Is your council tax among the highest in the country? Find out here

The calculator below provides a quick way to find out how much more council tax you will pay from this month, and shows how your bill compares to other councils’ charges.

How to use this calculator

Enter the postcode of your home and select your council tax band. If you don’t know your council tax band, you can use the government council tax band tool. This only requires your postcode, and will list all of the properties and their corresponding council tax bands in that postcode.

If this is your only property, click the “calculate” button. If you also own a second home, tick the box and enter its details as well.

How it works

This calculator uses council tax data from the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government to show your overall council tax charge for the year, and how your local council charges compare to others.

Your council will be shown on a scale of where it appears from cheapest to most expensive out of 350 UK councils, as well as its specific rank.

The total amount of council tax includes your core council charges, plus extra charges that are paid to fire, police or mayoral services. Note that rates are approximated and may vary by 0.1pc.

What is this calculator useful for?

You can quickly see how much you’re due to pay in council tax this year, and whether you’re paying more or less than other people around the country. By selecting different council tax bands in your area, you can also see how your bills compare to those of your neighbours.

If you’re planning to move house, it provides a way to gauge whether your council tax bills will increase in a new area, or if you’ll be moving to a different council tax band. It can also show you where you might want to avoid investing in a second home.

Finally, if you’re considering making an appeal to have your council tax changed – which most people do because they believe their council tax band is too high – then you can see how much you could stand to save on your bill if you’re successful. You can find out how to challenge your council tax band in our dedicated guide.