Council tax calculator 2026/27

Charges for all 350 UK councils. Data last updated

Pick your council and band to see what you will pay in 2026/27 per year, per month and per week, with or without the 25% single person discount, over 10 or 12 instalments. The charges are the official area figures including police, fire and parish precepts.

The council that sends your bill, not your parish or county.

Not sure? Look up your band and your neighbours' bands by postcode.

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Choose your council and band to see your annual, monthly and weekly council tax for 2026/27.

How the calculation works

Every council publishes one number that matters: its Band D charge for the year. Bands A to H (A to I in Wales) are fixed fractions of it, set by section 5 of the Local Government Finance Act 1992, so a Band A home always pays two thirds of Band D and a Band H home always pays double. Scotland uses its own multipliers for bands E to H, which have been higher than the English ninths since April 2017.

The single person discount takes 25% off the bill when only one adult lives at the address. Other discounts, such as council tax reduction, disabled band reduction and student exemptions, depend on your circumstances and are not modelled here; our guide to council tax discounts and exemptions covers each one.

The cheapest way to cut the bill

You cannot change what your council charges, but you can check the band it is charging you on. Bands in England and Scotland still rest on 1991 valuations, and of the 39,590 challenges the Valuation Office Agency resolved in the year to March 2024, 27% ended in a lower band. A drop of one band on a Band D bill is worth roughly a ninth of the charge every year, backdated to when you moved in. Challenging is free through gov.uk; our free postcode checker shows you your neighbours' bands first, and the £9.99 evidence pack does the comparables research if you decide to go ahead.

Frequently asked questions

How is my council tax bill calculated?

Your council sets a Band D charge each year, including police, fire and parish precepts. Every other band is a fixed fraction of Band D: in England and Wales Band A is six ninths and Band H is eighteen ninths. Discounts such as the 25% single person discount come off after that.

Why does the calculator show 10 monthly payments?

Councils bill over 10 instalments from April to January by default, so February and March are payment free. You have a legal right to ask for 12 instalments instead, which lowers each payment but not the annual total. Switch the toggle to compare.

Does this include water charges in Scotland?

No. In Scotland, Scottish Water's water and sewerage charges are collected with council tax but are set separately, so the figures here show council tax only. Scottish bands E to H also use higher multipliers than the English ninths since April 2017.

What if my band is wrong?

Moving down one band typically cuts a bill by an eleventh to a ninth, and refunds are backdated. Of 39,590 challenges the VOA resolved in the year to March 2024, 27% ended in a lower band. Use the free postcode checker to compare your band with your neighbours before you decide.

Where do the 2026/27 charges come from?

England: the MHCLG council tax levels release (area Band D including precepts). Wales: the Welsh Government council tax levels release. Scotland: the Scottish Government's published Band D charges. All are Open Government Licence data; parish and community precepts mean some addresses differ slightly from the council average.

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