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    By Rhys Hedges · Published 6 November 2026

    Council Tax Bands Explained: A–H, Costs and How to Check

    Homeowner checking a council tax band at home

    A council tax band is a letter that places your home in a price bracket, and your bill depends on that letter and on what your local council charges for Band D. In England the bands run from A to H and are based on what the property would have sold for on 1 April 1991. Scotland uses A to H on the same date, Wales uses A to I on 2003 values, and Northern Ireland does not use bands at all.

    This guide sets out the value ranges in each nation, how the bands translate into bills, how to look up a band and what to do if you think it is wrong. If you are buying, it also explains why the band belongs in your budget before you make an offer.

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    Key points

    • Bands are set from a property’s estimated value on a fixed past date, not its value today and not your income.
    • England and Scotland use A to H on 1991 values. Wales uses A to I on 2003 values. Northern Ireland uses domestic rates instead.
    • Band D is the reference point: each council sets a Band D charge and every other band is a fixed fraction or multiple of it.
    • You can look up any band free on GOV.UK (England and Wales) or on the Scottish Assessors website.
    • Check the band before you offer, because the bill is a running cost that stays with the property.

    Table of Contents

    What does a council tax band mean?

    A band is a category that tells the council how much of its total council tax requirement your household should contribute. In England, bands are based on the price a property would have sold for on the open market on 1 April 1991, and in Wales on 1 April 2003, according to GOV.UK guidance on how bands are assessed.

    Two points surprise many buyers:

    • The band is not your income. It attaches to the property. Whoever lives there pays according to the home’s band, subject to any discounts or exemptions.
    • The band is not today’s value. The Valuation Office Agency (VOA) does not use property price indexes when setting bands, so a home that has soared in value since 1991 may still sit in a modest band.

    That is why two houses on the same road can be in different bands, and why a small flat in one town can pay more than a larger house elsewhere. The band reflects the relative position of the property in 1991 (or 2003 in Wales), while the amount you pay in pounds depends on your council.

    What are the council tax bands in England?

    In England, bands range from A (up to £40,000 at 1 April 1991) to H (more than £320,000), with Band D covering £68,001 to £88,000, per GOV.UK. The full list on that page is:

    Band 1991 value range
    A Up to £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

    The VOA, which is independent of councils, decides the band for each property in England. Your council simply collects the money.

    How do bands work in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland?

    Scotland

    Scotland also uses bands A to H and a valuation date of 1 April 1991, but the value ranges are lower. Band A is up to £27,000 and Band H is over £212,000, with Band D covering over £45,000 and up to £58,000, according to the Scottish Assessors. Scottish bands were set at two-thirds of the value of the English ones when council tax began in 1993, reflecting relative property-price differences between the two nations.

    Scottish assessors use what is called the Comparative Principle of Valuation. They compare a property with similar homes in the same locality that sold around 1 April 1991, and need to show its likely sale price fell within the band range rather than put an exact value on it.

    Wales

    Wales revalued in 2003 and added a ninth band. Bands range from A (up to £44,000 at 1 April 2003) to I (more than £424,000), with Band D covering £91,001 to £123,000, per GOV.UK.

    Northern Ireland

    Northern Ireland has no council tax bands. Domestic rates are based on a property’s capital value, assessed at 1 January 2005, multiplied by an annual rate poundage made up of district and regional rates. If you are searching for a Northern Ireland home, you will be looking at a rates bill rather than a band.

    What is council tax Band D, and why does everyone quote it?

    Band D is the reference band. Each council works out how much it needs to raise, divides it across its tax base and sets a Band D charge. Every other band is then a fraction or multiple of that figure. In England the multipliers are:

    Band Share of Band D
    A 6/9
    B 7/9
    C 8/9
    D 9/9
    E 11/9
    F 13/9
    G 15/9
    H 18/9 (double Band D)

    These ratios are set out in the Scottish Government’s comparison of council tax across the UK nations. Scotland revised the multipliers for Bands E to H in 2017: E is 473/360, F is 585/360, G is 705/360 and H is 882/360, while A to C stay at 6/9, 7/9 and 8/9. In Scotland, each local authority sets the Band D rate and the other bands follow multipliers set by the Scottish Parliament.

    So if someone asks what Band D costs, the honest answer is that it depends on the council. Averages for 2024-25 were £2,171 in England, £2,024 in Wales and £1,421 in Scotland, according to the Scottish Government. Your own bill may also include charges from other authorities, depending on where you live.

    What is council tax Band D, and why does everyone quote it?

    How much does council tax cost in each band?

    The only way to give a real figure is to pick one council. For 2026/27, the Royal Borough of Greenwich charges £2,107.69 for Band D and £4,215.38 for Band H. Applying the English multipliers above to that Band D figure gives this worked illustration, rounded to the nearest penny:

    Band Annual charge (Greenwich illustration)
    A £1,405.13
    B £1,639.31
    C £1,873.50
    D £2,107.69
    E £2,576.07
    F £3,044.44
    G £3,512.82
    H £4,215.38

    Treat this as a way to see the pattern, not as your bill. Your council will charge a different Band D, and discounts such as the single person discount will change what a household actually pays. Your council’s website publishes the exact charge for every band each year, and bills are normally reset every April.

