Council tax: how much is my bill going up as steep April payment increases confirmed - online rates checker

• Council tax bills in England are set to rise for the 2025/26 financial year, with most areas increasing by 4.99%
• But some councils are implementing higher increases, with Bradford and Newham seeing the steepest rises
• Greater London will have the lowest council tax bills, with a £444 difference compared to the North East
• Some areas struggling with budget shortfalls have been allowed to exceed the 4.99% cap to avoid financial issues

Households across England will soon see their council tax bills rise, with all local councils and authorities having confirmed their increases for the 2025/26 financial year.

The majority of councils are implementing a rise of 4.99% (the maximum legal limit that can be imposed without requiring a local referendum), though some areas will see significantly steeper increases.

All of the UK’s 153 top-tier councils, including county councils, London boroughs, metropolitan boroughs, and unitary authorities have now confirmed their figures. Note that the date currently excludes lower-tier district councils.

As local authorities grapple with rising costs and budget shortfalls, residents are bracing for the impact of these increases on their household finances.

Where is council tax increasing the most?

A recent study revealed that households in Greater London will pay £444 less in annual council tax than those in the North East.

Research showed that the average band D council tax bill in England and Wales will rise by 5.1% in April. While this is a slight reduction compared to last year's increase, it still surpasses inflation.

The North East continues to have the highest council tax charges, with the average band D bill standing at £2,425 annually.

Greater London has the lowest average council tax bills at £1,981, meaning households in the capital will pay £444 less - roughly 18% less - than those in the North East.

London residents will also see the smallest increase in council tax bills, with an average rise of £88.90, according to an annual survey by the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy (CIPFA).

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The biggest council tax increases in 2025/26

Usually, councils can only raise the tax by up to 4.99% annually - higher rate increases require a referendum among residents.

But this year, six areas have been granted permission to exceed this cap to avoid financial difficulties, including potential bankruptcy.

The Government justified allowing these councils to increase council tax above the referendum threshold by saying these councils have low levels of council tax. The authorities implementing the largest percentage increases are:

• Bradford (Metropolitan Borough) – 9.99%
• Newham (London Borough) – 8.99%
• Windsor & Maidenhead (Unitary Authority) – 8.99%
• Birmingham (Metropolitan Borough) – 7.49%
• Somerset (Unitary Authority) – 7.49%
• Trafford (Metropolitan Borough) – 7.49%

The full list of 2025/26 council tax rises

The following list is organised into four sections, each representing one of the top-tier authority types, with the sections arranged alphabetically.

For each authority, the council tax increase for 2025/26 is provided, alongside the increases for 2024/25 and 2023/24 (shown in brackets). The figures for 2024/25 and 2023/24 are sourced from the Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government.

County councils

• Cambridgeshire 4.99% (2024/25: 4.99% 2023/24: 4.98%)
• Derbyshire 4.99% (2024/25: 4.99% 2023/24: 3.75%)
• Devon 4.99% (2024/25: 4.99% 2023/24: 4.99%)
• East Sussex 4.99% (2024/25: 4.99% 2023/24: 4.99%)
• Essex 3.75% (2024/25: 4.99% 2023/24: 3.50%)
• Gloucestershire 4.99% (2024/25: 4.99% 2023/24: 4.99%)
• Hampshire 4.995% (2024/25: 4.998% 2023/24: 4.99%)
• Hertfordshire 4.99% (2024/25: 4.99% 2023/24: 4.99%)
• Kent 4.99% (2024/25: 4.99% 2023/24: 4.995%)
• Lancashire 4.99% (2024/25: 4.99% 2023/24: 3.99%)
• Leicestershire 4.99% (2024/25: 4.99% 2023/24: 4.99%)
• Lincolnshire 2.99% (2024/25: 4.99% 2023/24: 4.99%)
• Norfolk 4.99% (2024/25: 4.99% 2023/24: 4.99%)
• Nottinghamshire 4.84% (2024/25: 4.84% 2023/24: 4.84%)
• Oxfordshire 4.99% (2024/25: 4.99% 2023/24: 4.99%)
• Staffordshire 4.99% (2024/25: 4.99% 2023/24: 4.99%)
• Suffolk 4.99% (2024/25: 4.99% 2023/24: 4.00%)
• Surrey 4.99% (2024/25: 4.99% 2023/24: 2.99%)
• Warwickshire 4.99% (2024/25: 4.996% 2023/24: 3.94%)
• West Sussex 4.99% (2024/25: 4.99% 2023/24: 4.99%)
• Worcestershire 4.99% (2024/25: 4.99% 2023/24: 4.94%)

