If you have been paying your Council Tax by Direct Debit, we will refund your money back into the bank account that the money was sent from. As Council Tax payments are mostly paid in advance, where there is a change in your circumstances a credit may occur on your account. Most people know that students are exempt from paying council tax… What if I registered with an old email address? If you owe the government money (social security overpayment, student loans, etc. The valuation was wrong when the rating list was created - more on this below. If you owe less on the tax return than you paid, you will receive money for the overpayment. A property should be removed from, or added to, the rating list. Reasons for overpayment: Of course, there is a wide range of factors behind the different amounts held by councils. This should be backdated to whenever you began paying for the wrong band - usually when you moved into the property. If it isn't possible to get an affiliate link for the top deal, it is still included in exactly the same way, just with a non-paying link. We will only refund you if you do not owe any further amounts of council tax to us. Limited and part of the Which? Council tax and business rates refunds If your council tax or business rates account is closed and ends up in credit, you may be entitled to a refund of any overpayment you have made. If you have received a Council Tax bill with a credit on it, either through changing address or an overpayment of a discount or exemption, we will need to issue a refund to the account holder. We think it's important you understand the strengths and limitations of the site. This can result in situations where council tax is under or overpaid. Some councils that issue automatic refunds to those who paid by direct debit told us they wouldn't be able to do this where there are multiple billpayers on an account, and would instead first have to establish who actually paid the council tax. So if you're someone who's moved home since 1993, especially if you changed council or local authority area and didn't pay by direct debit, you should take a look at this guide, see how your council does it and then try and get your money back.". There's been a change to the property or surrounding area that should be shown in the rateable value. A law dating back to 1992 – the Council Tax (Administration and Enforcement) Regulations – says overpaid council tax should be refunded. When completing any e-forms in the future, simply log in and your personal details will already be completed for you. Many people aren't aware they pay council tax a month (or sometimes a year) ahead. Whether you've successfully claimed, or tried to but had problems, tell us at news@moneysavingexpert.com. Recovery is usually made by adding the overpayment back onto your council tax bill and increasing your subsequent instalment amounts. If you have received a credit on your account due to an exemption, discount, relief or council tax support; we may use the credit to reduce the balance on your account rather than issue a refund. We use cookies to allow us and selected partners to improve your experience and our advertising. Useful link: Valuation Office Agency for England and Wales - find out more about property valuation. In cases involving previous allowances for credits or refunds, the attorney must first determine out of which payment such refunds or credits were made. While much is written about whether those with savings should overpay the current English Plan 2 student loans, there's little out there about Plan 1. (See how much your council owes below – in Northern Ireland, where you pay rates not council tax, it works differently.). You can’t appeal just because you think your council tax bill is too expensive. Be warned, however, that the Valuation Office may decide that your property belongs in a higher band - and may increase your band instead of reducing it. Your credit will automatically transfer to your new council tax account. If you still cannot find it, contact us. In basic terms, a council tax account will be in credit if you've paid more than you owe at any point. See MCL 211.154 (3) and (4) regarding the applicability of penalty and interest. How long does it take to check if I'm owed? It's worth noting this means the third party used may be named on any credit agreements. A law dating back to 1992 – the Council Tax (Administration and Enforcement) Regulations – says overpaid council tax should be refunded. You can use our 2020 council tax calculator to work out how much your bill is likely to be. Our TravelMoneyMax tool compares 30+ bureaux to max your holiday cash. Find out how to apply for a refund if you have an overpayment on your council tax account. For all the latest deals, guides and loopholes simply sign up today - it’s spam free! If you go through it, it can sometimes result in a payment or benefit to the site. Shows which top cards and loans you're most likely to get. I lived with someone else – who would the council have contacted? Martin Lewis: Payment holidays coming to an end – but should you take one? Glasgow City Council and Birmingham City Council did not respond to requests for comment. Larger councils are naturally likely to have more unclaimed credit, and there will be differences too because some councils' records date back to 1993, and others are more recent. If you have no luck, don't think it means you can't check if you're owed and reclaim. 