Pay Council Tax or Business Rates
Use the links below to find the information you need
- Ways to pay your bill
- What to do if you are struggling to pay your bill
- What happens if you don't pay your bill
- Help and support (including support for Ukrainian guests)
Ways to pay your bill
There are different ways you can pay your Council Tax or Business Rates bill.
Direct Debit
- This is the safest and easiest way to pay Council Tax or Business Rates. It can save you time, effort and money.
- To set up a direct debit please register to our Open Portal (Self-Service).
- You can choose to pay on the 1st, 10th, 15th or 25th of the month if you switch to paying your Council Tax or Business Rates through your Bank or Building Society account by Direct Debit. Your annual bill will be collected in 10 installments April to January.
- If you apply for Direct Debit through the financial year you will be notified of the dates and amounts of the installments to be collected. You will receive a minimum of 10 working days notice before the first collection date.
If you already pay your council tax by direct debit this will be shown on your bill. You do not need to complete a new Direct Debit form or update your details unless you wish to change the bank account that payments are collected from.
With effect from 1 April 2023, if you are paying your Council Tax by direct debit and move out of the area or your account is closed, any credit on the account, once the amendment has been made, will be refunded to the bank account being used to make your payments from.
We will only refund a credit if there is no outstanding Council Tax due on any other accounts in your name.
Online
You can pay over the internet, using a credit or debit card, using a debit card via our Online Payments Facility.
Telephone
You can pay 24 hours a day, 7 days a week by using our automated telephone payments line 0330 088 0992.
Standing Order
If you would like to pay by standing order please instruct your bank or building society to make payments on or before the installment dates on your bill.
The standing order (quoting your Council Tax or Business Rates account number) should be set up in favour of:
Malvern Hills District Council, HSBC, Worcester Road, Malvern Sort Code: 40-47-17 A/C 02292777
Post Office
You will need to take your Council Tax bill with you as it contains a barcode which is used for reference. You can pay by cash, cheque or debit card. There is a transaction limit of £999.99. If the amount to pay exceeds this limit, then multiple payments can be made. There will be no charge for the payment.
PayPoint
Payment by cash only to your local PayPoint store. You will need to take your Council Tax bill with you as it contains a barcode which is used for reference. There is a transaction limit of £200.00. If the amount to pay exceeds this limit, then multiple payments can be made. There will be no charge for the payment.
Cheque
- Cheques should be sent to Revenues and Benefits, PO Box 11, Pershore, WR10 1PU
- Make the cheque payable to MALVERN HILLS DISTRICT COUNCIL and your Council Tax or Business Rates ACCOUNT REFERENCE and ADDRESS should be written on the back.
- Please note that a receipt for payment by cheque will no longer be produced and sent back to the payee.
- Please DO NOT send cash through the post.
- We do not accept post dated cheques.
Sign up for a Self Service account
Register to use a Self Service account for a better experience of managing your Council Tax bill and Business Rates.
What to do if you are struggling to pay your bill
If you are struggling to pay your bill then it is important you contact us as soon as possible so we can help.
Pay your bill over 12 months
One of the ways we can help you with your Council Tax bill is to spread your payments over 12 months instead of the usual 10 months.
If you would like to pay your bill over 12 months please e-mail
What happens if you don't pay your bill
If for any reason, you don't pay your council tax on time we are legally obliged to issue documents advising you of this and warning you what could happen next. What document you get depends on how many times you have missed your payment.
It could be a reminder, final notice or a summons. If you receive a summons then the matter is likely to go to court where we will be applying for a liability order. A liability order gives us various powers to help us to recover the debt: If you have problems paying your council tax please contact us - we may be able to make a special arrangement with you. You may be entitled to benefits - why not try our benefits calculator, visit our benefits advice or contact our benefits section to see if there is anything you can claim.
Read on for more to find out more about what happens if you do not pay your bill.
Reminder
Council tax payments should reach us on the day the instalment is due at the latest. If you are paying by cash/cheque, this will be the 1st or the 15th of the month. If you are paying by Direct Debit this will be the 1st, 10th, 15th or 25th of the month. If you receive a reminder, you must bring your account up to date within seven days. If you fall behind a second time you will be sent a second reminder.
