Council tax rebates worth £150m are owed to households

Council tax rebates worth £150m are owed to households that paid in advance, experts say

• Most of the money is owed to those who paid it in advance before moving house
• Some owed to people who forgot to cancel payments or live in re-banded homes
• There are 38 councils across UK that hold more than £1million in refunds each

Households are owed £150million in council tax refunds, research shows.

There are 862,027 homes due an average of £174 each, consumer website moneysavingexpert.com said.

Most of the money is owed to those who paid council tax in advance before moving house, with some owed to people who forgot to cancel payments or whose homes were re-banded.

There are 862,027 homes due an average of £174 each, consumer website moneysavingexpert.com said 

There are 38 councils across the UK that hold more than £1million in refunds each, with Birmingham City Council holding the most at £5.4million.

Moneysavingexpert is urging households to check if they are due a refund from their council. The consumer finance site said how to check will depend on the council, with some offering online forms.

It said setting up a direct debit can help avoid overpaying in future and make claiming a refund easier.

Moneysavingexpert deputy editor Gareth Shaw said: ‘While many councils do make an effort to track down those who have cash lying unclaimed, they are still staggeringly sitting on £150million worth of overpayments.

‘You’re less likely to have overpaid if you use direct debit, but it’s not impossible, so if you’ve moved home, it’s worth checking if you might be due – especially if you changed local authority area and paid by cash, cheque or standing order instead. Each council has its own way of processing claims, but some have an easy online form.’

Mr Shaw urged people to check their statements and bills before calling councils to avoid unnecessary phone calls.

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