Warning signCoronavirus (COVID-19): The Forum in Hemel Hempstead and civic offices in Tring and Berkhamsted are now closed to the public. Our online services remain available and we urge customers to use this facility. If your enquiry cannot be answered via our website, please email customer.services@dacorum.gov.uk or call 01442 228000. Please only contact us for essential/urgent enquiries. For council service updates and other advice, please see our COVID-19 page. ×

Coronavirus (COVID-19) - updated 31 March 2020

We understand that some residents may have difficulty in making Council Tax payments in line with the instalments shown on the recently issued annual bills. We don’t want anyone to worry about not being able to pay, and so we will not be sending out any reminder notices or taking any other recovery action in the immediate future.

Council Tax Support

If your income has dropped because you are no longer able to work, you may be able to claim Council Tax Support to reduce your bill.

To find out how much help you might get, please use the benefit calculator on the Entitled To website.

As a temporary measure, while social distancing rules are in place, you can apply by completing this form:  Council Tax Support application form (PDF 842KB). Once complete, please email to benefits@dacorum.gov.uk.

Universal Credit

You may also qualify for Universal Credit to help with your rent and daily living expenses. For more information, please visit the Government website.

Council Tax hardship fund

The Government has announced that anyone of working age who receives Council Tax Support (CTS-WA) will have their Council Tax bill for 2020-2021 reduced by up to £150. This means that if you receive CTS-WA and the annual bill we sent you is for £150 or less, you will not have to pay anything. If you receive CTS-WA and your bill is for more than £150 we will take £150 off the amount showing on the annual bill.

You do not need to apply for this - we will automatically add the extra help to your account and we expect that we will send out new bills showing this reduction in early to mid April.

If you receive CTS-WA and you have set up a Direct Debit to pay your Council Tax, we will not collect any payment from your bank account in April.

There may be further help available to all residents as part of this fund, but at the moment we have no further information about this. We will update this page with more details as it becomes available to us.

Please do not contact our Customer Services team to ask questions about this, as they have no more information than that shown here.

Council Tax services

Council Tax

The Council Tax you pay funds services provided by us, Hertfordshire County Council and Hertfordshire Police. If you live in an area with a parish or town council, some of the Council Tax also goes to them. For more information, please click on the links below.

Council Tax charges for 2020-2021

Information on our spending and income.

Where your money goes

We collect your Council Tax and put it into a separate fund called the 'collection fund'. This year we need to collect over £100 million in Council Tax.

Although we are responsible for collecting all of your Council Tax, only 11p of every £1 we collect is kept by us to pay for our services. The rest of what we collect goes to Hertfordshire County Council, who receive 78p of every £1 and to the Police and Crime Commissioner for Hertfordshire who gets a further 11p.

You can find out how much of your bill you pay to each of these public authorities in the Council Tax leaflet below. To find out how much you should pay, you can check the banding level of your property. Each authority has produced information to show how it spends its part of the Council Tax. For more details, click on the links below:

Frequently asked questions

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  • I can't afford to pay my Council Tax

    If you find yourself in a position where you owe money to us and cannot pay, do not just ignore the problem. Get in touch with us so that we can work out a plan to deal with the matter.

    Although we may not be able to simply write off a debt, we may, for instance, be able to agree easier payment terms until your circumstances improve.

    Our specialist officers may also be able to tell you about other benefits and concessions to which you may be entitled - and even help you fill in the application forms if you would like us to do so.

    Contact us

    Council Tax telephone helpline: 01442 228000
    Email: council.tax@dacorum.gov.uk
    Address:
    Dacorum Borough Council
    Council Tax Section
    The Forum
    Hemel Hempstead
    HP1 1DN

  • My Council Tax bill shows a credit from last year, what will happen to this amount?

    If your 2020-2021 bill shows that your account is in credit and you would like it refunded, please email council.tax@dacorum.gov.uk or call 01442 228000 and ask for Council Tax.

    If you still have credit from last year (April 2019 - March 2020), it will be taken off this year's bill to reduce the instalments. You can still have the credit refunded, but this will mean that your instalments for 2020-2021 will increase. If you still want the credit refunded, please email council.tax@dacorum.gov.uk or call 01442 228000 and ask for Council Tax. Once the refund has been authorised, you will receive a revised Council Tax bill showing your new instalments.