London

• Barking & Dagenham 4.99% (2024/25: 4.99% 2023/24: 4.99%)
• Barnet 4.98% (2024/25: 4.98% 2023/24: 3.80%)
• Bexley 4.99% (2024/25: 4.99% 2023/24: 4.99%)
• Brent 4.99% (2024/25: 4.99% 2023/24: 4.99%)
• Bromley 4.99% (2024/25: 4.99% 2023/24: 4.99%)
• Camden 4.99% (2024/25: 4.99% 2023/24: 4.99%)
• City of London 4.99% (2024/25: 4.99% 2023/24: 4.99%)
• Croydon 4.99% (2024/25: 4.99% 2023/24: 14.99%)
• Ealing 4.99% (2024/25: 4.99% 2023/24: 4.99%)
• Enfield 4.99% (2024/25: 4.99% 2023/24: 4.99%)
• Greenwich 4.99% (2024/25: 4.99% 2023/24: 4.99%)
• Hackney 4.99% (2024/25: 4.99% 2023/24: 4.99%)
• Hammersmith & Fulham 4.99% (2024/25: 4.99% 2023/24: 4.80%)
• Haringey 4.99% (2024/25: 4.99% 2023/24: 4.99%)
• Harrow 4.99% (2024/25: 4.99% 2023/24: 4.99%)
• Havering 4.99% (2024/25: 4.99% 2023/24: 4.99%)
• Hillingdon 4.99% (2024/25: 4.99% 2023/24: 4.99%)
• Hounslow 4.99% (2024/25: 4.99% 2023/24: 4.99%)
• Islington 4.99% (2024/25: 4.99% 2023/24: 4.99%)
• Kensington & Chelsea 4.00% (2024/25: 4.99% 2023/24: 2.18%)
• Kingston-upon-Thames 4.99% (2024/25: 4.99% 2023/24: 4.99%)
• Lambeth 4.99% (2024/25: 4.99% 2023/24: 4.99%)
• Lewisham 4.99% (2024/25: 4.99% 2023/24: 4.99%)
• Merton 4.99% (2024/25: 4.999% 2023/24: 4.999%)
• Newham 8.99% (2024/25: 4.99% 2023/24: 4.99%)
• Redbridge 4.99% (2024/25: 4.99% 2023/24: 4.99%)
• Richmond-upon-Thames 4.99% (2024/25: 4.99% 2023/24: 4.99%)
• Southwark 4.99% (2024/25: 4.99% 2023/24: 4.99%)
• Sutton 4.99% (2024/25: 4.99% 2023/24: 4.99%)
• Tower Hamlets 4.99% (2024/25: 4.99% 2023/24: 2.00%)
• Waltham Forest 4.99% (2024/25: 4.99% 2023/24: 4.99%)
• Wandsworth 2.00% (2024/25: 2.09% 2023/24: 2.14%)
• Westminster 4.99% (2024/25: 4.98% 2023/24: 2.01%)

