Council Tax Band
Yearly local charge set by valuation
Council tax is the yearly charge a local authority makes on a home to fund local services. Every home sits in a band, fixed by a historic valuation rather than its current price. The Valuation Office, part of HMRC since April 2026, bands homes in England and Wales; Scottish Assessors handle Scotland. Northern Ireland has no council tax and no bands, and charges domestic rates instead.
What This Means
You pay this charge to your local authority every year, for as long as you live here. It funds services such as bins, roads and social care. Paying more than the last buyer did will not move the band. What varies is the rate: each authority sets its own charge for every band. It is a running cost alongside the mortgage, not a one-off.
Score Ranges
Band A
England: £0 to £40,000 (1991 values)The lowest-cost band, around two thirds of the Band D charge. Often flats and smaller terraces.
Band B
England: £40,001 to £52,000 (1991 values)Below the Band D charge. Bands A to C together hold most homes in England.
Band C
England: £52,001 to £68,000 (1991 values)Still below the Band D charge, and the top of the range most English homes fall in.
Band D
England: £68,001 to £88,000 (1991 values)The reference band. Councils publish their charge as a Band D rate and scale the others to it.
Band E
England: £88,001 to £120,000 (1991 values)Above the Band D charge, set as a fixed proportion of it.
Band F
England: £120,001 to £160,000 (1991 values)Above the Band D charge, at a higher fixed proportion than Band E.
Band G
England: £160,001 to £320,000 (1991 values)Well above the Band D charge, at a higher fixed proportion again.
Band H
England: over £320,000 (1991 values)The highest band in England, costing roughly double the Band D charge.
Band I
Wales only: over £424,000 (2003 values)Only Wales has this ninth band, set above its own Band H.
Practical Advice
- Look up the band in England and Wales on the Valuation Office listing, or in Scotland on the Scottish Assessors portal.
- In Northern Ireland, ask Land & Property Services for the home's rateable capital value before agreeing a price.
- Ask the local authority for this year's charge at that band before you make an offer.
- Claim the single-adult discount of 25 per cent from your council if you will live here alone.
- Compare nearby homes on the same listing before challenging your band, because a review can move it up as well as down.
Key Points
- Two identical homes in neighbouring council areas can differ by several hundred pounds a year in the same band.
- A Band C terrace extended by a previous owner can move to Band D when it next changes hands, not when the work is done.
Additional Information
Scotland also bands homes A to H on 1991 values, but on lower thresholds. Those figures do not apply there. In Northern Ireland, Land & Property Services charges domestic rates on capital value as at 1 January 2005. It offers a lone pensioner allowance, not the single-adult discount. The linked guide covers England, Wales and Scotland, not Northern Ireland.