How to Cancel Your Council Tax When Moving Home

Moving house in Wigan means juggling a long list of admin. Solicitors, removal firms and utility accounts tend to top the to-do list, but Council Tax deserves just as much attention. It’s one of the biggest regular household bills, so it pays to get it sorted promptly.

What Is Council Tax?

Council Tax is payable on most residential properties in the UK and helps fund local services such as schools, the fire service and bin collections.

It works on a banding system. Each property is placed in a band from A to H, based on what it was worth in 1991 (newer homes are banded according to what their value would have been then). Band A is the cheapest and Band H the most expensive.

Purely commercial properties don’t pay Council Tax. They pay business rates instead.

How Do I Cancel My Council Tax?

Moving within the same council area: this is usually simple. Your direct debit can be moved to your new address, and any empty periods between homes are billed separately.

Moving to a different council area: you’ll need to contact both councils.

When you contact your old council, give them:

• The date you moved out

• The date the sale completed or your tenancy ended

• This matters because some councils keep billing while a property is empty. They’ll then send a closing statement showing what you owe or any refund due.

Next, contact your new council with the date you moved in and the date you bought the property or started your tenancy. You can set up a direct debit at the same time if you’d like. Most councils let you do all of this through the “change of address” section of their website, and they’ll probably ask whether you qualify for any discounts at your new home.

What If I Think My Band Is Wrong?

If you believe your property is in too high a band, contact the Valuation Office Agency, which will arrange a review. They’ll inspect the property, looking at its location, size and 1991 value.

Be aware that a review can go either way. If the Valuation Office decides the band is too low, it can be increased.

Will My Council Tax Be Backdated?

Council tax departments are often busy and can take several weeks to process changes, so get in touch as soon as your moving dates are confirmed.

It might be tempting to delay and skip a few months of payments, but your bill will be backdated to the day you moved in. You’d then face much higher monthly instalments than if the cost had been spread across the full year.

Are Discounts Available at My New Home?

There are various Council Tax discounts, and many aren’t obvious at first glance. Rules and amounts differ between councils, so always check with your local authority.

Single Person Discount

If you live alone, you can claim a 25% reduction, which makes a real difference to your annual bill. If a partner regularly stays over several nights a week, though, this could affect your eligibility, so check with your council.

Student Discounts and Exemptions

A property occupied only by full-time students may be fully exempt from Council Tax. If one non-student adult lives there, they’ll usually get the same discount as a single person. Councils will ask for university certificates and details of the property before applying any reduction.

Beyond these two, there are other discounts available, so it’s well worth looking through what your council offers. You may find some significant savings.