{"id":222,"date":"2026-01-28T14:32:40","date_gmt":"2026-01-28T14:32:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/myinformernews.com\/uk\/?p=222"},"modified":"2026-07-27T09:01:15","modified_gmt":"2026-07-27T09:01:15","slug":"what-months-do-you-not-pay-council-tax","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/myinformernews.com\/uk\/what-months-do-you-not-pay-council-tax\/","title":{"rendered":"What Months Do You Not Pay Council Tax? Understanding Your Bill"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

If you are a resident in the United Kingdom, Council Tax is a standard part of your monthly outgoings. However, you may have noticed that your bank account doesn’t see a Council Tax<\/a> withdrawal every single month of the year. This often leads to a common question for those planning their yearly budget: What months do you not pay council tax?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Generally, for most residents in England, Scotland, and Wales, the “free” months are February and March<\/strong>.<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here is a breakdown of why this happens, how the payment cycle works, and how you can manage your payments more effectively.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Standard 10-Month Payment Plan<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The default method for collecting Council Tax is a 10-month installment plan. The UK financial year for local authorities runs from April 1st to March 31st of the following year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Under the standard 10-month schedule:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \n
  • Payments start:<\/strong> April<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Payments end:<\/strong> January<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • “Non-payment” months:<\/strong> February and March<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

    This system was originally designed to give households a “break” during the final two months of the financial year, often providing a bit of financial relief following the expensive Christmas and New Year period.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Can You Pay Over 12 Months Instead?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

    While the 10-month plan is the default, it is not mandatory. Many people find that their monthly budget is easier to manage if the total bill is spread across the entire year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    By contacting your local council, you can request to switch to a 12-month payment plan<\/strong>.<\/sup> In this scenario, you would pay a smaller amount each month, but you would no longer have “free” months in February and March.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Comparison Example:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

      \n
    • 10-Month Plan:<\/strong> If your annual bill is \u00a31,200, you pay \u00a3120 a month from April to January. You pay \u00a30 in February and March.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    • 12-Month Plan:<\/strong> You pay \u00a3100 every month from April to March.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

      Why You Might Still Be Paying in February and March<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

      If you find that you are still paying Council Tax in February and March, it is likely due to one of the following reasons:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

        \n
      1. 12-Month Agreement:<\/strong> You (or a previous resident) opted to spread the cost across the full year.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
      2. Arrears:<\/strong> If you missed payments earlier in the year, the council may have extended your payment schedule to recover the debt.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
      3. Moving House:<\/strong> If you moved into a property mid-year, your council might have calculated your remaining balance to be paid across the remaining months of the financial year, which could include February and March.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n

        Are There Other Ways to Stop Paying?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

        Beyond the standard payment schedule, some individuals may be exempt from paying Council Tax entirely or qualify for a reduction.<\/sup> This isn’t restricted to specific months, but rather based on your circumstances:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

          \n
        • Full-time students:<\/strong> Most student households are exempt from Council Tax.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
        • Single Person Discount:<\/strong> If you live alone, you are entitled to a 25% reduction.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
        • Low Income:<\/strong> You may be eligible for a Council Tax Reduction (sometimes called Council Tax Support) if you are on a low income or claim benefits.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

          So, what months do you not pay council tax?<\/strong> On the standard billing cycle, you will not have to pay in February and March<\/strong>.<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

          If you prefer the “holiday” from payments at the end of the winter, stay on the 10-month plan. If you prefer lower, consistent monthly outgoings, contact your local authority to switch to the 12-month installment plan. Always check your latest Council Tax demand notice, as it will clearly list the exact dates and amounts for your specific household.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

          If you are a resident in the United Kingdom, Council Tax is a standard part of your monthly outgoings. However, you may have noticed that your bank account doesn’t see a Council Tax withdrawal every single month of the year. This often leads to a common question for those planning their yearly budget: What months […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":223,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"iawp_total_views":183,"footnotes":""},"categories":[13],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-222","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-universal-credit"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/myinformernews.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/222","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/myinformernews.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/myinformernews.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/myinformernews.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/myinformernews.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=222"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/myinformernews.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/222\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":224,"href":"https:\/\/myinformernews.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/222\/revisions\/224"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/myinformernews.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/223"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/myinformernews.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=222"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/myinformernews.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=222"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/myinformernews.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=222"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}