Renfrewshire Council

We use council tax to fund important services, such as schools, social care, and libraries.

If you do not pay your council tax on time, it's harder for us to deliver council services.

Get help with paying your council tax

If you think you could fall behind on your council tax payments, it's better to let us know ahead of time instead of just missing a payment. Phone us on 0300 300 0300 and ask for advice. There may be support available to help you avoid missing your payments.

Your first missed payment

If you miss one of your scheduled council tax payments for the first time, we'll send you a 'first reminder notice' by post. This tells you that you must pay your late amount within 7 days.

If you pay this late amount within 7 days, then you can continue paying your council tax on your regular schedule of instalments for the rest of the year.

What happens if you do not pay your late amount within 7 days

If you do not pay your late amount within 7 days of receiving your 'first reminder notice':

• you'll lose the right to pay your remaining council tax balance for the year in instalments
• you must pay your full balance for the entire year within 7 days (so, within 14 days of receiving your 'first reminder notice').

If you pay your full remaining balance within the next 7 days, then you will not have any more council tax payments for the rest of the year. You can return to paying your council tax bills in instalments the next year.

If you do not pay your full remaining balance within 7 days, we'll apply for a summary warrant from the sheriff court. This is a type of court order which will legally require you to pay your full remaining balance for the year plus an additional 10% fee.

Your second missed payment

If you paid a previous late bill within 7 days after receiving a 'first reminder notice', we'll send you a 'second and final reminder notice' if you miss another one of your scheduled council tax payments. This notifies you that you must pay your late amount within 7 days.

If you do not pay your late amount within 7 days of receiving your 'second and final reminder notice':

• you'll lose the right to pay your remaining council tax balance for the year in instalments
• you must pay your full balance for the entire year within 7 days (so, within 14 days of receiving your 'second and final reminder notice').

If you pay your full remaining balance within 7 days, then you will not have any more council tax payments for the rest of the year. You can return to paying your council tax bills in instalments the next year.

If you do not pay your full remaining balance within 7 days, we'll apply for a summary warrant from the sheriff court. This is a debt collection document which will legally require you to pay your full remaining balance for the year plus an additional 10% fee.

What happens if you miss a third payment

If you miss a third payment, we will not send you more reminders. Instead, we'll apply for a summary warrant from the sheriff court. This is a debt collection document which will legally require you to pay your full remaining balance for the year plus an additional 10% fee.