Final Notice
If you fall behind for the third time you will receive a final notice. This confirms that you have lost the right to pay by instalments and all of your council tax for the year must be paid immediately. Please Note: If you do not make an arrangement with us the next step will be the issue of a summons.
Summons
If you have received a final notice and your council tax remains unpaid, we will take further recovery action to obtain the money due. This is done through the Magistrates Court. You will be sent a summons that will tell you how much money you owe and when the hearing will be. You will be charged costs for the issue of the summons. If you can't pay the amount in full please complete the payment proposal form sent with your summons. This may be posted to us or handed in at our customer contact centre at the Council House, Avenue Road, Malvern, WR14 3AF.
Court
You can attend court on the date given on the summons and speak to the Magistrates. You do not have to go to court if you don't want to - the decision is yours. Please Note: The court cannot agree on a payment plan with you. If you want to do this, please contact us. At the court hearing, we will ask the Magistrates to issue a liability order against you. This can be done even if you are not present.
Liability Order
A liability order gives us powers to recover the money you owe. These powers are shown below:
- To request information
The person(s) named on the liability order must supply information to us regarding their employment and income details. It is a criminal offence not to supply this information once requested, or to give false information. To attach earnings. We can order your employer to take money from your wages or salary. This is then sent to us to pay your debt. Your employer must tell you each time an amount is deducted and they can charge you for making these deductions. It is an offence for your employer not to comply with the order.
- To make deductions from Income Support / Job Seekers Allowance.
We can ask the Benefits Agency to take money from your Income Support or Job Seekers Allowance. This is sent to us to pay your debt.
- Charging Order.
We can apply to the County Court for a legal charge to be put on your property for the amount due. We will automatically receive the money, plus costs when the property is sold.
- Bankruptcy / Insolvency.
We can start these proceedings against you through the County Court.
- Taking Control of Goods (removal of goods to pay a debt).
We employ Enforcement Agents (Bailiffs) to collect the debt. More costs will be added to your debt. In some circumstances, your goods may be removed and sold. Enforcement Agents are authorised with a certificate from the Courts. They are instructed to collect both Council Tax and Business Rates by the Council and act under a formal code of conduct. They make visits to properties to collect the unpaid Council Tax or Business Rates. They can accept payments in a wide range of forms including cash, bankers draft, credit cards etc. Where they do not receive payment they can remove goods which can be sold at public auction. They can in certain circumstances take possession of goods but leave them on the premises while an arrangement is agreed and paid. If your debt is passed to our Enforcement Agents then you will immediately incur a £75 fixed fee for each liability order passed to them. This fee has been set by The Ministry of Justice, not the council, and is non-negotiable. Before an Enforcement Agent visits your property, you will receive at least one letter by post giving you the opportunity to agree on a repayment plan with them to avoid an Enforcement Agent visiting you. At this stage, the £75 fixed fee is already in place on your account and will need to be included in the repayment plan.
Enforcement Agent visits
If you do not contact the Enforcement Agents Office to agree on a repayment plan, or you fail to pay the plan you agreed, then you will be visited at your home by an Enforcement Agent. As soon as an agent is instructed to visit, a £235.00 fixed fee (plus 7.5% if the debt is over £1500) will be applied to the outstanding amount. This fee has been set by The Ministry of Justice, not the council, and is non-negotiable. During the visit, you will be asked to make payment in full (including the £235.00 fee), enter into a controlled goods agreement or goods can be removed from your property.
Controlled goods agreement
You may be given the opportunity to set up a repayment plan by entering into a controlled goods agreement. This involves the Enforcement Agent making a list of your goods equal in value to the debt outstanding to secure the payment arrangement. You must not dispose of or sell any goods on the controlled goods agreement until your debt is paid in full.
Removal of goods
If you do not sign the controlled goods agreement, or you fail to pay the plan you agreed, then the Enforcement Agent can enter your property and remove goods. There is an additional £110 fee (plus 7.5% for any balance over £1500) if goods are removed for sale. Goods that are removed will be sold at auction. If a debt still remains after this, then the Enforcement Agent will contact you and further enforcement action can take place. If the goods are sold for more than the outstanding debt, then the credit can be returned to you. The Council instructs a company called Dukes Bailiffs who can be contacted as follows: Dukes Bailiffs Ltd, Dukes Court, 7/8 Newcastle street, Stone, Staffs, ST15 8JT.
