What happens if you don't pay your Council Tax

I've received a bankruptcy petition

A bankruptcy petition is an application for a bankruptcy order to be made against you.

The petition will advise you of the amount outstanding and the date, time and location of the court hearing. You must attend the court hearing unless you have paid the debt and costs in full.

If you own a property, the court will place a restriction on the title of your property. This means that you can’t sell or transfer your property.

To avoid being made bankrupt, you must pay the outstanding debt in full, including the costs. Payment MUST be received by us no later than the day before the court hearing date.

Once you've made payment, please follow these steps, to let us know that you’ve paid:

1. Open our Council Tax enquiry form
2. Select ‘I have received a statutory demand, bankruptcy petition….’
3. Select ‘Bankruptcy petition’
4. Select ‘What do I do next?’
5. Enter your payment amount and proof of payment
6. Select ‘Next’, enter your details, then submit the form

I've been declared bankrupt

If you've been declared bankrupt by us:

An official receiver is appointed to act as trustee of your bankruptcy affairs. This means you need to deal with the official receiver to discuss payments, instead of sending them directly to us. Your bankruptcy order will give their contact details.

We'll send you a new Council Tax demand in the financial year following your bankruptcy. You should pay this to us, as normal. Even if you haven't been discharged from your bankruptcy, you'll have to pay this, as well as further years’ Council Tax when it's due.

If you've been declared bankrupt by someone else:

Follow these steps, to let us know the details:

1. Open our Council Tax enquiry form
2. Select ‘I have received a statutory demand, bankruptcy petition….’
3. Select ‘Bankruptcy’
4. Select ‘I have been declared bankrupt by someone else’
5. Enter the details of the bankruptcy
6. Select ‘Next’, enter your details, then submit the form