Council Tax - 12 monthly instalments

Biggles

Yes - but they sent me a plan for 10 instalments

marathonic wrote: »

I'll be paying annually to take advantage of the 4% discount on offer (I work this out at a little over 10% APR on the payment).

If I had that option, I would take it, but here there is no discount.

daveyjp

marathonic wrote: »

I'll be paying annually to take advantage of the 4% discount on offer (I work this out at a little over 10% APR on the payment).

Is that option available nationally?

Tiglath

Our bill hasn't arrived yet, but I noticed on the council website that you had to inform them by early March if you wanted to opt for 12 payments. I wouldn't have known a thing about it if I hadn't seen a thread on here. As it is, I'm sticking with 10 payments.

agrinnall

I prefer 10 payments myself, but I'd agree that the option for 12 should be clearly available along with other payment methods (I haven't had my CT bill for 2013/4 yet so I don't know what it says).

Added: My bill has arrived today, and the only payment frequencies it is specific about are a single lump sum and the usual payment over 10 months. It does say "normally" for the latter, so perhaps they will allow other options if you ask, but they have made zero effort to make people aware of any. There are no discounts or extra charges mentioned, and no sign that payment by credit card is allowed (although you can pay online through the council website which perhaps might include CCs).

Jules2012

Yes - and they sent me a plan for 12 instalments

I think I might switch to 10 payments this year.

Does anyone know if the increase in Manchester is 3.7%?

Stuart_W

I've always tried to pay by 12 monthly instalments rather than 10.

Paying by standing order means I'm in charge of when and how much I pay.

In the past, I've generally received 5 or 6 instalment reminders throughout the year (as they are not quite receiving the money as quickly as they want it) but I've always cleared the bill with my 1st March payment.

My council have referred to the new 12 monthly payment method in a small paragraph at the bottom of page 32 in the booklet accompanying the bill - which is hardly promoting it. You have to specifically asked to be switched, otherwise you stay in 10 payments per year.

Jules2012

Yes - and they sent me a plan for 12 instalments

Finally came through. Not too bad, only around £2 extra a month

Goldiegirl

I prefer 10 monthly instalments, I like the feeling of having 2 months off from the council tax

gglaze

No - and I did not know that I could pay in 12 instalments

I have never seen an option for 12 monthly DD on my bill, and only know about it because I've seen it mentioned on the forums a few times. I just called my council (RBKC), and the lady I spoke to immediately replied that she was not aware of any option for 12-monthly billing, and that they normally only do 10-monthly. I replied that I've been informed councils should now offer 12-monthly as an option, and she then seemed to suddenly know what I was talking about, as if somehow she had been reluctant to agree to it up front. She then went away for a few minutes and put me on hold, and then came back and said that yes, it was fine, and confirmed that I pay on the 15th of the month, as apparently there is some restriction on the 12-monthly option, but the restriction wouldn't apply to me anyway since I pay on the 15th, whatever that means. She also confirmed that for this year it would probably end up being 11 months instead of 12, since we are already coming upon April or whatever. Anyway, I did manage to get it switched over, with only a bit of hassle.

each_peach_pear_plum

Yes - but they sent me a plan for 10 instalments

Received my CT bill and there was a tiny little paragraph on the back of the bill about the 12 monthly installments.... and you had to apply in writing, and you only had a window of 14 days!

I have done mine this year for the first time, as my OH is currently out of work, but I much prefer the two 'free months'

eppp