Pay your Council Tax

You can pay your Council Tax bill by Direct Debit, online, by phone, by text, or in person. This page tells you when payments are due, how to make them and what happens if you pay late.

On this page
When payments are due
How payments are scheduled
Payment methods
Late or missed payments

When payments are due

Council Tax payments are due on the 1st of each month, unless your bill says otherwise. It can take 3 to 5 working days for a payment to process. Make sure you allow enough time so that your payment is received by the agreed date.

How payments are scheduled

Council Tax is usually paid monthly over 10 months, with no payments in February or March. If you want to spread your payments over the whole year, call 0118 937 3727.

Payment methods

You can pay your Council Tax by Direct Debit, online, by phone, by text, or in person.

Before you start

If you are a new resident, please visit our getting started as a new resident page before attempting to make payment. To make a Council Tax payment, you will need:

• your Council Tax account number – this can be found on your Council Tax bill
• your bank / payment details
• your payment amount

Pay by Direct Debit

Paying by Direct Debit is easy and helps us collect your payments automatically. By setting up a Direct Debit, you can:

• choose to pay on the 1st, 8th, 15th or 25th of the month
• choose to pay over 10 or 12 monthly instalments
• avoid missing payments
• manage and amend details

Set up or amend a Direct Debit

All Direct Debits set up by Reading Borough Council are in accordance with the Direct Debit Guarantee.

Pay online

You can pay your Council Tax bill safely online using a debit or credit card. There are no additional fees for using a credit card. Most cards are accepted, apart from American Express or Diners Club International.

Pay online

Pay by app

Download the Allpay App to pay your Council Tax using your smartphone.

Pay by text

Register to pay by text message with Allpay. You will need a valid UK mobile phone number to complete the registration.

Register to pay by text

Pay by phone

You can call our 24-hour payment line on 0300 456 0543. Calls cost 3p per minute, plus your phone provider’s charges. Most cards are accepted, apart from American Express or Diners Club International.

Call us to pay

Pay in person

You can pay your Council Tax at any Post Office or PayPoint. You can use your Council Tax swipe card or the barcode on your bill to pay. If you need a new swipe card, call 0118 937 3727.

Find your local Post Office

Find your local PayPoint

Late or missed payments

If you miss a payment, we will start sending you reminder texts and letters about the unpaid amount. If you haven’t received a reminder yet, you can pay online now to bring your account up to date.

If you have received a reminder, are having trouble keeping up with payments, or a Direct Debit payment has been declined, please visit our missed payments and recovery page for information on what to do next.