Council Tax FAQs - billing and discounts

You can create a Council Tax account online and register for Council Tax.

A guides is available to help you register for Council Tax (as a property owner or as a tenant).

Please note, if your property is a new build, you'll need to contact us to register for Council Tax. You will not be able to do it online. Call us on 01642 726006 and an adviser will help you. Once your property is registered, you'll be able to use the online service to manage your account.

Our phone lines are open Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday (10am to 4:30pm), and Friday (10am to 4pm). They are closed on Thursdays, Saturdays, and Sundays.

Your payments are shown on your most recent bill, which can be viewed on your Council Tax account.

You'll need your Council Tax account number and E-Service key to access your account. These can be found on your most recent bill.

Your Council Tax is payable in monthly or weekly instalments (depending on how you've chosen to pay).

The dates the instalments are due are shown on your bill. Payments should be made on or before the due date to avoid possible recovery action and further charges being added to your account.

You can make a payment now or see other ways to pay.

Please complete a Council Tax enquiry form with your request and we'll make the change for you.

You can set up or change a Direct Debit online using your Council Tax account.

You'll need your Council Tax account number, which is shown on your bill as 'Account No.'.

A guide is available to help you set up a Direct Debit.

The reason for a bill being issued is shown on each bill.

These reasons could include: opening or closing an account, a change to your instalments, a change in your benefit award, or exemptions / discounts being applied or cancelled.

Read more about why you pay Council Tax.

You can view your bill online using your Council Tax account. You'll need your Council Tax account number and E-Service key to access your account. These can be found on your most recent bill.

If you need a paper bill, please complete a Council Tax enquiry form.

When you close your account, a closing bill is issued to you. You can check your bills online using your Council Tax account. You'll need your Council Tax account number and E-Service key to access your account. These can be found on your most recent bill.

If you don't have your bill, please contact us by completing a Council Tax enquiry form.

You can let us know about tenants moving in or out of a property online using your Council Tax account.

Guides are available to help you notify us that tenants have moved in or moved out.

You can apply for a Single Person Discount online using your Council Tax account. You'll need your Council Tax account number and E-Service key to access your account. These can be found on your most recent bill.

A guide is available to help you apply for a single person discount.

If you're a full time student, you'll be made exempt from Council Tax when you send us a valid Student Exemption Certificate.

You can send us a copy of your Student Exemption Certificate online.

An amendment made to the Local Government Finance Act in 2012 gave local authorities the power to set their own discounts and exemptions on empty properties. On 9 January 2013, in a full meeting of council members, Middlesbrough Council set the Council Tax charge for an empty property to 100%.

Properties which are uninhabitable aren't exempt from Council Tax. A property can only be made exempt from Council Tax if the police, fire brigade, or an environmental health officer, has said that it's illegal for anyone to live in the property.

We issue refunds by bank transfer. Please complete a Council Tax enquiry form, giving the account name, sort code, and account number of the bank account you'd like the refund to be paid into.

You can scan or photograph your completed forms and upload them using the Council Tax enquiry form. If you don't have access to a scanner or digital camera/smartphone you can send to paper forms to:

Revenue Services
PO Box 2
Middlesbrough House
Corporation Road
Middlesbrough
TS1 2YL

Yes, all people of working age must pay a minimum of 20% of their Council Tax.

There are a small number of exceptions to this rule.

The Data Protection Act 1998 means we can't discuss some else's bill with you.

However, there are a number of reasons why you may pay different amounts, including:

• your property may be in a higher band
• they may be receiving a discount or be subject to an exemption
• they may be getting Council Tax Reduction
• they may have moved in part way through the financial year so they're not paying for a full year

A new claim can take up to three weeks to process.

If more than three weeks have passed since you provided all the information we need, please contact us by completing a Council Tax enquiry form.

Any change to your circumstances can change the amount of Council Tax Reduction you get. You'll have received a Council Tax Reduction notification which explained how your Council Tax Reduction has been calculated.

The most common reasons for your Council Tax Reduction being cancelled are:

• your state benefit entitlement has ended, and you've not provided us with enough information about, and evidence of, your new circumstances
• you no longer qualify for Council Tax Reduction because your income and/or other circumstances have changed
• we've sent you a review form and you've not sent it back
• you've moved house and haven't let us know
• you've not given us all the information that we've asked for