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Council tax - how to pay

We use council tax to fund essential services across Northumberland. Choose from one of the options below to pay your council tax.

Page Contents:

Pay council tax by direct debitPay council tax onlinePay council tax in personPay council tax by postFrequently asked questions about council tax paymentCouncil tax - contact usCouncil tax - register and view your bill online
Pay council tax by direct debitPay council tax onlinePay council tax in personPay council tax by postFrequently asked questions about council tax paymentCouncil tax - contact usCouncil tax - register and view your bill online

Pay council tax by direct debit

Using direct debit is a simple way to ensure your payments are paid automatically each month. Its efficiency means lower collection costs and lower council tax rises. You have the option to pay 10 or 12-monthly instalments on either the 1st, 15th or 28th of the month.

Alternatively, you can:
Contact us by phone: 01670 624884 (Monday to Thursday, 8.30am to 5pm and Friday 8.30am to 4.30pm) Revenues Section
Northumberland County Council
Wansbeck Square
Ashington
Northumberland
NE63 9XL 
Please have the following details ready when setting up your direct debit. You will be able to find most of this information in your cheque book or on your debit card:
  • bank or building society name
  • account number and sort code
  • branch address
  • council tax account number 
  • This guarantee is offered by all banks and building societies that take part in the direct debit scheme.
  • The efficiency and security of the scheme is monitored and protected by your own bank or building society.
  • If there are any changes to the amounts to be paid or the payment dates, Northumberland County Council will notify you 10 working days in advance of your account being debited or as otherwise agreed.
  • If an error is made by either Northumberland County Council or your bank or building society, you are guaranteed a full and immediate refund from your branch.
  • You can cancel a direct debit at any time by writing to your bank or building society. 
An app is available from BACS to help you manage your direct debit at the click of a button, it is compatible with:
  • iPhone and iPad – iOS 7+
  • Android 2.3 (Gingerbread) and up.
The app is easy to use, secure and it’s free.

Pay council tax online

Payments made online can be done 24 hours a day, seven days a week. We provide secure payment through Capita Software Services, who are certified by Visa and MasterCard as a (PCI DSS) level 1 payment processor.

You will need your:
  • council tax account number
  • debit/credit card details
Pay council tax over the phone
Payments can be made via our automated phone service 24 hours a day, seven days a week, by calling 0345 600 6400 (charged at your local rate).

What you will need
  • council tax account number
  • debit/credit card details

Pay council tax in person

Payments can take up to three working days to show on your council tax account when you pay in person at a post office or paypoint outlet.

You can make payment at any:
  • your council tax bill – the barcode on the bill is used to process the payment
  • to pay either the amount of your monthly instalments or the full amount due 

Pay council tax by post

You can send either a cheque or postal order to pay your council tax bill by post.

Please make it payable to ‘Northumberland County Council’ and send to:

Council Tax Section,
Northumberland County Council,
Wansbeck Square,
Ashington,
Northumberland,
NE63 9XL.

Receipts will only be issued on request. Please take into account the time it will take for the payment to reach us and for the cheque to clear.

Frequently asked questions about council tax payment

On this page you will find frequently asked questions and answers relating to council tax.

Yes. The option is available to pay your council tax and business rates over 12 months, or the number of whole months remaining in the financial year.
  • direct debit – you can pay on either the 1st, 15th or 28th of the month, set up your direct debit online here
  • cash – you can pay over 12 months but only with an instalment date of the 1st of the month
We will take action to recover money owed. A reminder notice will be issued and if payment is not made, we can apply to the magistrates’ court for the issue of a summons, which will incur costs. Following this, if payment for the full balance due is still not made the court will issue a liability order, incurring further costs. This will then allow the council to enforce payment by either:
  • deducting money from your earnings
  • deducting money from income support, jobseekers' allowance and employment support allowance
  • asking an enforcement agent to collect the money or remove goods to the value of the debt
  • issuing a petition for bankruptcy
Contact us immediately, don’t wait for recovery action to begin: You may be entitled to council tax support. To find out if you are eligible, please contact our benefits section on 0345 600 6400 (charged at local rate).
We are now offering a service where customers can sign up to My Northumberland Account. This will allow you to have your future council tax bills sent electronically. You will be able to access your council tax account where you can view your instalments, payments and check your balance.

Click here to register for My Account

An activation code will then be sent to your registered e-mail which you will need to enter to complete the registration.
If you require any further details, please contact us by: Write to:

Council Tax Section
Northumberland County Council
Wansbeck Square
Ashington
NE63 9XL 

Council tax - contact us

If you require any further details, please contact us by:

Write to:

Council Tax Section
Northumberland County Council
Wansbeck Square
Ashington
NE63 9XL 

Council tax - register and view your bill online

Here you can arrange to view your bill, monthly instalments and payments on line.

A service is available where you can sign up to My Northumberland Account. This will allow you to have your future bills sent electronically.

You will be able to view your instalments and payments. 

Unfortunately, due to technical issues the current online accounts may not be reflecting accurate payment information.  We apologise for any inconvenience this may cause and we are currently working with our providers to solve this issue.

To register you can click here. An activation code will then be sent to you via email. When you sign back in and input the activation code you can then add the service that you require.

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