Your online council tax account

Anyone 18-years-old and over who owns, rents, or lives in a private home must pay council tax, with some discounts and exceptions.

How do I access my council tax account online? 

To access your account you will need to use the online key shown on the notice you have received, or on your most recent bill.

I'm having difficulties paying my council tax

If you are having difficulties paying your council tax, email us at counciltax@hillingdon.gov.uk.

Not paying your council tax or ignoring reminders can result in court action and enforcement measures, so it's important to contact us for help.

What happens if I don't pay my council tax?

Council tax is due on 1 April each year. While you can pay in instalments, this isn't automatic. Payments must be made in full by the due date each month.

Pay your council tax

If you miss a payment, a reminder will be sent by post, and you must pay within 7 days. If not, the full year's amount becomes due.

If you still don't pay, a summons will be issued, adding £125 to your bill. Paying the summons amount (including the £125 cost) will stop further action.

If unpaid, we will seek a liability order, allowing us to recover the debt through methods like:

• deductions from earnings or benefits
• using enforcement agents/bailiffs.

A liability order also allows us to take further actions such as charging orders, forced sale proceedings, bankruptcy, or committal proceedings, with all costs payable by you.

Limited defences include having paid the council tax and summons costs.

I have received a reminder notice

You have been sent a reminder notice because you have not paid the instalments as advised on your council tax bill. To bring your payments up to date, you must pay the amount shown on the reminder within the next 7 days.

If you have made payment, you can ignore this notice. However, payments must be made by the due date shown on your council tax bill.

Please note: Allow 10 days for payments made at a post office to be credited to your council tax account.

If you do not pay, the amount shown on the reminder within 7 days, you will lose the right to pay by instalments, and the full balance of your council tax will become due. If that is not paid, a summons will be issued against you.

I have received a 2nd reminder notice

We will only send up to 2 reminder notices in any 1 financial year. If you fall behind with your payments for a 2nd time during the year, you will be issued with a 2nd reminder notice.

If you do not bring your instalments up to date or you miss any more payments, your instalments will be cancelled, and the full amount of the council tax for the year will be payable.

If that is not paid, a summons will be issued against you.

I have received a final notice

You have been sent a final notice because you have not paid the amount due after a reminder, or you have fallen behind for a third time during the financial year (1 April to 31 March) and have previously been sent a reminder notice and a 2nd reminder notice.

The full balance of your council tax must be paid within 7 days.

If you do not pay the amount shown on the final notice in full within 7 days, a summons will be issued against you.

I have received a court summons

You have been summonsed because you have not paid the council tax as requested, even though a reminder, 2nd reminder or final notice was sent to you.

You have lost the right to pay the council tax by instalments and must now pay the full amount shown on the summons plus the costs of £125 before the court date.

If you pay the amount in full (including costs), we will not ask the court to issue a liability order against you and no further action will be taken.

If you do not pay the amount in full (including costs), we will ask the court to issue a liability order against you, which could result in additional costs.

If you want to attend court, first call us on 0300 123 1384 to discuss your case. If needed, we can then make an appointment for you to attend the hearing. Hearings are generally held virtually by video, but they can sometimes be held in person.

Please note: If you don't have a good reason for not paying, the court will issue the order.

To pay the full balance, including costs, please use our online payment service. 

To pay in instalments, you must make a payment arrangement using the summons arrangement form.

I have received a liability order notification

You have been sent this notice because a liability order has been issued against you by Uxbridge Magistrates' Court. This notice tells you:

• when the liability order was issued
• how much the liability order was for
• the costs you have been charged and that you must pay the full amount within 14 days.

A statutory demand for financial information will be sent with the notice, and you must complete and return the demand within 14 days.

I have not received a bill, notice, reminder, or summons

We are required by law to send the council tax notice to your last known address. If you have moved and haven't informed us of your new address, the notice may have been sent to your previous address.

As long as we have records that the notice was created and posted, we are entitled to assume it was successfully delivered.

Do my bills, notices, reminders or summons need to be signed to be valid?

No, your council tax bills, notices, reminders, and summons don't need a signature and are valid and legal without a name or signature.

Should I have received a signed statement of truth?

No, the council is not required to validate bills, notices, or reminders with a signed statement of truth.

Addressing claims of harassment

The council: We receive letters from residents who feel harassed by our actions in collecting council tax. They may send cease and desist notices or claim that further communication implies agreement to pay them for their time. We will not make payments based on such claims.

Residents: In some cases, residents have sent threatening letters to individual officers, which could be considered harassment. We will consider taking action in extreme cases.

Please note: As long as we are fulfilling our legal duty to collect council tax, our actions do not constitute harassment.

Contacting the council

We must read all communications sent to us to identify any important information. While we will not respond on a point-by-point basis, we will pass valid concerns or requests to the appropriate department.

Please note: The law allows us to deem lengthy and repetitive communications as vexatious, meaning they are intended to harass, distress, annoy, or pursue issues excessively, usually without merit.

I would like copies of my bills, notices, reminders, summons, and liability orders

You can download all your notices through your online council tax account.

Register or access your council tax account

We do not keep copies of these documents. A record is kept that the notice was created along with details of the notice.

Please note: If you have left your property and your council tax account has been closed, you will no longer have access to view your account.

I would like a copy of the court-issued liability order

The court does not provide a document for each liability order.

A list of outstanding council tax arrears is presented to the court with additional evidence. Once the magistrates are satisfied, they approve the list electronically. This approved list becomes the liability order.

A physical liability order document is not needed to authorise further enforcement action, as confirmed by England and Wales High Court (administrative court) decisions case law.

Who made the law?

The council tax legislation was created by Parliament - the UK's supreme law-making body. Parliament has the authority to make laws, regulations, and levy taxes.

Council tax must be paid because the law requires it, and the council collects it because the law tells them to, not because of any contract or old laws. Consent from individuals is not needed to pay council tax. 

Do any other laws supersede the council tax legislation?

No, council tax legislation is not overridden by other laws. UK residents are subject to Parliament's laws, which take precedence over ancient acts like the Magna Carta 1215 and the Bill of Rights Act 1688. Council tax legislation is separate from other laws like the Bills of Exchange Act 1882, Consumer Credit Act 1974, Companies Act 2006, or Consumer Rights Act 2015.

The council and courts recognise Parliament as the supreme law-making body, and any argument against Parliament's right to enact council tax legislation is not accepted. Council tax must be paid as long as it is enforced, according to the legislation.

Do I need to consent to pay council tax?

No, you do not need to consent to pay council tax. Laws are made by a democratically elected Parliament, which represents the population.

It is not practical for everyone to consent to every law individually, which is why elected representatives make laws on behalf of the people.

Does the law apply to 'natural persons' or 'legal persons'?

If you live in a dwelling within the borough of Hillingdon, you are required to pay council tax.

The claim that the law applies only to 'legal persons' and not 'natural persons' is a strawman argument (a misleading interpretation), with no legal basis.

What is 'Freeman on the Land'?

A small group of people identify as 'Freeman on the Land.' They use Organised Pseudolegal Commercial Arguments (OPCA), which are legally baseless arguments designed to evade legal responsibilities.

These individuals believe they are not subject to government laws and follow old 'common law' principles. However, we do not accept these arguments and follow current laws and legislation. 

There have been no successful cases using these tactics. In 2017, a man was sent to prison for trying to use Freeman on the Land arguments to avoid paying council tax.