Check council tax charges and bands

The amount of council tax you pay is based on:

• the valuation band of your property
• where you live in South Gloucestershire
• any discounts or exemptions that you may be entitled to

Council tax charges

Council tax includes charges for services provided by:

• us (South Gloucestershire Council)
• Avon and Somerset Police
• Avon Fire Authority
• town or parish councils

It also includes the adult social care precept and special expenses. You can find out more about these payments for essential services in our Where your money goes 2024 to 25 publication.

There are 47 town and parish councils in South Gloucestershire, not all areas have one. This means that the amount of council tax you pay depends on the area where you live.

You can find further information on your council tax and how it is spent in our Where your money goes publication.

Valuation bands

Every property is put into a valuation band (by the Valuation Office Agency).

These bands are based on the value of the property on 1 April 1991, even if it was not built at the time, and not their current value.

There are 8 bands, from A to H.

A – up to and including £40,000
B – £40,001 to £52,000
C – £52,001 to £68,000
D – £68,001 to £88,000
E – £88,001 to £120,000
F – £120,001 to £160,000
G – £160,001 to £320,000
H – More than £320,000

You can check your council tax band on GOV.UK.

If you think you are in the wrong band, you can challenge your council tax band (you submit your challenge to the Valuation Office Agency).

Empty properties

Properties that have been empty for more than 2 years will need to pay additional council tax.

If your property has been empty for:

• between 2 and 5 years you will need to pay a premium of 100% (this means that your total bill will be 200% of your council tax band)
• between 5 and 10 years you will need to pay a premium of 200% (this means that your total bill will be 300% of your council tax band)
• more than 10 years you will need to pay a premium of 300% (this means that your total bill will be 400% of your council tax band)

If the council tax property is in disrepair or derelict, you may be able to apply to the Valuation Office Agency to have the property removed from banding. Read the Valuation Office Agency conditions, under which they will delete the band on a property.