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Your council tax explained

Information on how we work out your Council Tax and who has to pay it.

Council Tax is a tax paid to your local council for the delivery of local services. It usually applies to all domestic properties, whether owned or rented.

Your council tax bill will depend on what council tax band your property falls into, and the level of council tax set each year by your local council. 

There are eight council tax bands, from A to H, based on your property's value. Band H pays the most and Band A the least. Your property's band is set by the Valuation Office Agency. 

Council Tax bills are based on a charge for each financial year which runs from 1 April to 31 March every year - your council tax liability is calculated on a daily basis.

Who pays Council Tax

You usually pay council tax if you are 18 or over and own or rent a home. 

Council tax is normally paid by the person living in a property There are a few circumstances where the owner is responsible for paying council tax. These include:

  • empty homes
  • nursing homes and other similar homes
  • houses in multiple occupation (HMO) where rooms are let individually

If you are a tenant and think your landlord or somebody else should be paying Council Tax, you should contact us for advice.

Sometimes more than one person may be jointly liable to pay the Council Tax. These could be: 

  • joint owners
  • joint tenants
  • residents who are married or live together as husband and wife
  • civil partners

If several people live in a property, there is a process for deciding the order of liability to pay the council tax.

The order is:

  1. A resident owner-occupier who is the freeholder of all or part of the property
  2. A resident owner-occupier who is the leaseholder of all or part of the property
  3. A resident tenant
  4. A resident who lives in the property and who is not a tenant, but has permission to stay there
  5. Any other resident living in the property
  6. A mortgagee in possession of an owner's interest
  7. An owner of the property where no one is resident

If you move in or out during the year, you'll only be charged for the days you're responsible.

How much is my council tax

A breakdown of the council tax you pay depending on the area in which you live

Where your council tax goes

Your council tax bill is split between this council, Staffordshire County Council, Staffordshire Police and Staffordshire Fire and Rescue Authority

Council tax's contribution to the annual budget

Find out how your Council Tax contributes to the annual budget

Adult Social Care Precept (Staffordshire County Council)

Find out more on the Staffordshire County Council Adult Social Care Precept

Council Tax Explanatory Notes

Read the council tax explanatory notes for 2025 - 2026

Details of parish precepts exceeding £140,000

If a parish or town council requires a precept in excess of £140,000 to fund its spending plans, it has a statutory duty to publish details of its expenditure.

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