Telephone: 01785 825500
Website: http://www.dukeslimited.co.uk/
Committal to Prison
Unlike almost every other debt, you can be sent to prison for up to three months for not paying your council tax. Even if you have other debts where you are being pressed for payment, it is vital that you make payment of your council tax a priority.
What happens if I can't pay?
The most important thing to do if you are having problems paying your council tax is to contact us. The longer you leave it the more costly it's going to be. Costs and charges can add a lot to your original bill so contact us early to avoid them. There are a number of things we can look at:
- Are you entitled to a discount or exemption?
- Can you claim benefits
Even if we find that you're not entitled to any discounts, exemptions or benefits we may still be able to help by making a special arrangement with you. Remember - the sooner you speak to us about your problem the easier it will be for you and us to resolve it.
Help and support
Council Tax and Ukrainian refugees
The Government has set out guidelines to help protect Council Tax payers whose bills might have increased as a result of helping out under the Homes for Ukraine scheme. This applies to all Ukrainian refugees who have permission to enter or to stay in the United Kingdom granted under the Governments Homes for Ukraine Scheme.
If you share of have let a property to a Ukrainian Refugee, please provide the address of the property, names of the refugees and date that they moved in. Please also provide any documentation you have to support that they have permission to enter or to stay in the United Kingdom granted under the Governments Homes for Ukraine Scheme if any of the following discounts or exemptions apply to you and email these to:
25% single person discount
If you are the only adult aged 18 or over living in your property and are receiving the 25% single person discount and you share your home with a Ukrainian refugee(s) you will continue to receive a 25% discount. The refugee(s) will be disregarded for Council Tax purposes.
Occupied properties that are exempt
- Class N – occupied only by students
- Class S – Occupied only by persons under 18
- Class U – Occupied only by people who are severely mentally impaired
If you are receiving an exemption for one of these reasons and you share your home with a Ukrainian refugee(s) you will continue to receive the exemption.
Empty properties that are exempt
- Class B – Owned by a charity that is unoccupied for less than 6 month
- Class D – Left empty by someone who is in prison or detained
- Class E – Left empty by someone who has moved into a hospital of care home
- Class F – Left empty where the former owner has died and awaiting grant of probate
- Class H – Left empty awaiting occupation by a minister of religion
- Class I – Left empty by someone who lives elsewhere to receive personal care
- Class J – Left empty by someone who has moved out to provide personal care
- Class K – Left empty owned by a student
- Class L – Repossessed property
- Class Q – Left empty by bankrupt individual
- Class T – Unoccupied property forming part of a property (annex) which cannot be let separately
If you are receiving an exemption for one of these reasons and you let your property to a Ukrainian refugee(s) you will continue to receive the exemption.
Unoccupied furnished or unfurnished properties where the full rate of Council Tax is being paid
If you are paying the full rate of Council Tax for an empty property and you let your property to a Ukrainian refugee(s) the Council Tax charge will be reduced by 50%. Please provide the names of the refugees, the date they moved in and evidence that they have permission to stay in the UK under the scheme.
Council Tax Regulations require us to issue bills in the name of the residents and therefore the refugee will be liable to pay the 50% Council Tax bill. In some cases the sponsor may wish to make payment on their behalf, but the bill will remain in the name of the occupier, who should also consider making a claim for council tax support.
Find out more information about how Malvern Hills District Council is supporting Ukrainian guests.
You can contact the following not-for-profit organisations for free confidential and impartial advice, or for details of where to get such advice in your area.
Citizens Advice
For advice and information on debt and other topics, visit your local Citizens Advice (address in the phone book) or go to www.adviceguide.org.uk
National Debtline
Telephone 0808 808 4000 or visit nationaldebtline.org for debt advice and information
StepChange Debt Charity
For debt advice throughout the UK phone 0800 138 1111 or visit www.stepchange.org
Money Advice Service
For free, unbiased and easy-to-access money tools, information and advice, visit www.moneyadviceservice.org.uk or phone 0300 500 5000 to speak to a money adviser.
AdviceUK
Member centres offer debt advice including specialist advice for minority communities and people with disabilities. For further information phone 0300 777 0107.