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Paying your Council Tax

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Pay online

You can pay your Council Tax online using a debit card, credit card or PayPal.

Pay Council Tax online

Council Tax instalments and payment dates

You can choose to pay your Council Tax on the same date each month.

If you'd like to pay by instalments, you can choose any of the following ways:

  • 10 monthly instalments, from April to the following January
  • 12 monthly instalments, from April to March
  • as 2 instalments, to be made in April and October
  • a single payment in full, in April.

You can request a change of your payment date or number of instalments to be made.

If you receive your bill in the middle of a financial year, the amount of Council Tax due can be spread over the remaining months of the same financial year.

Change your instalments or payment date

Pay by Direct Debit

You can setup a new Direct Debit or change an existing Direct Debit online. You can set your payment terms to pay:

  • on the 1st, 5th, 15th or 25th of each month
  • in 10 instalments between April and January, or
  • in 12 instalments between April and March.
Set up a new or amend an existing Council Tax Direct Debit

Direct Debits from joint bank accounts

If you have a bank account where more than one signatory is required to set up a Direct Debit, we cannot accept on line applications or take the details over the telephone. To set up a Direct Debit please complete the form below and we will send one to you.

Request a Council Tax Direct Debit form for two or more signatures

Standing order or online banking

To pay by standing order or using online banking, you will need the following details to make a payment:

  • your 8 digit Council Tax account number (starts with a '4')
    • you will need to quote this as your payment reference number
  • our banking details:
    • Barclays Bank PLC, 1 Central Street, The Rock, Bury, BL9 0JN
    • Sort code: 20-16-24
    • Account number: 33020983

By telephone

Our automated payment line 0300 456 0542 is available 24 hours a day. You will need to know your Council Tax account number when using this service. Calls cost the same as those to normal home or business landline numbers starting with 01 or 02.

If you're unsure of your Council Tax account number, you can call us on 0161 253 5656 to pay by debit or credit card on any weekday between 8.45am and 5pm.

In person

You can pay your Council Tax bill at your local Post Office or PayPoint location. You can also choose to pay by cheque at a Post Office, with the cheque made out to 'Post Office Ltd'.

Your Council Tax balance

If you're registered for our online services, you can check your Council Tax balance online.

Check your Council Tax balance

Payment difficulty

In exceptional circumstances, if you have Council Tax arrears and a court summons has been issued, we might still be able to help you.

When completing an income and expenditure assessment form, please give as many details about your household, income and expenses. This will help us consider your payment proposal.

Apply for an income and expenditure assessment

Council Tax enforcement agents

If you have Council Tax debt that's been passed to an enforcement agent or bailiff, you should make payments directly to them.

The enforcement agencies we use are: