Council Tax Final Notice

You will receive a final notice if: 

  • two reminders have already been sent and payment is late a third time. (see an explanation); or
  • you did not have the right to pay by instalments. This may happen if it was a closed account and you have not made payment as requested. (see an explanation)

You can check your MyHarrow account to see:

  • which payments were late
  • when reminder notices were sent 

If you believe you shouldn't have been sent a Final Notice, see our disputes page.

What to do when you receive a Final Notice

Pay the Final Notice

To pay by phone call 0208 424 1220. You will need to have your Council Tax Reference number.

For other payment methods, see Paying your council tax.

What will happen if you do not pay the Final Notice

If you do not pay the amount you owe within seven days of the date of issue, you may be sent a summons.

When the summons is issued you will incur costs of £125. This will increase your debt. However the council has a duty to protect public funds, and the summons allows more debt recovery options.

If you don't pay the summons in full, including the £125 costs, we'll ask the court for a Liability Order. In addition a further £5 will be added. The date of the hearing will be on the summons. Payment must be received on your account to stop the Liability Order. You can check this on your MyHarrow Account.

What to do if you cannot pay the Final Notice

You should:

  • Check if you are entitled to receive any Discount or Council Tax Support. This may not stop the summons, but could reduce the debt making it easier for you to manage payments.
  • Pay as much of the arrears as you can afford. Paying anything less than the full amount may not stop the summons. However, it will make it easier to agree an arrangement after the summons is sent
  • Check if you are paying over 10 months or 12. If over 10 months you can ask for your payments to be extended to March of each year. This will reduce your monthly payments. You can do this by setting up a Direct Debit. You will then be sent a new bill telling you the reduced amount to pay.
  • Get debt advice and financial support. This may help you reduce other bills, enabling you to get the right support.