UK Council Tax Bands A-H
The eight Council Tax bands govern the relative liability of every domestic property in England and Scotland. Each band carries a statutory multiplier applied to the council-set Band D charge.
How bands work
The Valuation Office Agency (VOA) administers Council Tax bands in England and Wales. Each domestic property is allocated to one of eight bands (A through H) based on its open-market value as at 1 April 1991 (England and Scotland) or 1 April 2003 (Wales). Wales has nine bands (A through I) reflecting the later valuation date and higher base value. The band assignment is statutory and does not normally change unless the property is materially altered, partially demolished, or formally re-assessed by the VOA following a successful challenge.
Bands operate via a statutory multiplier system. Band D is the reference band with multiplier 9/9 (i.e. the council-set Band D charge applies in full). Bands A–D share the same ratios across the UK (6/9, 7/9, 8/9, 9/9), but the higher bands diverge by nation: in England and Wales the ladder runs to Band H at 18/9 (twice Band D), whereas Scotland raised bands E–H from 1 April 2017, so a Scottish Band H pays 882/360 (≈2.45×) of Band D rather than 2×. Within any one nation the variation in actual charges comes from the different Band D rates each council sets, not from the band ratios.
The Local Government Finance Act 1992 sets the England & Wales multiplier table (Scotland's E–H ratios were re-set by the 2017 reform). The multipliers reflect the relative value distribution of the housing stock as assessed at the valuation date, a Band H property was assumed to be worth roughly 2× a Band D property. Three decades of differential house-price inflation have somewhat broken this assumption, but the tables remain fixed.
The eight bands at a glance
| Band | 1991 Value Range | Multiplier | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| A | Up to £40,000 | 6/9 | Lowest band, typically small flats, terraced houses in lower-value 1991 markets |
| B | £40,001-£52,000 | 7/9 | Second-lowest, small to medium terraced houses, ex-council semis |
| C | £52,001-£68,000 | 8/9 | Common middle band, typical terraced and semi-detached houses |
| D | £68,001-£88,000 | 9/9 | Reference band, Band D charge is the statutory headline rate set by each council |
| E | £88,001-£120,000 | 11/9 | Above-average, larger semis, smaller detached, period properties |
| F | £120,001-£160,000 | 13/9 | Significant detached properties or large period homes in high-value 1991 markets |
| G | £160,001-£320,000 | 15/9 | Large detached houses, prime properties in London and SE 1991 markets |
| H | Over £320,000 | 18/9 | Top band, Highest-value properties, typically prime London 1991 market or comparable |
Browse band detail pages
Each band detail page shows the per-band charge across all UK councils we cover, sorted by charge level. Use this for cross-council comparison if you are considering moving home or want to understand how council finance varies across the UK.
- Band A
Up to £40,000 - Band B
£40,001-£52,000 - Band C
£52,001-£68,000 - Band D
£68,001-£88,000 - Band E
£88,001-£120,000 - Band F
£120,001-£160,000 - Band G
£160,001-£320,000 - Band H
Over £320,000
Welsh Band I
Wales has an additional Band I above Band H, with multiplier 21/9 (i.e. 2.33× Band D). Band I applies to properties valued over £424,000 at the 2003 Welsh revaluation date. The additional band reflects Wales's choice to use a 2003 valuation rather than the 1991 valuation used in England and Scotland. Welsh Band D charges are not directly comparable to English/Scottish Band D in valuation terms, a Welsh Band D property is a 2003 £68k-£88k property, while an English/Scottish Band D property is a 1991 £68k-£88k property.
Challenging your band
If you believe your property is in too high a band relative to comparable properties on your street, you can ask the VOA to review. See our band challenge guide for the formal procedure, evidence requirements, and timeline.
Methodology
The band schedule, multipliers, and band-detail pages on PlainCouncilTax are sourced from the Local Government Finance Act 1992 (as amended) and the Valuation Office Agency Council Tax list. See our full methodology page for data sourcing, the statutory framework, and column lineage from upstream sources to displayed values.