About Council Tax
Council Tax is a form of local taxation that helps pay for local services, such as:
- Rubbish collection
- Care for the elderly
- The police service
- The fire service
Council Tax came into existence from 1 April 1993. It is charged on all domestic properties and is based upon the value of the property as assessed in 1991.
View our Guide to Council Tax to find out more about what your Council Tax pays for.
You will receive your Council Tax bill at the end of March each year, or as soon as you tell us you have moved into a property.
How your bill is calculated
There are two levels of Council Tax payable within Wandsworth.
Firstly, the charge for majority of the borough made up of the Wandsworth Council element, which we set, and the Greater London Authority element, which is set by the GLA and pays for services including fire, police and transport.
Secondly, those properties which are subject to the Wimbledon and Putney Commons Conservators Levy pay a small additional amount to fund the upkeep of their commons.
As part of the Local Government Finance Settlement 2023/24 the Secretary of State offered local authorities with adult social care responsibilities the option of increasing Council Tax that funds general expenditure by up to 2.99% without the need for a referendum, plus a further increase of up to 2% which must be spent on protecting adult social care.
For 2023/24 Wandsworth Council has chosen to freeze the general expenditure part of the charge and a 2% increase will be charged as a precept to fund adult social care.
The levy charged by the Wimbledon and Putney Commons Conservators to fund the upkeep of their commons has increased by 11.9% for 2023/24 and is now an annual charge of £35.96 for a band D property.
Combining this with the increase in the Greater London Authority element of 9.7%, the overall Council Tax payable for 2023/24 for each of the eight Council Tax bands A-H is shown below.
| Band |
Wandsworth Council Tax - Main £ |
Wandsworth Council Tax - Commons £ |
Greater London Authority £ |
Total Council Tax - Main £ |
Total Council Tax - Commons £ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A | 320.00 | 343.97 | 289.43 | 609.43 | 633.40 |
| B | 373.00 | 401.30 | 337.66 | 710.99 | 738.96 |
| C | 426.67 | 458.64 | 385.90 | 812.57 | 844.54 |
| D | 480.00 | 515.96 | 434.14 | 914.14 | 950.10 |
| E | 586.67 | 630.62 | 530.62 | 1,117.29 | 1,161.24 |
| F | 693.33 | 745.27 | 627.09 | 1,320.42 | 1,372.36 |
| G | 800.00 | 859.94 | 723.57 | 1,523.57 | 1,583.51 |
| H | 960.00 | 1,031.92 | 868.28 | 1,828.28 | 1,900.20 |
| 2022/23 £ | 2023/24 £ | % change | |
| Wandsworth Council (majority) | 409.80 | 409.80 | 0% freeze |
| Wimbledon and Putney Commons Levy | 32.14 | 35.96 | 11.89% increase |
| Wandsworth Council (average) | 416.30 | 416.97 | 0.16% increase |
| Adult Social Care | 60.66 | 70.20 | 2% increase |
| Total Wandsworth Council (average) | 476.96 | 487.17 | 2.14% increase |
| Greater London Authority (GLA) | 395.59 | 434.14 | 9.74% increase |
| Total including GLA (average) | 872.55 | 921.31 | 5.59% increase |
The average band D Council Tax is the blended rate of the amounts paid by the majority of the borough and those properties that attract the additional levy for the Wimbledon and Putney Commons Conservators.
The Council Tax attributable to Wandsworth includes a precept to fund Adult Social Care (ASC). The % increase shown for ASC does not correspond to the increase in the ASC alone, it is the % increase of the total charge attributable to ASC.
Charges for previous years
Council Tax bands and charges for two previous years are available to view online:
- Council Tax bands and charges 2022/2023
- Council Tax bands and charges 2021/2022
- Council Tax bands and charges 2020/2021
- Council Tax bands and charges 2019/2020
Valuation bands
Valuation bands are decided by the Valuation Office Agency, who are part of the Inland Revenue, and not by the Council.
The valuation bands place properties in eight categories that are listed in the table below and based on property value at 1 April 1991.
| Band | Property value at 1 April 1991 |
|---|---|
| A | up to £40,000 |
| B | £40,001 to £52,000 |
| C | £52,001 to £68,000 |
| D | £68,001 to £88,000 |
| E | £88,001 to £120,000 |
| F | £120,001 to £160,000 |
| G | £160,001 to £320,000 |
| H | Values over £320,000 |
You can find out the Council Tax band for your home by looking up your property by postcode (GOV.UK). If you cannot locate your property, contact the Listing Officer.
Appealing a valuation band
The valuation band for each property has been decided by the Inland Revenue Valuation Office Agency.
You have a right to appeal against a valuation band on a property up to six months after first becoming responsible for the Council Tax, or if there are substantial alterations either to the property or the area in which it is situated.
When considering an appeal, you must take into account that the valuations are based on market values as at 1 April 1991 and assume that the property is in a reasonable state of repair and is sold with full vacant possession. The actual circumstances, or whether you own or rent the property, are not considered.
If you have made an appeal, you should remember that the Council Tax must be paid on the valuation band that is presently set. Any credit will be refunded should your appeal be successful.