    Please note: we will refund you by direct credit to your bank or building society account. If you do not currently pay by Direct Debit, we will need your bank details to refund you.

  • I received a bill for my old address but I have now moved

    If you have already told us about your change of address, you will receive a revised council tax bill in the next two weeks.

    If you pay by Direct Debit, have moved out of the borough and do not want your April instalment taken, please cancel your Direct Debit with your bank.

    If you have moved within the borough, and you are liable to pay Council Tax at your new address, any payment made on your old account will be transferred to your new bill.

    If you have not told us about your move, please email us the details at council.tax@dacorum.gov.uk or by phone on 01442 228000.

  • I receive Council Tax Support, has this been taken off my bill?

    Yes. We have worked out your Council Tax Support for 2020-2021 and this is included on your Council Tax bill.

  • I pay by Direct Debit, do I need to set up a new one?

    If you have already set up a Direct Debit, this will show on the front of your bill, and you do not have to do anything else.

    As a Direct Debit payer, you can choose to make payment on the 1st, 10th or 21st day of the month. If you would like to change your Direct Debit payment date, please let us know by emailing council.tax@dacorum.gov.uk or calling 01442 228000.

  • My bill shows 10 monthly instalments. Can I pay over 12 months instead?

    Yes. You have the right to pay in 12 monthly instalments. If you want to do this, let us know by email at council.tax@dacorum.gov.uk or call us on 01442 228000. You can also pay over 12 months by Direct Debit. Find out how to set up a Direct Debit with us.

    If you have an instalment due for 1 April 2020, you'll need to pay the amount shown on your bill and your future instalments will be adjusted.

  • I have received my bill. Can I set up a Direct Debit?

    Yes. You can set up a Direct Debit online. Please visit our Paying your Council Tax bill page for more information.

  • It states at the bottom of my bill that my account is in arrears - why is this?

    The Council Tax bill was issued using information as of 6 March 2020. If you have made a payment since 6 March 2020, it will not be included in the bill.

    If you still owe money, we may take recovery action. Please contact us at council.tax@dacorum.gov.uk or call 01442 228000 and ask for Council Tax Recovery.

  • Why does Hertfordshire County Council show as a 2.0% increase?

    The total amount you pay to Hertfordshire County Council (HCC) has increased by 3.99% from last year. The way that this increase is shown on your bill was decided by central Government.

    The amount you pay to HCC is made up of two parts - one for general spending, and the other a ring-fenced amount, which can only be spent on providing adult social care.

    For a band D property, the total HCC charge for 2019-2020 was £1,359.94. This was split as £1,264.15 for general spending and £95.79 for adult social care.

    For 2020-2021 – this has increased by 1.99% for general spending (£27.06) and 2.00% for adult social care (£27.20). This means the total HCC charge for 2020-2021 is £1,414.20.

    The Government has asked us to split the HCC amount into two parts on your Council Tax bill so you can see how much of your payment is helping to pay for adult social care. However, it also wants us to show the increase based on the change from last year’s total charge, and rounded to one decimal place only. This is why your bill shows a change of 2.0% for the HCC Adult Social Care supplement, and a change of 2.0% for Hertfordshire County Council.

    Find out more about Hertfordshire County Council’s budget and spending plans.

  • I haven’t received my Council Tax bill for 2020-2021 yet. What should I do?

    If you haven't received your Council Tax bill, please let us know by email at council.tax@dacorum.gov.uk or call us on 01442 228000 and we will send you a copy of the bill.

  • How is my Council Tax spent?

    Information about how Dacorum Borough Council, Herts County Council and the Police and Crime Commissioner for Hertfordshire spend their portion of the Council Tax we collect is available on our Council Tax page.

    If your Council Tax includes an amount for a parish or town council and you would like more information about how that is spent, you can find parish council contact information on our parish and town councils page.

  • I have already contacted you about my Council Tax. When should I expect a reply?

    We are currently dealing with a large volume of work, and it is likely to be two weeks before you receive a reply from us. Whether you contacted us by phone, letter or email, it will take the same amount of time for us to get back to you.

Contact us

Email: council.tax@dacorum.gov.uk
Phone: 01442 228000
Address:
Dacorum Borough Council 
Council Tax Section 
The Forum
Marlowes 
Hemel Hempstead
Herts
HP1 1DN