Council tax arrears?

thomasj1989

This may not be the correct thread but wasn't sure where else to post...

I moved in with my wife 4 years ago (married this August) and we are now applying for Universal Credit - as I moved in to a property she already rented we still kept it so that all the utility bills are in her name except for Council Tax - once we go onto UC we'll be putting everything in my name.

I have the appt. today for UC so I have a copy of our Council Tax bill as part of the evidencing as it has both names on the bill - I have typed in our CT reference number on the GOV site and was shocked to see the balance of over £1300. I'm scared; has this just not been paid? What are the repercussions?

aimeemum

It depends on your bill on an annual basis, and whether or not you'll have rolled anything over in previous years. Our annual bill is nearly £2k which is pretty low compared to some. Even 6 months in I've still got over£1k left to go on it as I've had to roll some over from last year as well. As long as you're paying regularly and have communicated your finances to the council then it will be ok. Give the council a call and ask them to send an up-to-date bill and maybe see if your DD is set up with the amount you're paying too.

thomasj1989

Thanks Aimee - I feel really naive as I've been handing over a lump sum every month as rent and bills contribution so I would expect a D/D to have been set up (whether 10 or 12 months) but the way it LOOKS is that it's just been neglected and we're now being asked to pay a year's worth.

I have the bill in front of me and it's quoting over £1300 for 01/04/19 - 31/03/20.

aimeemum

thomasj1989 wrote: »

Thanks Aimee - I feel really naive as I've been handing over a lump sum every month as rent and bills contribution so I would expect a D/D to have been set up (whether 10 or 12 months) but the way it LOOKS is that it's just been neglected and we're now being asked to pay a year's worth.

I have the bill in front of me and it's quoting over £1300 for 01/04/19 - 31/03/20.

Give them a call, be honest about the situation, make an offer of what you can afford and see what they say. They're reasonable in my experience (I've had a couple of bad years with finances and like I say, had to roll amounts over, pay extra payments etc) and usually will work with you to make inroads into a debt. Good luck...these things are never as bad as you think.

tallyhoh

Are you sure its not being paid? my council tax bill in states £1300 for 2019/2020 but I pay direct debit monthly. Have you asked your wife?

aimeemum

tallyhoh wrote: »

Are you sure its not being paid? my council tax bill in states £1300 for 2019/2020 but I pay direct debit monthly. Have you asked your wife?

That's a good point. What's the date on the bill.....the council should be able to give you an up to date balance over the phone or you can request an up to date bill/breakdown at any time.

EssexHebridean

thomasj1989 wrote: »

I have the bill in front of me and it's quoting over £1300 for 01/04/19 - 31/03/20.

The bill would have been issued in March though, ready for the year's payments to commence in April. it's the current outstanding balance you need to establish. Was it definitely your local council's site you checked on originally?

Socajam

What you need to do is log on to the Council's website and sign up for an account.
You will need full address, council tax # etc.
Once you have an account you will be able to see your payment history, what is owed, what is paid etc.
You can also pay your council tax bill online with CC or set up a direct debit.
Once you have all the information, then approach the Council to see if you can set up a payment plan.

EssexHebridean

OP, looking at your previous postings on the forum, there seems to be a bit of a theme developing here. Did you resolve the issue over the credit cards? And if not, is that why you are immediately being suspicious about your now-wife over this council tax issue? It does shed rather a different light on the matter.

MovingForwards

My CT shows the yearly bill, but also confirms the direct debt amount. On the screen it shows me when the payment to them has been made.

If it isn't set up for DD then try setting one up online if you can afford £1300 over about 5 months.

Is there any reason you are transferring all the bills to your name and not adding your name?