Metropolitan boroughs

• Barnsley 4.90% (2024/25: 4.99% 2023/24: 3.90%)
• Birmingham 7.49% (2024/25: 9.99% 2023/24: 4.99%)
• Bolton 4.99% (2024/25: 4.99% 2023/24: 3.99%)
• Bradford 9.99% (2024/25: 4.99% 2023/24: 4.99%)
• Bury 4.99% (2024/25: 4.99% 2023/24: 4.99%)
• Calderdale 4.99% (2024/25: 4.99% 2023/24: 4.99%)
• Coventry 4.90% (2024/25: 4.94% 2023/24: 4.94%)
• Doncaster 3.99% (2024/25: 4.99% 2023/24: 3.99%)
• Dudley 4.99% (2024/25: 4.99% 2023/24: 4.99%)
• Gateshead 4.99% (2024/25: 4.99% 2023/24: 4.99%)
• Kirklees 4.99% (2024/25: 4.99% 2023/24: 4.99%)
• Knowsley 4.99% (2024/25: 4.99% 2023/24: 4.99%)
• Leeds 4.99% (2024/25: 4.98% 2023/24: 4.99%)
• Liverpool 4.99% (2024/25: 4.99% 2023/24: 4.99%)
• Manchester 4.99% (2024/25: 4.99% 2023/24: 4.99%)
• Newcastle-upon-Tyne 4.99% (2024/25: 4.99% 2023/24: 3.99%)
• North Tyneside 4.99% (2024/25: 4.99% 2023/24: 4.99%)
• Oldham 4.99% (2024/25: 4.99% 2023/24: 3.99%)
• Rochdale 4.99% (2024/25: 4.99% 2023/24: 4.99%)
• Rotherham 3.00% (2024/25: 3.50% 2023/24: 4.00%)
• Salford 4.99% (2024/25: 4.99% 2023/24: 4.99%)
• Sandwell 4.99% (2024/25: 4.99% 2023/24: 4.99%)
• Sefton 4.99% (2024/25: 4.99% 2023/24: 4.99%)
• Sheffield 4.99% (2024/25: 4.99% 2023/24: 4.99%)
• Solihull 4.99% (2024/25: 4.99% 2023/24: 4.99%)
• South Tyneside 4.95% (2024/25: 4.95% 2023/24: 4.95%)
• St Helens 4.99% (2024/25: 4.99% 2023/24: 4.99%)
• Stockport 4.99% (2024/25: 4.99% 2023/24: 3.99%)
• Sunderland 4.49% (2024/25: 4.99% 2023/24: 2.99%)
• Tameside 4.99% (2024/25: 4.99% 2023/24: 4.99%)
• Trafford 7.49% (2024/25: 4.99% 2023/24: 4.99%)
• Wakefield 4.99% (2024/25: 4.99% 2023/24: 4.99%)
• Walsall 4.99% (2024/25: 4.99% 2023/24: 2.99%)
• Wigan 4.99% (2024/25: 4.99% 2023/24: 4.99%)
• Wirral 4.99% (2024/25: 4.99% 2023/24: 4.99%)
• Wolverhampton 4.99% (2024/25: 4.99% 2023/24: 4.99%)

Unitary authorities

(Where figures for 2023/24 are n/a, this is because the authority did not then exist in its current form)