20 days after receiving this order, submit a corrected tax bill, itemized by taxing jurisdiction, to the owner of the property. I was paying by direct debit for five years from the same account with no arrears [before I moved out]. When completing any e-forms in the future, simply log in and your personal details will already be completed for you. 20 November 2020 at 9:41AM in Other Reclaiming: Mortgage Fees, Council Tax etc. MoneySavingExpert.com Limited is an appointed representative of MoneySupermarket.com Financial Group Limited. So to help, we've tried to narrow down who's most likely to be able to claim, so you can weigh up whether to try it. Data gathered in 2019 under the Freedom of Information Act from over 280 councils showed across England, Scotland and Wales more than £230 million was sitting unclaimed in 1.7 million council tax accounts that were closed or inactive. Limited on behalf of Which? Laurence Prax, 28, from London, recently reclaimed council tax credit after moving away from the London Borough of Tower Hamlets – though in his case, he did so after being told  by the council he could reclaim. Council Tax refunds If there is an overpayment showing on your account, we will allocate it to any other outstanding Council Tax accounts you may have. We want to hear your stories. Reasons for overpayment: Find cheap pick-up only items near you - they often attract fewer bids. Unique tool uses probability to estimate winnings. Refunds are usually paid directly into the bank account of the person who’s name is on the council tax bill. Two councils had over £10 million in unclaimed council tax credit, and a further five had over £5 million. If the band has been lowered since you lived there, you could be owed. If you pay by direct debit, you'll find your Council Tax account number next to any Council Tax payment on your bank statement. Spotted out of date info/broken links? A spokesperson for the London Borough of Tower Hamlets confirmed that it puts no time limit on reclaims and said: "When an account is closed, we send a bill detailing the credit due and advising of the refund process. Yet strictly speaking, councils can apply the statute of limitations to reclaims as long as they have previously tried to notify you of the credit, so in England and Wales they can stop you reclaiming six years after the account was closed, and in Scotland, five years. 3 replies 51 views [Deleted User] Forumite. Find out who is responsible for paying Council Tax and if you don't need to pay because you're exempt from paying. Alternatively, you can also appeal if you are being sent bills but are not the person liable to pay council tax – for example, if you are a landlord and your tenants should be paying council tax. To do this, you will need to check the band of similar properties near your own and see if they are any lower than yours. What happens next. The property details are wrong or incomplete. If the VOA finds that your property has incorrectly been put in a higher band, not only will your council tax bills be lowered in future, but your council will refund you the money you've overpaid. If you believe that your property’s original valuation was a mistake - and you therefore deserve to be in a lower band - you’ll need to persuade the Valuation Office Agency this is the case. To challenge your tax band, follow the process set out above for challenging your council tax bill. If you move out of North Somerset and you’ve overpaid your Council Tax by direct debit, we will make a refund by BACS. So if you set up a redirect on your post, this notice from the council would hopefully have made it to your new address. Claim a year's worth of tax relief. You then have three months in which to consider this and to apply to the valuation tribunal if you are not satisfied. Here's why closed accounts can end up in credit (in rough order of likelihood): Knowing whether or not you fall into the categories above can be difficult, and we don't want everyone just calling their council on spec to find out. If you're worried about work during the coronavirus crisis, this guide looks at your rights if you're self employed, including what help's there for limited company directors. Finds your cheapest energy & monitors to let you know when to switch again. A spokesperson for the City of Edinburgh Council told us: "As a capital city, Edinburgh has a fairly transient population where residents move regularly from one property to the next. To claim your refund, you will need to have your council tax reference number. The regulator's other help schemes are also likely to be extended too, including car finance and payday loans, yet should you do it? Normally, this isn't a problem – in fact, as council tax is usually paid in advance you'll often be in credit. Before we give you a refund we’ll check you do not owe any council tax for previous years or other properties. So there's more of a chance your closed account could be in credit if you shared a home, even if you paid by direct debit. He was owed despite having paid by direct debit, and his story (he even sent his own freedom of information request to Tower Hamlets) inspired our investigation. Once you have an account you will be able to see a history of your requests and link to other council services such as council tax. If you’re shopping online for gifts, the deadline for ordering to get ’em in time for Christmas may be sooner than you think. Martin Lewis: I averaged 24,300 steps a day (burning 3,910 calories) in 2020 – here's how... NHS and care worker staff freebies & discounts, 10-piece Lottie London cruelty-free make-up bundle for £19 all-in (£50ish bought separately), 12 FREE ways to learn something new at home, Amazon Warehouse – get returned items or mildly damaged products for knock-down prices, LAST OOOOORDERS! Use these calculators to estimate how much tax you’ll be paying this year. You can check a council tax band for any home in England or Wales on the Gov.uk website. A major MoneySavingExpert.com investigation in 2019 found there was at least £230 million in overpaid tax sitting in council coffers – and if you've moved home since 1993, you could be owed £100+ of it. However, about two out of every 10 councils told us they don't automatically issue refunds, even if they have direct debit details. I set up a redirect on my post – could I still be owed? Alternatively you could check old emails. If you lived in a house where there were multiple billpayers, it might have been harder for the council to establish who should have been refunded. Finally, you may be able to appeal if your home should be an exempt dwelling – ie. Martin Lewis explains how to check Council Tax bill for overpayments and possible refunds The money-saving expert shares two simple checks you can do quickly to see if … Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme: last chance to apply for December payments, A quarter of self-employed workers plan to delay their January 2021 tax payment, The household bills you'll pay as a homeowner. If you think you might owe debt, don't bury your head in the sand. We’ll only refund your credit if you don’t owe us any further Council Tax. This is the first incarnation of this guide. 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