Council tax direct debit?

Question

hi

im trying to repay my council tax arrears i have a direct debit mandate from them that they sent a while ago, should i send it?

im hoping they will accept it, do you think they will?

and is direct debit safe enough?

ive filled in my details of bank and bank account but there is nowhere that says the amount that I want to pay?

how will i/they know how much i want to pay i dont want them to just decide an amount surely i have to write it somewhere?

once i send it to them, will they send a letter back? how will we agree what amount? i want to pay £50.

due to money troubles i also have another old council tax account in arrears with them, will i be able to ask for another direct debit form and would i be able to pay £25 direct debit towards each account making it up to £50 direct debit per month?

thanks

Answer 1

A direct debit gives permission for money to be taken out of your account, therefore the council can take what they want and you have no control. Dont fill that in.

a standing order is an instruction from YOU to allow what YOU want taken out of your bank.

you have more control over a standing order - you name the date it is taken from your account and you set the amount and the date the standing order finishes. Contact the council ask for the banking details ie your customer reference number, their sort code and their bank account number and then take these to your bank and tell them you want to set a standing order up. The council shouldnt have a problem with this as you are willing to pay the debt. If they dont accept these terms, send a cheque each month, on time,  with a letter to say you are willing to set a standing order up and they have refused. Copy the letter and keep a record of all cheques sent to them. If the council  takes you to court to get an attachment of earnings you can prove that you have tried to settle the issue and they have refused to allow it. you dont want an attachment of earnings - depending on how much you earn they can take alot of money from your wages and you have no say in the matter. Hope this helps

Answer 2

For all it's worth, just ring them. Just explain how much you are willing too pay, and see if it acceptable to them. You will be able to explain your circumstances better on the phone, than you will in a letter.

Answer 3

You would be best to contact your local council tax office before sending the direct debit to them, that way you can arrange a suitable payment setup to suit you and the council.

Answer 4

one of my daughters is a council tax revenue officer and she said you need to contact the council and explain what you can pay on both tax accounts and they will come to an arrangement with you - direct debit is acceptable once you get the amount correct    good luck

Answer 5

You definately need professional advice and quickly.

Contact The Citizens Advice Bureau (CAB) and arrange an interview, they will explain the procedures and possibly sort something out with the council.

If you complete the DD mandate the payment will be decided by the council although they must tell you how much is to be taken before it is taken from your account.

Answer 6

if its the same authority then they'll add up how much you owe them and sort out a repayment plan, they won't charge interest and generally they are pretty fair, call them if you are worried... also DD is dead safe!

once you call them they'll send a letter showing how much you'll need to pay every month until next march.

Answer 7

If you are in arrears, it means you have never paid the direct debit form sent by your council.  That form has a mandate to your Bank clearly showing the amounts to be taken each month and should have been signed by you at the start of the payment year and given to your Bank for processing. Why don't you ring the Council about it as they will explain and help you if you are having difficulty in paying.

It is possible to pay on a Standing Order which is what I do as I am in control of the payments then and not the council and I also spread my payments over 12 months, not 10 as they like.  It is quite easy to do this - just contact the council tax office when you receive your bill and they will send out a new form with the monthly payments clearly shown.

Answer 8

If we receive a direct debit mandate towards a debt and no covering letter then it is assumed that the liability party has made an offer of what ever is needed to clear the debt - generally to clear the arrears by 31 March 2009.

The dd will be set up and a letter sent showing the required payments.

If you want to make an offer then you are always best off sending the mandate with a covering letter then the offer can be accepted or refused.

Have you a current year charge that you are paying ?  if not and the arrears include this year then you generally need to make an offer of at least the payment to clear this years charge + extra off the arrears.

It's very difficult to advise without being able to see a persons account in front of you.  

Regarding a potential Attachment of Earnings - making payments will not stop this happening if they are not suitable and you earn enough for a reasonable rate to be taken.

Once a summons has been issued then the council do not have to accept any offer of payment - some will issue an AOE or take bailiff action as soon as the Liability Order is granted - magistrates do not make any adjudication on the action that the council take as they have no authority in the decision.