Council tax explained

Appeal against council tax bands or charges

If you are unsure which band your home is in you can find out below:

Find your council tax band

If you are not able to find your property details, contact the Valuation Office Agency (VOA) for information on your property's council tax band.

Alternatively, if you think your band is wrong you can appeal against your banding by contacting the VOA and not the council. You must continue to pay your existing bill while you are waiting for the results of an appeal.

The VOA will usually only consider appeals against banding when your property has been allocated a banding for the first time or you have purchased the property within the last six months.

Contact Valuation Office Agency

If you are successful in your appeal, the VOA will tell us what the new band should be and from what date the new band should be changed. This usually takes between 14 and 28 days.

Appeal against a council tax liability

There are a number of decisions the council may have to make in determining whether you are liable and how much council tax you are liable to pay. You are entitled to formally appeal against any of these decisions.

You can appeal if:

  • You disagree with our decision that a dwelling is chargeable. for example, you believe it should be exempt.
  • You disagree with our decision that you are liable to pay council tax on a particular dwelling, for example, you are not the resident or the owner.
  • You disagree with certain aspects of the calculation of your bill, for example, a discount has not been applied or no reduction for disabilities has been given.

Appeal process

There are two stages to an appeal:

Stage one

You must contact the council first in writing, fully explaining what decision you are appealing against and why. It would be helpful if you could provide the 12 digit council tax reference number detailed on your bill, your name, the property address and any other relevant details or evidence in support of your appeal. 

Please send any correspondence to the Council Tax Section, Revenues Department, Civic Centre, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE1 8QH.

Alternatively, you can complete the enquiry form below by selecting 'Appeals' from the drop down box within the form. 

Enquiry form

Please supply a daytime telephone number and email address as we may need to contact you for further information.

We have two months to decide on your appeal and to provide a response.

If we refuse your appeal (or we agree but you are still dissatisfied), or you do not receive an answer from us, you can move to stage two.

Stage two

If we reject your arguments, or if we act on your appeal but you are still not satisfied, or at the end of two months you have not heard from us, you will be able to appeal to the Valuation Tribunal. We can give you the address of your local Tribunal who will explain what you need to do to continue your appeal.

Making an appeal does not allow you to withhold payment of council tax in the meantime. If your appeal is successful, you will be entitled to a refund of any overpaid tax.