I have problems paying

If you do not pay a Council Tax instalment a reminder notice will be sent giving you seven days to bring your Council Tax payments up to date.  If you pay within this time then your current instalment arrangement will continue.

If you do not pay within 7 days you will be sent a final notice asking you to pay the full outstanding balance of your Council Tax bill (that is the full amount for the rest of the year). If this balance is not paid, the Council will start recovery action.

Please note we will only send two reminders to you within a year.  If you fall behind with your instalments a third time we will immediately issue you with a final notice.

The Council can apply to the magistrates' court for a liability order. You will be sent a summons telling you when the court will consider the application and the amount that we are seeking to recover.  This will be the outstanding amount of Council Tax plus an additional £60 to cover court costs. You have the right to attend the court and offer evidence as to why the order should not be made.

Even if you decide not to attend court, you should still speak to the Council about the summons amount. We will try to come to a reasonable arrangement with you for payment of this but cannot do so if you do not make contact. If you make an arrangement you will avoid any further recovery costs.

If you do not pay the balance shown on the summons before the court hearing, the matter will be taken to the Magistrates' Court and we will apply for a liability order.  Even after a liability order is granted you can still come to a payment arrangement with us.

To discuss a payment agreement with the Council you should contact the Recovery Section by email at recovery@north-norfolk.gov.uk or by completing our online offer to pay form.

If a liability order is granted by the court, the Council can demand certain information from you about your employment and earnings to help us decide how best to recover the debt. You are legally required to provide this information, failure to do so is a criminal offence and can require you to pay additional Court costs of at least £60 and the Magistrate can fine you up to an additional £500. This offence can affect your credit rating.

The main options for recovery are as follows:

Attachment of earnings orders
The Council can order your employer to recover the amount direct from your wages or salary and pay it direct to the Council to pay off your debt. The amount will be a set proportion of your pay after certain other deductions (such as income tax and national insurance) - your employer may also deduct a further £1 to meet their costs in making each deduction and sending it on to the Council. For more information on this please see the government guide 'Attachment Orders - a Guide for Employers'

Deductions from Income Support, Job Seekers Allowance or Employment Support Allowance
If you are receiving any of the above the Council can apply for regular deductions to be made from that benefit to pay off your debt.
 
Distress (Bailiffs)
The Council employ bailiffs to recover debt - this process is known as the levy of distress. The charges involved are set out in legislation - they can be quite considerable and you will be held liable for them. It is highly advisable for you to avoid matters reaching this stage by coming to an arrangement with the Council to pay your outstanding debt.

The bailiff has three options to recover an outstanding debt:

• They can make a walking possession agreement with you. This is a payment arrangement agreed with the bailiff, as long as you honour this your goods will not be removed.
• They can take close possession of your goods by staying on the premises until payment is made or goods are removed for sale.
• They can remove goods to the value of the debt with a view to their sale. 

Other options for enforcement action include bankruptcy proceedings, and, for a debt greater than £1000 pounds, a charging order allowing the Council to apply to a county court for a charge on your property.

It is never too late!! If you are having problems paying your Council Tax please contact us on 01263 516230.  We will try to come to a sensible payment arrangement with you that will suit your circumstances.  Whatever stage recovery action is at contacting us will ensure no additional costs occur.  If you do not contact us then we would recommend seeking independent financial advice.

When we set Council Tax, we assume that two or more adults live in each property. You are entitled to a discount if you live alone; Council Tax for that property will be reduced by 25% (a quarter). You may also qualify for other reductions such as Council Tax Benefit.