Council tax calculator
Council tax follows a simple rule: your band is a fixed ratio of the local band-D charge. Set the band-D figure for your area and pick your band to see the yearly and monthly cost.
How the bands work
Every home in England is placed in one of eight bands, A to H, based on its estimated value on 1 April 1991. The band does not set the bill on its own. It sets a ratio against band D, which is the middle reference point. Band D counts as nine ninths. Band A, the cheapest, is six ninths, so two thirds of band D. Band H, the most expensive, is eighteen ninths, exactly double band D.
This is why two homes in different bands but the same council pay predictable multiples of each other. Once the council fixes its band-D charge for the year, the rest of the table follows by arithmetic. The calculator applies your band ratio to the band-D figure you enter, then splits it into the 12-month and the standard 10-instalment views.
Worked example
Take a band-D charge of £2,280. A band D home pays that in full, £2,280 a year. A band A home in the same area pays six ninths of it, and a band H home pays double. Spread the £2,280 over the usual 10 instalments and each payment is £228.00, with February and March free. Choose to pay over 12 months instead and it drops to £190.00 a month.
Common questions
How is council tax worked out from the band?
Your band sets a fixed ratio of the band-D charge for your area. Band D is the reference point at nine ninths. Band A pays six ninths of it, band H pays eighteen ninths, which is double band D. So once you know the local band-D figure, every other band follows from the ratio.
What is a typical band-D charge?
It varies widely by council because it funds local services, adult social care and the police and fire precepts. Many areas sit somewhere around £2,000 to £2,400 for band D. Your bill or your council website shows the exact figure, which you can type into the calculator.
Is council tax paid monthly?
By default councils spread the annual charge over 10 monthly instalments, from April to January, so two months of the year have no payment. You can usually ask to pay over 12 months instead, which lowers each instalment. The calculator shows both.
Can I lower my council tax?
A single adult gets a 25% discount. Students, some carers and people on low incomes may pay less or nothing through Council Tax Reduction, which each council runs its own way. You can also challenge your band with the Valuation Office Agency if you think it is wrong.