Council Tax charges and who pays

Who needs to pay Council Tax?

Normally the person living in the property will pay Council Tax, providing it is their sole or main residence and they are over 18 years of age. The first person that appears on the list below is responsible for paying Council Tax:

• an owner-occupier
• a tenant
• a licensee
• a resident (including squatters)
• the owner if the property is empty

More than one person may be liable to pay the bill. For example, if they are joint owners or tenants, or are married or living together as though married, then they are held jointly and severally liable to pay Council Tax.

See our guide to Council Tax for 2025 to 2026 (PDF 185kb).

See the Greater London Authority guide for 2025 to 2026 (PDF 84kb).

If the property is empty, then the owner is liable; however, there are some cases where the owner is always liable:

• houses in multiple occupation, where the residents have separate leases or licences, and only occupy or pay rent for part of the property (eg a bedsit with shared facilities)
• residential care homes or nursing homes
• religious communities, such as monks and nuns
• houses occupied by ministers of religion
• houses occupied by most asylum seekers

Couples in same-sex relationships are treated the same as those in opposite-sex relationships. This may change who’s liable, and entitlement to some discounts or exemptions may change. If you think you are affected by this or have any questions, call 020 8356 3154.

Can I pay less Council Tax?

Bills can be exempt, or reduced by a discount of up to 50%, or reduced by the equivalent of one band, for the following reasons:

• only one adult residing in the property
• empty dwellings
• property adapted to meet the needs of a disabled person
• students residing in the property
• specific circumstances (known as disregard discounts)

If you have a low income you may be entitled to Council Tax Reduction see our claim form and calculator.

Find out more about the legality of Council Tax.

Council Tax charges

To maintain the vital services that we provide, we have increased the Council Tax by 4.9%. 

The table below shows you how much the Council Tax is for 2025 to 2026 for each of the 8 valuation bands.

Search for your band

We have also shown the charges as 100% of the full amount for people required to pay the full amount of the bill and also at 75% or 50% for those people who are entitled to a discount.

If you are on a low income and would like more information see our Council Tax Reduction scheme.

2025 to 2026 Council Tax charges and valuation bands

How your bill is worked out for 2025 to 2026

The amount of Council Tax we set each year is based on the difference between how much we need to spend to provide services and how much income we receive from central government and other income.

For 2025 to 2026, Hackney’s share of the Council Tax is £1,476.13 per band D property and the GLA’s is £490.38. This means the overall band D charge is £1,966.51.

Your Council Tax will depend on what valuation band your home is in. This is based on how much it was worth on 1 April 1991.

The valuation was carried out independently by the listing officer of the Inland Revenue. The proportion of tax payable in each property band is determined by the government.

2025 to 2026 details of how your bill is worked out