There is a hierarchy used to determine who should be named on the Council Tax bill for your property.

The persons who appear first on the list below are those who will be included on the bill:

1. Residents who own the freehold to the property

2. Residents who own the leasehold to the property

3. Residents who are 'statutory' or 'secure' tenants

4. Residents who have a licence to live in the property

5. Other residents

6. People who own, but do not live in the property

In certain circumstances the owner will always be liable to pay the Council Tax even if they do not live in the property. These include:

• Owners of properties that are occupied by religious communities
• Owners of properties that are occupied by people who each have individual tenancy agreements only allowing them the right to occupy part of the property. These properties are referred to as Houses of Multiple Occupation (HMO's).
• Owners of properties occupied by resident members of staff
• Owners of residential care homes, nursing homes, mental nursing homes and some hostels
• Owners of properties occupied by ministers of religion who perform the duties of their office from the property
• Owners of properties provided to an asylum seeker

Joint owners, joint tenants and the partners of liable people are also responsible for paying the Council Tax and will be named on the bill if they are a resident in the same property. A partner is someone you are married to, in a civil partnership with or living with.

In the event of non-payment, the full amount owed can be collected from any of the people named on the bill. 

There are exceptions to those who will be included in joint liability, for more details see Discounts and Exemptions. 

Direct Debit

Direct debit is the quickest and easiest way to pay.

If you choose to pay by direct debit:

• You won't need to remember a thing all year and your payment will always be made on time.
• You’ll be able to choose from one of our four payment dates - the 1st, 7th, 14th or 25th of each month.
• You are covered by the Direct Debit Guarantee: 
  • All banks and building societies that take part in the Direct Debit scheme offer this guarantee.  The efficiency and security of the scheme is monitored and protected by your own bank or building society. 
  • We are required to give you 14 days’ notice of any new direct debit being set up. If the amount to be paid or the payment dates change, you will be issued with a new bill.  If we or your bank or building society makes an error you are guaranteed a full refund of the amount paid. 
  • You can cancel a Direct Debit at any time by contacting us or your bank or building society directly.

Set up or change a direct debit

Standing Order

To pay by standing order you will need to set up a standing order with your bank or building society. You will need to provide them with the following details:

• Our Bank: National Westminster Bank PLC
• Branch: Yeovil
• Address: 2 Hendford, Yeovil, BA20 1TN
• Sort Code: 60-24-37
• Account Name: Somerset Council - SSDC
• Account No: 68844646
• Council Tax A/c No: See your bill for details.

(Note: It is important this number is quoted in the reference section on your standing order, failure to do so means your payment may be delayed)

When deciding which date you want to pay on you must make sure it is on or before your instalment date. Your instalment date will be either the 1st or 25th of the month.

Set up or change a direct debit

Credit or Debit Card

Pay using your credit or debit card online.

You must make your payment at least 2 working days before your instalment date. Your instalment date will be either the 1st or 25th of the month. This is because the payment can take up to 2 working days to reach your Council Tax account.

You will normally receive your annual Council Tax bill in March. You will be offered 10 instalments (April through to January), unless you have chosen to pay annually or half yearly.

You can choose to pay your Council Tax over 12 months instead of 10.

If you would like to change your number of instalments, let us know. 

Note: The number of instalments will be reduced if your bill is issued after the end of April. If your charge changes during the year you will be sent a revised bill along with revised instalments.

How much you pay will depend on your council tax band and whether you are eligible for any discounts or exemptions. More details about discounts and exemptions can be found on our discounts and exemptions page.

Log in or set up an account with us to see current bills, your instalments and the banding of your property.

If you want to find out about Council Tax charges on a new or prospective property, you can find out approximately how much Council Tax you will be paying on an annual basis from our Council Tax Precepts and Charges information.

To find out about Council Tax bands visit our Council Tax bandings page.

We will shortly be uploading an explanation of your bill to help you understanding your Council Tax bill.