Options
Do you pay council tax in January/February
Deaf Leppard
Posts: 2,682
Forum Member
✭✭✭
If you pay council tax by direct debit, would i be right in saying that you get two months break every year? Its my first year living in my own house, and this was news to me when somebody mentioned it to me last night...
0
Comments
Some councils offer an option to pay over 12 months, meaning a lower payment each month. You need to check what arrangement has been made in your case.
It might not be the case everywhere.
Often it is a mistake to pay bills in instalments like this if you have the means to pay all in one go, as there will often be some sort of extra charge for monthly payments. However this is not the case with council tax, so the reverse is the case and it is a bit silly to pay all in one go as you can hang on to your money a bit longer without having to pay any extra.
No they are not. The council has got all your money in advance of the final payment date. That money has been sucked out of your account before it is actually needed.
I have to say, Direct Debits make life SO much easier!
may not be so good news for you tho, if you start paying later in the year councils usually extend the payments into feb and mar, this happened to me last year when I moved house, sorry
Every month I settle my council tax account by internet banking.
Between April & December I round up my payments to the nearest £10. This usually means that the final January payment is around half the normal payment - always handy at that time of the year.
In February and March I make the usual payments anyway - this has the effect of reducing the monthly (demanded) outlay by around 20%.
But I preferred to pay a bit more each month then get 2 months free to pay my road tax.(feb and march here too)
I use the councils automated payment line and pay each month ,always late, by debit card.
Payment is due on the 7th,but as long as you pay by the 17th they dont get upset
Standing Orders are paid at the request of the payer with the reciever having no control over dates or amounts paid.
This is why organisations such as Councils prefer payment by DD so that they can control the dates. They usually take one years payments over 10 months. This way they get the money quicker and there is less admin expense to collect 10 payments instead of 12. The customer also feels they are getting a better deal by having two months "free".
And I feel rich, rich, rich!!