not a breakdown for any specific council shown on this page; actual spending priorities are set locally and vary between councils.