Average Council Tax in the UK 2026/27
The average Band D council tax in England for 2026/27 is £2,391.52 a year, up £111.31 (4.9%) on last year. Here is the average for every band, per year and per month, plus how England, Wales and Scotland compare.
How much is the average council tax per month?
Councils bill the year over 10 instalments from April to January, not 12, so the figure on a typical bill is the annual average divided by 10. On the England average Band D that is £239.15 a month for 10 months, or £199.29 a month if the same total is spread over 12. Both come to £2,391.52 across the year: paying over 12 months lowers each payment, not the bill.
| Nation | Over 10 | Over 12 |
|---|---|---|
| England | £239.15 | £199.29 |
| Wales | £228.31 | £190.26 |
| Scotland | £165.34 | £137.79 |
Band D averages. Scottish figures exclude the separate Scottish Water and waste water charge, which is billed alongside council tax but is not council tax.
Average council tax by band (England, 2026/27)
Every band is a fixed fraction of Band D set in law, so the average for each band follows directly from the England average Band D of £2,391.52. Your own council may be higher or lower, so check your council's own rates. Monthly figures below spread the bill over 12 months.
| Band | Average per year | Average per month |
|---|---|---|
| Band A | £1,594.35 | £132.86 |
| Band B | £1,860.07 | £155.01 |
| Band C | £2,125.80 | £177.15 |
| Band D (benchmark) | £2,391.52 | £199.29 |
| Band E | £2,922.97 | £243.58 |
| Band F | £3,454.42 | £287.87 |
| Band G | £3,985.87 | £332.16 |
| Band H | £4,783.04 | £398.59 |
Councils bill over 10 instalments (April to January) by default, so the monthly amount on your bill is higher than the 12-month figure shown here. In England you have a statutory right to require 12 monthly instalments instead, under regulation 21(1A) of the Council Tax (Administration and Enforcement) Regulations 1992 as inserted by the 2012 amendment regulations; elsewhere ask your council what instalment plans it offers. Bands A to H apply in England and Scotland; Wales has an extra Band I above H.
England vs Wales vs Scotland
| Nation | Average Band D 2026/27 |
|---|---|
| England | £2,391.52 |
| Wales | £2,283.08 |
| Scotland | £1,653.44 |
Scottish council tax is set against Scotland's own 1991 valuation ranges and is markedly lower at Band D than in England or Wales. The figures above are the council element of Band D, which runs from £1,468.47 in South Lanarkshire to £1,816.16 in Midlothian across the 32 Scottish councils; Scottish bills add a separate Scottish Water and wastewater charge that is not council tax. Wales also has an extra Band I for the highest-value homes, so its band scale runs A to I rather than A to H.
How the average is worked out
The England average Band D of £2,391.52 is the area average Band D council tax published by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government for 2026/27, including police, fire and (in London) Greater London Authority precepts. The average per dwelling of £1,868.00 is lower because it averages across all bands and most homes sit in bands A to C, below the Band D benchmark.
Band D is the reference point for council tax: every other band is charged as a set fraction of it (Band A is six-ninths, Band H is eighteen-ninths, and so on). That is why the average for each band above can be calculated exactly from the average Band D. Your own bill depends on your council, so use the council pages for the exact figure where you live.
Sources: Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, "Council Tax levels set by local authorities in England 2026 to 2027" (25 March 2026); Welsh Government, "Council tax levels: April 2026 to March 2027". Scottish figures are the council element of Band D from published 2026/27 council schedules.