    Notice how flat the scale is. Band H pays only twice what Band A would pay in the same council, even though the 1991 value of an H property is at least eight times that of an A property. Research by the Institute for Fiscal Studies on Wales found that in 2003 values a Band A and a Band I property differed by at least 9.5-fold, while tax rates differed 3.5-fold. It also noted that two properties at opposite ends of one band can pay the same tax even when one is almost 50% more valuable. For a buyer, the practical lesson is that the band tells you a lot about the bill and not much about today’s price.

    Property values and council tax rates compared

    How do you find the council tax band for a property?

    Checking takes a couple of minutes and costs nothing:

    1. England or Wales: use the GOV.UK council tax band checker and enter the postcode or address.
    2. Scotland: search the property on the Scottish Assessors website.
    3. Check the council’s charge: once you have the band, look up your local council’s published charge for that band for the current year.
    4. Compare nearby homes: if a similar house next door is in a lower band, note it, as it may be relevant if you later query the band.

    Listings on Rightmove and Zoopla often mention the band, but agents are not always up to date, so confirm it on the official lookup before you rely on it.

    Does improving a house change its council tax band?

    Generally not at once. Improvements that increase a property’s value do not change its band, but the band may be reviewed when the house is sold or is subject to a new lease of more than seven years, according to the official plain English guide. If you are planning an extension, ask the council or VOA how it may affect the band before you start, so a possible change is built into your costings.

    What can you do if you think the band is wrong?

    In England, you can ask the VOA to review the band and provide evidence. If you disagree with its decision, you can submit a formal challenge, and the same guide says this is possible within six months of moving into the property. Practical steps:

    • Find the bands of similar neighbouring homes and note any that are lower.
    • Gather evidence such as similar property sizes, types and layouts.
    • Keep paying your bill while the review is under way, and ask for any refund in writing if the band is reduced.
    • Act early. If you have just bought, the six-month window is the key deadline, so make a note of your completion date.

    A band review can also go up as well as down, so decide whether a challenge is worth it before you start.

    Why should buyers check the band before making an offer?

    Council tax sits alongside your mortgage, energy bills and insurance as a cost that never goes away. A Band D home in one council can cost far more per year than the same band in another, so two similarly priced homes can have quite different monthly outgoings. It is sensible to check the band for every property on your shortlist, then add the annual charge to your budget before you decide what you can afford.

    Other costs to price in at the same stage include stamp duty, which you can estimate with a calculator for England and Northern Ireland, and general house running costs. When you get to the offer itself, the band also matters for a second reason: a property whose band looks too high or too low compared with similar neighbours may be worth raising with the agent, and our guide to how much to offer on a house shows how to weigh that alongside sold prices.

    How can Offer Smart help with the figures before you offer?

    If you are comparing several homes, entering each address into our full buyer report brings sold prices on the same road, area data and estimated running costs including council tax into one place, for £19.99 per report. If you are viewing many properties, the Unlimited Homebuyer Membership is £39.99 per month. Offer Smart is a data-led guide to what to offer. It is not a RICS valuation, a survey or financial advice.

    What is our view on council tax and buying a home?

    We see the same mistake often: buyers compare asking prices and mortgage payments, then discover the annual council tax charge only after they have had an offer accepted. The band is easy to look up, but the amount depends on the council, and that is where the difference between two apparently similar homes can sit.

    Our view is that council tax belongs in the same early comparison as price, sold evidence and flood or crime risk. We built Offer Smart as one platform for buyers, investors and agents so that this picture comes together before an offer, with comparable local sales, area data and running cost estimates in a single report.

    For estate agents, we think the same logic applies in reverse. A branded property and area guide that sets out council tax, schools, broadband and bills helps buyers and tenants understand a home sooner, and saves time on questions at viewings.

    Rhys Hedges

    Frequently asked questions

    What council tax band is Band D?

    In England, Band D covers homes valued between £68,001 and £88,000 on 1 April 1991. In Scotland it covers over £45,000 and up to £58,000, and in Wales £91,001 to £123,000 on 2003 values. Band D is also the band councils use to quote their headline rate.

    Are council tax bands the same across the UK?

    No. England and Scotland both use A to H on 1991 values, but with different value ranges. Wales uses A to I on 2003 values. Northern Ireland has domestic rates rather than bands, based on capital value assessed in 2005.

    Does council tax depend on income?

    No. The band is set by the property’s estimated value on a fixed past date. Discounts and reductions may be available depending on your circumstances, so ask your council what applies to your household.

    Can the band change if I extend my house?

    Improvements that add value do not by themselves change the band. A review may happen when the property is sold or granted a new lease of more than seven years, so check with the council or the VOA before building.

    Sources

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