Appeal against council tax bands or charges

If you are unsure which band your home is in you can find out below:

Find your council tax band

You can contact the Valuation Office Agency (VOA) if you are unable to find your property. Some new or renovated properties may not have a band allocated yet. The VOA will be able to provide information on your property's council tax band.

If you think your band is wrong you can appeal against your banding by contacting the VOA and not the council. You must continue to pay your existing bill while you are waiting for the results of an appeal.

The VOA will usually only consider appeals against banding when:

  • the VOA apply a band to your property for the first time,
  • or, you have purchased the property within the last six months.

Contact Valuation Office Agency

If you are successful in your appeal, the VOA will tell us what the new band should be. They will also confirm the date the change in band will take place. This usually takes between 14 and 28 days.

Appeal against a council tax liability

There are many decisions the council may have to make to determine whether you are liable. This includes working out how much council tax you are liable to pay. If you think your liability is wrong, you can appeal against any of these decisions.

You can appeal if you disagree with:

  • our decision that a dwelling is chargeable. For example, you believe it should be exempt.
  • our decision that you are liable to pay council tax on a particular dwelling. For example, you are not the resident or the owner.
  • certain aspects of the calculation of your bill. For example, a discount, disregard or a reduction for disabilities is not shown on your bill.

Appeal process

There are two stages to an appeal:

Stage one

You must contact the council first in writing. You must provide a full explanation of the decision you are appealing against and why. Also include your council tax reference number, your name and the property address. 

You can complete the enquiry form below by selecting 'Appeals' from the drop down box within the form. You can also upload copies of any other relevant details or evidence in support of your appeal.

Enquiry form

Or, you can send any correspondence to:

Council Tax Section, Revenues Department, Civic Centre, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE1 8QH.

We may need to contact you for further information about your appeal. It would be helpful if you provide a daytime contact number and email address.

We have two months to decide on your appeal and to provide a response.

Stage two

You can move your appeal to stage 2 if:

  • if we refuse your appeal,
  • we agree but you are still dissatisfied with the outcome,
  • or, you do not receive an answer from us within two months.

If your appeal progresses to stage 2, you will be able to appeal to the Valuation Tribunal. We can give you the address of your local Tribunal who will explain what you need to do to continue your appeal.

Making an appeal does not allow you to withhold payment of council tax. You must continue to pay  your existing bill while we look in to the appeal.  If your appeal is successful, we will issue a refund of any overpaid tax.