Council Tax applies to every domestic household in the country, each receiving at least one bill or exemption notice per year. The Council collects Council Tax to help pay for local services. For more details about Council Tax and what it pays for click on ‘What is Council Tax’.

The Council Tax bill includes a significant amount of information that the Council legally has to tell you which can make the bill confusing. To help you understand your bill, there is an image of a typical bill below. By placing your cursor (or hovering your mouse) over any numbered area of the image it will bring up a brief explanation of the information highlighted.

This shows the financial year the bill is issued for
This the date the bill was issued
This is your council tax account number – you should quote this on any payments or correspondence with this office
This is your property reference – the unique number that identifies your property
This is the valuation Band the Valuation Office have given your property
This is the name and address of the person registered to pay Council Tax
If the property address is different from the person registered to make payment it will appear here
This area shows the amounts collected for each of the County Council, District Council, Police Authority and Town or Parish Council. It shows the amount charged and the % change from last year
This is the total charged for the year
This tells you the period the bill is for
This area tells you of any reductions that have been applied to the account. This will show discounts, benefits, disregards or reliefs that may have been applied to the account
This shows the amount you are liable to pay once any reductions have been taken into account
This shows any payments that have been received in respect of this bill period
This is the total amount due to be paid once all reductions and payments received have been taken into account
This shows the payment method you have chosen to pay your bill
This details the amounts to be paid and the dates they are due on
This shows if there are amounts outstanding on the account for other periods of liability. Please note that if you have paid any outstanding amounts since the date this bill was issued, there is no need to take any action over this
Your personal barcode - Breckland and Forest Heath residents who do not pay by Direct Debit and do not have access to any other means of payment, should use this barcode to pay instalments at the Post Office or shops displaying the ‘PayPoint’ sign
Payment line - You can also pay over the phone with a debit card using this automated payment line

On the reverse on the bill are details of how you can make payment, how to contact this office and opening times. Further information on how your Council Tax is spent and discounts and exemptions that are available can be found in the booklet that accompanies your bill.