MSE News: Council tax bills can be spread over a year from April

billywhizz88

It is down to each council to decide its own instalment dates so just pay in advance if you want the 1st

4$£&*(£$&*(!

They choose the DD date though, I can't do that - I could if it was a standing order but then you have even more complexity.

Surely this should be straightforward? I can request every single DD comes out on the first of the month from every company I deal with apart from the council who seem to like making things complicated.

jennifernil

Why not change to an SO? How is that more complex?

We use SOs, but if we want 12 monthly payments we are tied to paying on the 1st, otherwise, if we pay in 10 installments we can choose between 3 dates.

Presumably each council can decide their own plan.

molerat

I can choose to pay by DD in 1, 2, 4, 10 or 12 instalments and have 5th, 15th or 25th as payment date, if I choose to pay by any other method then the due date is 1st.

4$£&*(£$&*(!

jennifernil wrote: »

Why not change to an SO? How is that more complex?

We use SOs, but if we want 12 monthly payments we are tied to paying on the 1st, otherwise, if we pay in 10 installments we can choose between 3 dates.

Presumably each council can decide their own plan.

A direct debit is a set-and-forget system, so each year when payments alter I don't have to worry. There are usually 11 payments the same and a 12th payment different to make up small oddments in the bill. If anything goes wrong with the payments I am responsible, under DD there is a guarantee scheme.

I reckon the only thing I can do if I want payments around payday is have 11 payments not 12 but in the modern day of t'interweb it seems a bit strange I have to simply accept this.

jimmo

I am definitely no expert in Council Tax but think the problem is that the financial year is 6 April to 5 April.
For the current year (2014/15) it would probably have been illegal for your council to take your first instalment on 1 April because the council tax charge did not exist then.
Why they can’t, or won’t take 12 monthly payments from 1 May to 1 April is beyond me but, perhaps something you could work on.
On a personal note, I use, the now defunct, MSMoney rather than my bank account as my main control so know exactly how much cash I have available to me and how much in forthcoming direct debits are sitting in my account.

CIS

I am definitely no expert in Council Tax but think the problem is that the financial year is 6 April to 5 April.

The council tax year run from 01 April to 31 March.

Why they can’t, or won’t take 12 monthly payments from 1 May to 1 April is beyond me but, perhaps something you could work on.

That's not covered in legislation.

My council has told me they can switch me to 12 month debits but I have to select either 9th, 18th or 27th of a month - none of them around payday, otherwise they will only do it over 11 months if I want collection on the 1st.

Most likely there wasn't time to go you the statutory 14 days notice before a payment can be taken.

mgdavid

CitySlicker wrote: »

.......
I like all my bills to come out around payday so I know how much pocket money I have.........

you must have a different understanding of 'around' from me, as those 3 dates per month can never be more than 6 days from a payday.

datlex

Here I can pay weekly by debit or credit card over a year.