Council tax billing FAQs
Only payments received by 23 February 2023 are shown on your bill. If you have made a payment since that date, this will not be included on your bill. Please log in to your MyHarrow Account (MHA) to check your payment has been received.
If you have made a payment since the above date and the payment concerned has put your account in credit, and you do not pay by Direct Debit, please deduct the amount of the overpayment from your 1 April 2023 instalment and continue to pay your instalments as shown on your annual bill, from 1 May 2023 onwards. If you do pay by Direct Debit then this overpayment will not be taken into account until your final instalment for 2023-24.
If there has been a change to your liability since 23 February 2023, that you have recently told us about, this will not be shown on your annual bill, but a new bill will be sent to you after the 1 April 2023. The new instalments on your bill do not include any balance outstanding from 2022/2023 but any credit balance, as at 23 February 2023, will have already been taken into account to reduce your instalments for 2023/24.
You can see an explanation of the bill content by using this link to View a sample bill.
Why does my bill show a balance outstanding?
Any outstanding balance from 2022/23 or earlier, that has not been subject to previous court proceedings, must be paid in full by 31st March 2023. Please check your MyHarrow Account to view when your instalments are due, as there may be a final payment due on a date in March 2023.
If you were previously issued with a Summons and the outstanding balance is already with Enforcement Agents, you must contact them to make payment. If your outstanding balance is subject to a payment arrangement, please ensure that it is up-to-date and continue to make your payments in addition to those shown on your New Bill to avoid court proceedings. An outstanding balance that has been subject to previous court proceedings will be shown as ‘subject to court proceedings’ on your annual bill.
I want a refund for the credit on my account instead of it being used to reduce what I owe for 2023/24
Please download the Refund Request Form at and then complete it and upload it using the Evidence form.
If you request a refund, your bill for 2023/24 will have to be recalculated and this will increase your monthly payments. This is because they are currently reduced by the amount of the credit concerned. You will then be sent a new bill after 1 April 2023.
How can I make payment?
You can view methods of payment online or see the back of your Council Tax Bill.
Direct Debit Payments see www.harrow.gov.uk/ctaxdirectdebit. If you were previously paying by Direct Debit and this has not been cancelled, this will automatically continue to be your method of payment and you will not need to arrange a new Direct Debit instruction for the new Financial year (i.e. 2023/24).
I want to pay over 12 months not 10
You have two options to pay over 12 months:
To pay by Direct Debit, please complete our online Direct Debit form, or alternatively, please submit a request using the Evidence Form so that we can arrange a payment plan through to March.
Note: If you pay your April instalment as shown on your bill, we can then recalculate the balance over the remaining 11 months. Otherwise, your revised bill will give 11 instalments from May 2023 to March 2024 and this will increase what you have to pay each month, as there will only be 11 months remaining in which to pay your annual Council Tax bill and not 12.
I can’t pay on the 1st of the month
All non-Direct Debit payments must be made on the 1st of each month. If you cannot pay on the 1st you may wish to set up a Direct Debit for which you may choose either the 15th or 25th of each month. If you would like to set up a Direct Debit, please complete our online Direct Debit form.
I need to stop the 1st of April Direct Debit from being collected. What can I do?
You must contact your bank and arrange to have the Direct Debit instruction cancelled. If you opt to pay by Direct Debit in the future you will need to set up a new Direct Debit instruction
My bill does not show my discount/exemption/relief?
If you have recently submitted an application for a reduction to your Council Tax, it may still be awaiting processing. You must continue to pay as per your bill instructions, until you receive a revised bill showing the amount of reduction given and recalculated future instalment details.
If you have been awarded a full exemption and your Council Tax account is in credit, you can request a refund. Please log on to your MyHarrow Account to check the discount/exemption/relief has been applied to your account before you do this. You can also check the status of the application and any letters that we may have sent to you.
If you believe you may qualify for a discount or exemption, please view our council tax pages for details. You can upload your application using the Evidence Form.
My property is now occupied what do I need to do/I’ve moved out/sold my property?
Please complete the online move in/out form. Following successful completion of the online form, the Council Taxpayer will receive a revised or new bill as confirmation of the updated Council Tax records.
Local Council Tax Support Scheme
Details of the Harrow scheme, may be found by visiting Council Tax Support
You can also check your entitlement to Council Tax Support by using our Online entitlement calculator.
I get Universal Credit, Income Support, Job Seekers Allowance, Employment Support Allowance, Pension Credit Guarantee or have a low income; can I get a reduction in my Council Tax?
If you have previously applied for and become entitled to Council Tax Support (CTS), your entitlement will automatically be calculated for 2023/24 based upon your circumstances known to us. If you have submitted a new claim or change of circumstances recently and have not yet received a revised Council Tax bill showing any entitlement or change of entitlement, you will, in the meantime, need to pay your Council Tax as shown on your most recent bill.
I don’t agree with how much Council Tax Support I am getting
You can visit your MyHarrow Account to view your total entitlement to Council Tax Support.
If you think your Council Tax Support is incorrect, you can ask us to review the decision. To do this you must write to the Council giving reasons why you believe the decision is incorrect and send all supporting documentation. You can also Submit your dispute online.
If you are not satisfied with the decision from the Council, you can appeal to an independent Valuation Tribunal within two months of our decision. You must however continue to pay your Council Tax as per your bill, whilst you have an appeal outstanding.
Why have I been charged for Adult Social Care?
An amount has been included within the Council Tax to be spent exclusively on local social care needs. That amount represents 2% of the 2023/24 Harrow Council Tax requirement for Harrow Council (i.e. excluding the GLA element). Harrow has increased its Council Tax requirement for 2023/24 by 2.99%, meaning that the overall increase for this year (excluding the GLA element)is 4.99%, including the Adult Social Care precept.
Why have I been charged for GLA?
Please refer to the online Council Tax booklet.
I don’t agree with my Council Tax Band?
You should contact the Valuation Office Agency (VOA) to explain why you think your valuation band is wrong. You must be able to provide evidence.
Visit www.gov.uk/challenge-council-tax-band or call 03000 501 501
I’ve got an appeal outstanding on my band; do I have to pay this bill?
Yes. The current bill remains payable until a decision regarding your appeal has been reached and communicated to you and you have been sent a revised bill.
How can I contact the Council about my Council Tax?
Please see if you can find the answer to your question on our Council Tax webpages. If you cannot find the information that you want, please submit an enquiry via our Council Tax Enquiry Form. Contact details are also on our bills.
My bill shows a reduction for Ct Support Fund Reduction. What is that reduction?
If you are in receipt of Council Tax Support on 1st April 2023, you may be eligible for a further reduction of up to £25. This will be shown on your bill as CT Support Fund Reduction if your Council Tax payable is £25 or more. If your Council Tax payable is less than £25, the amount of the reduction shown on your bill will be equal to that amount. If you do not pay Council Tax, as you receive 100% Council Tax Support, you will not qualify for this further reduction.
Where can I go if the Civic Centre will now be closed?
The Civic Centre’s customer reception is now closed. In its place, the Council has opened two new sites in the town centre for in-person enquiries.
99% of our customer interactions are now online or over the telephone. If you have queries relating to Council Tax and Business Rates, please first visit the Council’s website.
Should you need help to access our services online, Council staff at Greenhill Library will be happy to assist you. The address is Greenhill Library, Perceval Square, College Road, Harrow, HA1 1GX. This service is available Monday to Friday, 10am to 6pm. The opening hours of the main library may differ.
You can use this new service to submit enquiries online, notify changes of circumstance, make cashless payments, and submit requested documents, which will be scanned.