Council Tax Information

The council tax you pay helps provide local public services, such as policing and recycling collections. It applies to all domestic properties, both owned and rented, and includes houses, bungalows, flats, maisonettes, mobile homes or houseboats.

Local councils set the annual charge for council tax for each band, based on criteria set by the government. Councils then issue each household with an annual bill.

Ashford Borough Council collects your council tax but we are not the only ones who use it. Your council tax is distributed to Kent County Council, the Kent Police and Crime Commissioner, the Kent Fire and Rescue Service and to your parish council, if you live in an area with one.

Read our 2024/25 council tax leaflet [pdf] 7329KB, which tells you how Ashford Borough Council spends your money and at what level it is setting its council tax.

The portion we receive from you contributes to a range of things, check out our video below to see just some of the services we provide. (To view a transcript for this video visit our YouTube channel).

If you have a query regarding your council tax bill please email customer.care@ashford.gov.uk.

How else is my money spent?

You can view information from the other authorities who receive your council tax by clicking on the relevant links below:

Details of the parish precepts can be viewed by downloading the following documents

Your parish clerk's contact details can be found here.

Not everyone pays the same amount of council tax. Where you live within the borough, the value of your property and your personal circumstances are all factored into our billing. You can view this via the links below:

Paying your council tax

Your council tax bill is normally payable in ten monthly instalments. The first instalment is due on 1 April and the last one is due on 1 January.

If you wish to pay over twelve monthly instalments please email customer.care@ashford.gov.uk.

You must pay your council tax instalments on or before the due dates shown on your bill. We will take recovery action if you don't pay on time. Please remember if you receive any notice from us regarding the non-payment of your council tax do not ignore it. This may lead to further action being taken, which will incur additional costs.

If you have your account number available you can look up your council tax balance. If you think you may be entitled to it, apply for a council tax refund.

How can I pay my council tax?

There are several ways in which you can pay your council tax bill.

Online
By direct debit to pay your council tax monthly
(Please note that if you need to let us know of a change of your bank account details, you will need to fill in a new direct debit form)
Find out further ways in which you can pay

Payments via Allpay (post offices, Payzone and PayPoint) can be made using the bar code printed on your Council Tax and Business Rates bills. The council will no longer be ordering plastic Allpay cards, but payment can still be made at all the same places using the barcode on your bill.