Coronavirus: Basingstoke and Deane offers tax support for residents

No council tax payments this April or May

BASINGSTOKE and Deane Borough Council is offering support to council tax payers affected by the coronavirus pandemic.

The authority is swapping the payment-free months for residents who pay their council tax in 10 instalments from next year to this spring.

Now, residents won’t have to pay their council tax in April and May this year. Instead, they will pay in February and March 2021.

This means no instalments, including direct debit payments, will be taken in these two months.

Payments will resume in June 2020 and will be due over the 10 months from June 2020 to March 2021.

For those who normally pay over 12 months, payments will be taken as 10 monthly instalments from June 2020 to March 2021 – with a slight increase in the amount paid each month to cover the missing months.

The move comes after the Government’s announcement of a £500m Hardship Fund to help vulnerable residents to pay their council tax.

Council tax payers don’t need to take any further action at this time to benefit from the change.

If you pay by direct debit and would prefer to maintain your original instalment plan as per your current bill, you can make manual payments of the first two instalments and contact the council by email at the start of May on localtax@basingstoke.gov.uk.

The council will then recalculate your instalments for the remainder of the year to be taken by direct debit, as per your current bill.

If you pay manually, for example by phone, online, cheque or bank transfer, you may continue to pay in line with your current bill if you prefer.

You will still receive a bill with new instalment dates, however there will be no issue if payments are maintained in line with your current bill.

Working-age residents who receive support through the council tax reduction scheme will also receive a further reduction of up to £150 on their council tax bills.

This discount will be automatically applied to eligible residents’ accounts.

You do not need to make a separate application for this reduction.