Council Tax in Leicester: which bill, band and payment route applies?
Learn how to pay Leicester Council Tax, find your band and 2026–27 charges, apply for discounts or exemptions, and challenge a wrong bill or band the right way.
To pay Council Tax in Leicester, check a charge or update your household details, start with Leicester City Council’s Council Tax service. Keep your bill beside you: paying an instalment, querying responsibility and challenging a valuation band are different tasks with different routes.
Leicester City Council Tax: paying and managing your account
Leicester City Council’s payment guidance lists Direct Debit, online debit or credit card payments, telephone payments, cheque and PayPoint. Council Tax is separate from rent, including for council tenants.
Direct Debit offers payment dates on the 1st, 10th, 20th or 28th. The council’s 24-hour telephone card payment line is 0116 454 1012. For alternative payments, its guidance recommends allowing at least 5 days before the due date.
Use the council’s online account service for registration, login and account management. Paperless billing provides bills by email. Before entering payment details, navigate independently to the council’s official website rather than following an unexpected message requesting bank information.
Leicester Council Tax bands and annual charges
Leicester City Council’s published 2026–27 charges are listed below. Bands reflect what a property would have sold for on 1 April 1991, not its current asking price. Band D is the reference rate, with other bands charged proportionately.
| Band | Property value on 1 April 1991 | Annual charge, 2026–27 |
|---|---|---|
| A | Up to £40,000 | £1,685.83 |
| B | £40,001–£52,000 | £1,966.81 |
| C | £52,001–£68,000 | £2,247.78 |
| D | £68,001–£88,000 | £2,528.75 |
| E | £88,001–£120,000 | £3,090.70 |
| F | £120,001–£160,000 | £3,652.65 |
| G | £160,001–£320,000 | £4,214.58 |
| H | More than £320,000 | £5,057.58 |
Check your property’s band through the Valuation Office Agency. For wider decisions about studying and living locally, the Everyday life university article considers course fit and reputation; your housing budget needs a separate Council Tax check.
Changes, discounts and empty properties: check your circumstances
Leicester City Council provides routes for discounts, exemptions and reductions, alongside reporting a move, a death or a household change. Check the relevant application requirements rather than assuming a change automatically updates your bill.
Create a small “moving capsule”: one folder containing your account reference, old and new addresses, occupancy dates, tenancy paperwork and copies of messages to the council. Keeping this dated record together makes it easier to explain an overlap between homes or identify which period a disputed bill covers.
Empty, unfurnished properties and second homes have dedicated council guidance covering premiums and exemptions. Check that guidance for your property’s circumstances before budgeting; an unoccupied home should not simply be treated as having no bill.
Wrong bill or wrong band? Choose the right challenge
A band challenge concerns the property valuation. Use the GOV.UK and Valuation Office Agency route if you believe the band is incorrect. A disagreement about who should pay is instead a liability issue to raise with Leicester City Council.
The council’s liability appeal guidance identifies the Valuation Tribunal as the next route after an unsatisfactory decision, with a 2-month appeal period. Keep the decision and supporting correspondence together, and check the applicable procedure before submitting your appeal.
