A council tax summons has arrived
A summons means the council is applying to the magistrates' court for a liability order. Here is exactly what to do, what they can and cannot do, and where to get free help today.
You never have to pay for debt advice. MoneyHelper (government-backed), StepChange, National Debtline and Citizens Advice all give free, confidential advice with no obligation. We would rather you got good advice somewhere than bad advice from anyone.
What to do now
- Contact the council's recovery team today and propose a realistic monthly payment.
- Ask whether they will accept the arrangement and hold enforcement once the order is granted. Many will.
- Check whether you are entitled to Council Tax Reduction, a single person discount, a disregard, or an exemption. Ask for it to be backdated.
- Ask specifically about a discretionary reduction under section 13A — councils can reduce or cancel a bill in hardship, and this power is significantly underused.
- You can attend the hearing to raise a valid defence — that the tax was never demanded properly, that you are not the liable person, or that it has already been paid.
- Court costs are added to the debt when the order is granted, so an arrangement reached before the hearing is cheaper.
What else you need to know
Once a liability order exists the council can instruct enforcement agents, apply for an attachment of earnings, take deductions from benefits, or apply for a charging order. An arrangement agreed with the council directly is almost always better than any of those, and councils would generally rather have a payment plan than pay an enforcement agent.
Where to get help today, free
You never have to pay for debt advice. MoneyHelper (government-backed), StepChange, National Debtline and Citizens Advice all give free, confidential advice with no obligation. We would rather you got good advice somewhere than bad advice from anyone.
If you are in crisis and struggling to cope, Samaritans can be reached free on 116 123, at any hour, from any phone.
Once the immediate pressure is off
Understanding your longer-term options is the thing that stops this happening again. Eight questions, and we will show you what applies where you live.
Related guides
We are a marketing introducer. We publish information and, if you ask us to, we pass your details to an FCA-authorised debt advice firm we work with so they can contact you. We do not give debt advice, we do not provide debt solutions, and we do not decide whether any solution is right for you. We are paid by the firms we introduce people to, never by you. Read exactly how we make money.