How to update your address with Bristol Council Tax
Need to tell Bristol Council you’ve moved? Update your council tax address quickly and let SlothMove handle the rest of your move too.
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How to update your address with Bristol Council Tax
When you move house within, into, or out of Bristol’s area, your council tax account still shows your old address until you tell the council directly. This matters because your bill, any discounts you’re entitled to, and your council tax band are all tied to the address on file. Leaving it unchanged can mean bills going to the wrong property, an inaccurate account, or an unexpected charge if you were receiving a discount, such as the single person discount, that no longer applies at your new home.
Do you need to tell Bristol Council when you move?
Yes. You are responsible for notifying Bristol Council whenever you move house, whether you’re moving to a new address within the borough, moving away from the area entirely, or moving into it for the first time. Council tax is charged to whoever lives at a property on a given date, so an out-of-date address can lead to a bill being sent to your old home, a delay in your account being set up correctly, or a dispute over who is liable for tax on a property you’ve left. Updating your details promptly avoids all of these problems and makes sure any discount or exemption you’re due carries over correctly, or is reassessed if it no longer applies.
How to update your council tax address with Bristol Council
Birstol Council offers a few ways to update your council tax address, and the quickest is usually online.
Sign up for Sloth Move
Rather than logging into Bristol Council’s portal yourself, filling in the same details, and repeating the process again for every other organisation on your list, you can let SlothMove do it for you. Once you sign a simple Letter of Authority, SlothMove notifies Bristol Council of your new address on your behalf, alongside your bank, energy supplier, DVLA, and dozens of other organisations, all from a single £30 form. You still deal directly with the council on anything account-specific, such as your band, discount, or bill, but the address change itself is one less thing on your moving list.
Update online via Birstol's council tax portal
Most residents can update their address in a few minutes through Edinburgh’s online council tax account. You’ll typically need:
- your council tax account number, from a recent bill
- the date you moved in or out
- your new address in full, including postcode
- details of anyone else moving with you
Once submitted, the council usually confirms the change and issues a revised bill within a few weeks, though this can take longer during busy periods such as the start of the financial year.
Update by phone or post
If you’d rather not use the online service, or your situation is more complicated (for example, a change of liable party as well as an address), you can contact Edinburgh Council’s revenues and benefits team directly by phone or in writing. Have your account number and moving dates ready, and expect a similar processing timescale to the online route.
What happens to your council tax bill when you move house
Once your new address is registered, Birstol will recalculate your bill from the date you moved, not from when you happened to submit the change. You may receive a final bill for your old address covering the period up to your move date, and a new bill for your current address starting from the same date. If you paid council tax on your previous property by direct debit, check whether the mandate needs to be set up again at your new address, since it doesn’t always carry over automatically.
Council tax bands, discounts, and exemptions after a move
Your council tax band is set for the property, not for you personally, so moving to a different property can mean a different band and a different bill, even within the same council area. It’s worth checking the band on your new home before you move, particularly if you’re used to your previous rate.
Any discount or exemption you had, such as the single person discount for living alone, does not automatically transfer. You’ll need to reapply at your new address, and if your new household includes another adult, you may no longer qualify. Equally, if you’re now the only adult at a property, you might be entitled to a discount you didn’t have before.
What if you're moving to a different council area entirely?
If your move takes you outside Bristol‘s boundary, you’ll need to close your account with Edinburgh Council and open a new one with the council covering your new address. The two processes are separate: Bristol Council cannot transfer your account to another authority, so you’ll need to contact both councils individually, giving each your moving date so your final and opening bills are calculated correctly.
Doing it yourself vs using SlothMove
Residents can update their Bristol council tax address two ways: directly through the council’s own portal, or as part of a single SlothMove submission alongside every other provider that needs telling.
| Bristol’s portal | SlothMove | |
|---|---|---|
| Time needed | Around 10 to 15 minutes, plus registering for a account first if you don’t already have one | Under 5 minutes as part of one combined form |
| Account required | Yes, a verified account and your 10-digit council tax billing reference | No account, just your postcode and moving date |
| What gets updated | Bristol council tax only | Council tax, energy, water, DVLA, electoral roll, and hundreds of other providers in one session |
| Cost | Free | £30 flat fee |
| Best suited to | Residents who only need to update council tax and already have a account set up | Residents updating several accounts at once who would rather not repeat the same details on multiple sites |
Update your council tax address and the rest of your move in one go
Council tax is only one of many organisations that need your new address when you move. SlothMove lets you update your council tax address alongside your bank, energy suppliers, DVLA, and dozens of other organisations from a single form, using a Letter of Authority so you don’t have to log in to each provider separately.
Here’s why over 75,000 people have chosen SlothMove:
- Save 14+ hours of admin time: based on data from over 75,000 completed moves.
- One form updates everything: DVLA, NHS, HMRC, councils, utilities, and more.
- Cheaper than mail redirection: Just £30 versus up to £87 for mail forwarding.
- Secure and trusted: ICO-registered, GDPR compliant, with 256-bit SSL encryption, backed by Taylor Rose MW (one of the UK’s largest conveyancing firms).
SlothMove cannot change your council tax band, discount eligibility, or bill amount; those decisions sit with Birstol Council. What SlothMove does is make sure the address change itself gets submitted correctly, and save you from repeating the same details across dozens of organisations.
Related articles and Guides
For more on council tax when moving, see our main guide to council tax change of address. You may also find our guides to home moving checklist, single person council tax discount when moving and council tax empty property when moving useful.
What our customers say
Frequently asked questions
Do I need to tell my council when I move house?
Yes. You’re responsible for notifying your council of any change of address, whether you’re moving within Bristol’s area or leaving it altogether.
How do I change my council tax address online?
Most residents can do this through Bristol’s online council tax account, entering your account number, moving date, and new address.
Do I get a council tax refund when I move?
If you’ve overpaid at your old address, for example if you paid by instalments for a period you no longer lived there, Bristol Council will usually refund the difference or apply it to your final bill.
Will my council tax band change if I move?
Possibly. Bands are set per property, so a different home in Bristol may sit in a different band even if you haven’t left the area.
About SlothMove
SlothMove has helped over 75,000 UK residents update their address across government and private organisations since 2019. We are an ICO-registered data controller, GDPR compliant, and backed by Taylor Rose MW, one of the UK’s
leading conveyancing firms.