Home
BackYou are here: Home / Living in North Herts / Council Tax / Recovering Unpaid Council Tax
Council Tax Recovery Process
Every household receives a Council Tax Bill. Statutory instalments are detailed on the Bill and unless you pay by direct debit, all instalments are due on the 1st of the month.
If payments are not received on time, you will be issued with a Reminder Notice. This notice gives you 14 days to make the payment in full.
If the payment is not received, in full, within the 14 days a Court Summons will be issued and additional court costs will be added.
Note: If you do not pay the exact amount requested, and you are in arrears for previous years, your payment will automatically allocate to the oldest debt.
If you pay the Reminder Notice in full, you can continue to make your monthly instalments as detailed on your Bill.
If you fall into arrears for a second time, you will be issued with Second Reminder Notice. This notice gives you 14 days to make the payment in full.
If the payment is not received, in full, within the 14 days a Court Summons will be issued and additional court costs will be added.
Note: If you do not pay the exact amount requested, and you are in arrears for previous years, your payment will automatically allocate to the oldest debt.
If you pay the Second Reminder Notice in full, you can continue to make your monthly instalments as detailed on your Bill, but all future payments must reach your account by the 14th of each month for the remainder of that financial year.
If you fall into arrears for a third time, you will NOT be issued with a third Reminder Notice, you will receive a Court Summons and additional costs will be added.
Once a Court Summons has been issued, you lose the right to pay by instalments and the full charge becomes due. If you make the payment prior to the Court Hearing Date, no further action will be taken.
If you are having difficulty paying, please contact us
If the payment is not received, we will apply for a Liability Order at the Magistrates Court on the Hearing Date. This secures the debt due to the Council and allows certain methods of recovering the debt to take place.
These methods of recovery are:
- Attachment of Income Support, Job Seekers Allowance or Pension Credit
- Attachment of Earnings
- Attachment of Members Allowances
- Distress - passing the debt to an External Collector (Bailiff)
- Committal Hearing- application made for a Commitment to Prison
- Insolvency/Bankruptcy.