You will receive a final notice if either:
- 2 reminders have already been sent and payment is late a 3rd time. (View an explanation/example)
- 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. (View an explanation/example)
You can check which payments were late and when any reminder notices were sent on your MyHarrow account.
If you believe you shouldn't have been sent a Final Notice, you can find out what to do on the disputes page.
What to do when you receive a Final Notice
- You must pay the amount shown on the final notice within seven days of the date the notice was issued.
- When a Final Notice is issued you lose the right to pay by instalments and you will have to pay the full balance. No other payment arrangement can be made for a 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 7 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 do not make full payment when you are sent the summons including the £125 costs we will ask the court for a Liability Order and a further £5 will be added. The date of the hearing will be on the summons. Payment must have been received on your Council Tax Account for us to not carry on with applying for 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 to. Paying anything less than the full amount may not stop the summons, but 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.
The amount you owe
The amount you need to pay is shown on the Final Notice letter as highlighted below:
Final Notice Date of Issue
You can find the date of issue on your Final Notice letter as indicated below:
The full payment must be made within 7 days of the Date of Issue.