Struggling to pay

Having trouble paying your Council Tax?

We recognise that sometimes households struggle to pay their bills, please get in touch with us if you get into any financial difficulties. Contact us by email or call 01908 253794 or 01908 254060 during office hours. 

There are several ways we may be able to help, including working out a payment plan or helping reduce your bill through relevant discounts and benefits. 

If you have received a Reminder Notice, Summons or Notice of a Liability Order you can set up a Special Arrangement online now.

Remember, the sooner you let us know, the sooner we can do something about your situation and give you more peace of mind. 

You can complete our Online Income and Expenditure Application to help us work out the best course of action. 

Information on the help and support that is available to Milton Keynes residents is available on our cost of living support page. 

If you're on low-income or state benefits you may qualify for Council Tax Reduction, which will reduce the amount you have to pay. You can apply for Council Tax Reduction through our Benefits Portal.  

You may also be entitled to a reduction in your Council through a discount or exemption.

Non-payment of Council Tax 

If you do not pay your Council Tax, we will take the necessary steps to recover the money. This may result in additional costs being added to your bill. For information more on this visit Court Summons and Enforcement 

Further information on our recovery procedures is available in our Income and Collection Procedure. 

Priority debts 

Council Tax is classed as a priority debt. This means there are serious consequences if you do not pay.  

Priority debts take precedence over non-priority debts such as credit card payments, hire purchase agreements, catalogue payments, unsecured bank and payday loans. 

Non-priority debts can be put on hold until your priority debt (council tax arrears) is cleared. You can contact your creditors using this non-priority creditor letter template. You'll need to send them a copy of your income and expenditure, as well as your Council Tax bill. 

You should also contact us to let us know so we can discuss future Council Tax payments 

Independent financial advice 

Worried about debts or have missed payments? There is free, confidential, and independent debt advice available. The government-sponsored MoneyHelper can direct you to a debt adviser straight away by telephone, or you can get support online. 

If you are experiencing financial hardship and need advice on ways to increase your income, manage your debt and deal with creditors, we strongly recommend you seek advice.  

Please find below the contact details for various organizations that may be able to assist you with financial and debt-related issues in Milton Keynes: 

Milton Keynes Citizens Advice Bureau  

MK Money Lifeline 

Milton Keynes Age UK 

National Debtline:  

StepChange:  

Council tax reductions in special circumstances (Section 13a)

We can sometimes give a short term council tax reduction to people who find themselves unexpectedly in exceptional circumstances. This type of reduction is called a Section 13a under the Local Government Finance Act.

We can only give a Section 13a reduction in exceptional situations. The money to cover the reductions comes out of our own funds and the decision to make a reduction and how much it is for is at our discretion -we do not have to give a reduction to anyone.

Apply for a discretionary hardship award under section 13a

When applying, you must:

  • demonstrate you have taken all reasonable steps to resolve the problems that are causing you to apply for the reduction
  • apply for any other types of council tax reduction, council tax discounts or exemptions or other financial help you might be able to get. Details of what help is available can be found on the following web pages 
  • check to see if you can reduce your council tax by challenging your council tax band, if you have grounds to do so
  • demonstrate that you do not have any assets, equity on any owned property, excess income or savings that could be used to pay the council tax
  • investigate and taken advice to see if you are eligible for a debt relief order or involuntary arrangement
  • demonstrate that you have exhausted all alternative options available to you.
  • evidence that you are experiencing financial hardship or exceptional or unforeseen circumstances

Council tax exemptions and discounts

Local council tax reduction scheme 

Cost of living support

You can apply for a discretionary hardship award under Section 13a online - before applying please read Appendix A of Discretionary Financial Assistance  policy carefully to see if you may qualify:

Apply for a discretionary hardship award