• Bath & North East Somerset 4.99% (2024/25: 4.99% 2023/24: 4.99%)
• Bedford 4.99% (2024/25: 4.99% 2023/24: 2.90%)
• Blackburn with Darwen 4.99% (2024/25: 4.99% 2023/24: 4.99%)
• Blackpool 4.99% (2024/25: 4.99% 2023/24: 4.99%)
• Bournemouth, Christchurch & Poole 4.99% (2024/25: 4.99% 2023/24: 4.99%)
• Bracknell Forest 4.99% (2024/25: 4.99% 2023/24: 4.99%)
• Brighton & Hove 4.99% (2024/25: 4.99% 2023/24: 4.99%)
• Bristol 4.99% (2024/25: 4.99% 2023/24: 4.99%)
• Buckinghamshire 4.99% (2024/25: 4.98% 2023/24: 4.9997%)
• Central Bedfordshire 4.99% (2024/25: 4.99% 2023/24: 0%)
• Cheshire East 4.99% (2024/25: 4.99% 2023/24: 4.99%)
• Cheshire West & Chester 4.99% (2024/25: 4.99% 2023/24: 4.99%)
• Cornwall 4.99% (2024/25: 4.99% 2023/24: 4.99%)
• Cumberland 4.99% (2024/25: 4.99% 2023/24: n/a)
• Darlington 4.99% (2024/25: 4.99% 2023/24: 4.99%)
• Derby 3.99% (2024/25: 4.99% 2023/24: 4.99%)
• Dorset 4.99% (2024/25: 4.996% 2023/24: 4.00%)
• Durham 4.99% (2024/25: 4.99% 2023/24: 4.99%)
• East Riding of Yorkshire 4.99% (2024/25: 4.99% 2023/24: 4.98%)
• Halton 4.99% (2024/25: 4.99% 2023/24: 4.99%)
• Hartlepool 4.99% (2024/25: 2.99% 2023/24: 4.90%)
• Herefordshire 4.99% (2024/25: 4.99% 2023/24: 4.99%)
• Hull 4.99% (2024/25: 4.99% 2023/24: 4.99%)
• Isle of Wight 4.99% (2024/25: 4.99% 2023/24: 4.99%)
• Isles of Scilly 4.99% (2024/25: 4.99% 2023/24: 4.99%)
• Leicester 4.99% (2024/25: 4.999% 2023/24: 4.998%)
• Luton 4.99% (2024/25: 4.99% 2023/24: 4.99%)
• Medway 4.994% (2024/25: 4.99% 2023/24: 4.99%)
• Middlesbrough 4.99% (2024/25: 4.99% 2023/24: 3.99%)
• Milton Keynes 4.99% (2024/25: 4.99% 2023/24: 4.99%)
• North East Lincolnshire 3.98% (2024/25: 4.98% 2023/24: 3.98%)
• North Lincolnshire 4.89% (2024/25: 3.73% 2023/24: 1.74%)
• North Northamptonshire 4.99% (2024/25: 4.99% 2023/24: 4.99%)
• North Somerset 4.99% (2024/25: 4.98% 2023/24: 4.99%)
• North Yorkshire 4.99% (2024/25: 4.99% 2023/24: n/a)
• Northumberland 4.99% (2024/25: 4.59% 2023/24: 4.63%)
• Nottingham 4.99% (2024/25: 4.99% 2023/24: 4.99%)
• Peterborough 4.99% (2024/25: 4.99% 2023/24: 4.99%)
• Plymouth 4.99% (2024/25: 4.99% 2023/24: 4.99%)
• Portsmouth 4.99% (2024/25: 4.99% 2023/24: 4.99%)
• Reading 4.99% (2024/25: 4.99% 2023/24: 4.99%)
• Redcar & Cleveland 4.99% (2024/25: 4.99% 2023/24: 3.99%)
• Rutland 4.99% (2024/25: 4.99% 2023/24: 4.99%)
• Shropshire 4.99% (2024/25: 4.99% 2023/24: 4.99%)
• Slough 4.99% (2024/25: 8.50% 2023/24: 9.99%)
• Somerset 7.49% (2024/25: 4.99% 2023/24: n/a)
• South Gloucestershire 4.99% (2024/25: 4.99% 2023/24: 4.99%)
• Southampton 4.99% (2024/25: 4.99% 2023/24: 4.99%)
• Southend-on-Sea 4.99% (2024/25: 4.99% 2023/24: 4.99%)
• Stockton-on-Tees 4.95% (2024/25: 4.95% 2023/24: 4.90%)
• Stoke-on-Trent 4.99% (2024/25: 4.99% 2023/24: 4.99%)
• Swindon 4.99% (2024/25: 4.99% 2023/24: 4.99%)
• Telford & Wrekin 4.99% (2024/25: 4.99% 2023/24: 2.00%)
• Thurrock 4.99% (2024/25: 7.98% 2023/24: 9.99%)
• Torbay 4.75% (2024/25: 4.75% 2023/24: 4.99%)
• Warrington 4.98% (2024/25: 4.98% 2023/24: 4.98%)
• West Berkshire 4.99% (2024/25: 4.99% 2023/24: 4.99%)
• West Northamptonshire 4.99% (2024/25: 4.99% 2023/24: 4.99%)
• Westmorland & Furness 4.99% (2024/25: 4.99% 2023/24: n/a)
• Wiltshire 4.50% (2024/25: 4.99% 2023/24: 4.99%)
• Windsor & Maidenhead 8.99% (2024/25: 4.96% 2023/24: 4.96%)
• Wokingham 4.99% (2024/25: 4.99% 2023/24: 4.99%)
• York 4.99% (2024/25: 4.99% 2023/24: 4.99%)

What do you think about these upcoming council tax increases? How will they impact your household? Share your thoughts and experiences in the comments section.