Council Tax Change of Address
Moving home means telling your council, both the one you’re leaving and the one you’re moving to, that your address has changed. Council tax is billed per property, not per person, so it doesn’t follow you automatically, and getting this wrong can mean incorrect bills, missed correspondence, or losing a discount you’re entitled to.
SlothMove’s council tax change of address service identifies your previous and new council from your postcode and notifies both in a few clicks. At the same time, you can update your water supplier, HMRC, TV licence, and more in the same form
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Do you need to tell your council when you move home?
Yes. If you’re moving within the same council area, into a new one, or out of the UK council system altogether, both your previous and new council need to know your move date. If you’re moving out of your current council’s area, you’ll need to set up a new council tax account and close your old one. If you’re staying within the same area, you’ll usually keep the same direct debit, but you should still confirm the change so your billing address is correct.
Not telling your council in time can lead to a moving home overlap, where you’re paying two councils at once, or correspondence about your account going to a property you no longer live in.
How to complete your council tax change of address
There are two ways to complete your council tax change of address: online with SlothMove, or by contacting your council directly.
Update online with Slothmove
Here’s how it works:
- Go to SlothMove’s home setup service.
- Select who needs to know you’re moving (council, water, HMRC and more).
- Enter your previous address, new address and the date you moved.
- Click submit, and SlothMove updates your address with your chosen accounts automatically.
SlothMove identifies your previous and new council from your postcode, so you don’t need to look up who to contact. This takes most people under 3 minutes and covers your council tax alongside everything else you select.
Contact your council directly
If you’d rather update your council tax manually, you can call your new and previous councils directly; most operate Monday to Friday, 9 am to 5 pm. You can find your local council’s contact details on gov.uk if you don’t already have them.
Find your council: council tax change of address by area
SlothMove has a dedicated council tax change of address guide for many UK councils, covering local band charges, contact details and how to update your account. Find yours below:
Can’t find your council listed? Use SlothMove’s home setup service above, and we’ll identify and notify your council automatically, whether or not it has its own guide on this site.
What happens after you tell your council you've moved
Your previous council will usually send a final bill within a few weeks of your move date, including a refund if you’ve overpaid. Your new council will send confirmation of your new account in a similar timeframe. Keep a note of your move date and the date you notified each council in case you need to query either bill.
What happens to your council tax bill when you move house
Once your new address is registered, Birmingham 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.
How much is council tax in 2026/27?
The average Band D council tax set by local authorities in England for 2026/27 is £2,392, up £111 (4.9%) on 2025/26, according to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (25 March 2026). This is a national average, not a specific council’s rate, so treat it as a guide rather than your actual bill.
Every other band is a fixed proportion of Band D. Applying that ratio to the national average gives an illustrative range:
- Band A – approx. £1,595 (6/9 of Band D)
- Band B – approx. £1,860 (7/9)
- Band C – approx. £2,126 (8/9)
- Band D – £2,392 (9/9, the reference band)
- Band E – approx. £2,926 (11/9)
- Band F – approx. £3,455 (13/9)
- Band G – approx. £3,987 (15/9)
- Band H – approx. £4,784 (18/9, double Band D)
For your council’s actual rate, check its council tax change of address page above, or use the official council tax band checker.
What is my council tax band?
Your council tax band is based on what your property was worth on 1 April 1991, not its current market value. You can check your band for free using the Valuation Office Agency’s band checker.
Council tax discounts and refunds
If you’re the only adult living in your home, you’re entitled to a 25% single person discount on your council tax bill. If nobody living in the property is an adult, for example a household of full-time students, you may not have to pay any council tax at all. You’ll need to apply for these discounts directly with your council; they’re not applied automatically.
If you’ve overpaid, for example because you claimed a single person discount late, or your council tax band was reduced after a challenge, you’re entitled to a refund. Most councils return this as a reduced future direct debit rather than a lump sum, though you can ask them to pay it back directly instead.
What to do if you think your council tax band is wrong
If you think your council tax band is incorrect, you can challenge it with the Valuation Office Agency, who are responsible for property valuations for tax purposes in England and Wales. You’ll need to keep paying your current bill while the challenge is reviewed. If it’s successful, you’ll be moved to the correct band and refunded the difference.
Update your council tax and everything else in one go
Moving home involves more than council tax. SlothMove updates your address with hundreds of other providers, your bank, HMRC, DVLA, water supplier and TV licence, all in the same short form, alongside your council tax change of address.
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 your local 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
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.
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Frequently asked questions
How do I notify my council of a change of address?
The quickest way is SlothMove’s home setup service, which identifies your previous and new council from your postcode and notifies both automatically. You can also contact each council directly using their details on gov.uk.
How much is council tax in 2026/27?
The England average for a Band D property is £2,392 a year, up 4.9% on 2025/26. Your actual bill depends on your council and your property’s band; check your specific council’s page above for an exact figure.
What is my council tax band?
You can check for free using the Valuation Office Agency’s band checker. Your band is based on your property’s 1991 valuation, not what it’s worth today.
Do students pay council tax?
A household where every resident is a full-time student is exempt from council tax entirely. If you live with one or more non-students, the property is still liable, though student residents are usually disregarded when working out any discount.
Can I get a council tax refund if I've overpaid?
Yes. Contact your council directly; most have an online form for this. If you’re owed money, it’s usually returned as a reduced future payment rather than a lump sum, unless you ask for it back directly.
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.