Free tool · Powered by the Council tax API
Council tax band checker
Enter a postcode to see which council collects the tax and what each band costs this year. Then, if you want the band for one property, add its address and we will check the Valuation Office Agency list.
Step 1: find the council and band charges
How council tax bands work
Every home in England, Scotland and Wales sits in a council tax band. The band depends on what the home would have sold for on a fixed date: 1 April 1991 in England and Scotland, and 1 April 2003 in Wales. Band D is the reference band, and each other band is charged as a fixed fraction of the Band D amount.
England uses bands A to H. Wales uses bands A to I, with Band I added at the top. Scotland uses bands A to H with its own valuation ranges. The band charges table on this page shows bands A to H.
Why two homes on the same street can pay different amounts
The council sets the charge for each band, so homes in the same band and council area usually pay a similar amount. Parish or town council charges can vary within one council area, and discounts or exemptions, such as the 25% single person discount, reduce individual bills.
Where the data comes from
Band charges
Step 1 uses the published council tax charges for each billing authority and the postcode to find the council. It is fast and does not need the property address.
Property bands
Step 2 searches the Valuation Office Agency council tax list for England and Wales, then matches your address to the listed entries. Where the VOA lists a building as separate flats, include the flat number so we can match the right entry. If the band looks wrong, you can ask the VOA to review it, but bands can go down as well as up.
Frequently asked questions
Is this council tax band checker free?
Yes. The postcode lookup is free, and you can run 5 address lookups a day. For more lookups, or to use the data in your own software, use the Council tax API with an API key.
Why does the address lookup take a few seconds?
It searches the Valuation Office Agency council tax list in real time and then matches your address against the entries for that postcode. The postcode lookup in step 1 is much quicker because it only reads published charges.
Why was my address not found?
The VOA list sometimes writes addresses differently, for example with a flat number first or a building name. Try the house number and street, add the flat number if the building is split into flats, or pick one of the suggested addresses.
Can I check a band in Scotland?
You can see the council and band charges for a Scottish postcode in step 1. The address lookup only covers England and Wales, because Scottish bands are held by the Scottish Assessors rather than the VOA.
Is the yearly charge what I will actually pay?
It is the full charge for that band before any discounts, exemptions or council tax reduction. Most councils let you pay it over 10 or 12 monthly instalments.
Free lookups are limited per visitor to keep the service fast for everyone. For bulk or automated use, use the API.