Realised partner is not on council tax

anxious247

I’m really just wanting some advice on what to do. I’m really ill about this and am barely sleeping/ eating. 

I come to do my usual ‘spring clean’ which is usually looking at bills, making sure everything in order. Everything was fine until I come across the council tax bill. 

From February 2023, up until now I have been getting single person discount. This is my first place, I actually don’t know how this whole thing works tbh but I know that I shouldn’t have and been on top of things. Needless to say, I am embarrassed too. I suffer with anxiety and depression and this has just made me ten times worse. As you can imagine I am absolutely petrified about this and have gone through every possible scenario in my mind. I’m really anxious and don’t know what to do. 

I just want to put things right. Can I ring them and explain I have to add someone on to the council tax and ask for this to be back dated to February of last year? I want to pay anything I owe in full and if there’s also a fee for paperwork; fine etc? 

I have read online about liability orders etc, I’m not sure what these are. I’m also so scared I will get asked to go to court. 

Can someone please help me and advise whether it’s possible to ring them and ask for the back dated payment to be applied therefore will pay in a lump sum anything that is owed. 

Will they send bailiffs to my house straight away and summon me to court? Or is it a case of if I admit my mistake now and offer to pay the money upfront, they will be okay about it? Will they inform my job? 

Any help appreciated. I can’t sleep or anything at the moment with the fear I’m going away/ losing my job etc. 

DullGreyGuy

Can you afford to make the payment? If you can they won't care in the slightest, they'll simply recalculate what's due and ask you for payment. 

Where it gets messy is when you cannot afford to pay it or worse still, they catch you rather than you advising them.

Sounds like you can afford it so nothing to worry about. 

sourcrates

Its a simple change of circumstance, nothing more, do as advised above, contact the council, tell them the date your partner moved in, they will issue an updated bill, which you pay monthly as before, no drama, try not to overthink these things.

Andyjflet

You should also be able to work out how much you owe, IE. 25% added on top of the 75% you are paying. Cant be a huge amount, estimate around £500 depending on region and house, they will then divide this across the following months to January 2025. If not at the same time you can as them to extend your payments to 12 months not 10 therefore spreading the cost a little. 

Brie

The council certainly won't be sending out bailiffs so don't worry about that.  As others say - let them know, they'll recalculate and it will all be just fine.  It's when people purposely hide things or lie that stuff gets sticky.  

Be prepared for the council to be a bit confused and send out a few bills that maybe even contradict each other.  Just start paying the higher amount they want that is a reflection of the 100% bill plus the backdated 25% that has been missed.