Council Tax change of circumstances

You must tell us about any change in your circumstances that may affect your Council Tax so we can make sure your Council Tax is right.

Where the change might affect how much Council Tax you pay, you might pay too much if you don’t tell us immediately. Or you might not pay enough, and have to pay the extra later all in one go.

The law says you must tell us within 21 days of the change. If it’s already been longer than 21 days, you should tell us straightaway.

How to tell the Council Tax team about changes of circumstance

Moving house or change of address

See our Change of address page - this includes registering for Council Tax.

Tenants moving in or out (landlords and managing agents)

Use the forms on our Change of address page to report tenants moving in or out.

Changes to Council Tax reductions

Use the forms on our Council Tax reductions page to tell us that

you're now the only person over 18 in the property and you want to start claiming 25% Single Person Discount
you're no longer the only person over 18 in the property and you want to stop claiming 25% Single Person Discount

If your circumstances have changed in another way and you think you might be able to pay less, you can find out about Council Tax reductions for occupied properties and Council Tax reductions for unoccupied properties.

When someone has died

For information about Council Tax when someone dies and how to report a death, see Council Tax when someone dies.

Other changes in circumstances

Tell us about a change in circumstances

Use our change of circumstances form to:

change the name on your bill, or tell us we have got your name wrong

or to tell us that:

your correspondence address has changed
someone has moved into or out of your property
you have sold a property that was previously unoccupied
you have moved into a property you already owned
something has changed that might affect a reduction you currently receive
you are no longer eligible for a discount that you currently receive

You don't need to tell us about new adults moving in if you are currently paying the full Council Tax charge.

If you claim Council Tax Support or Housing Benefit

If you are claiming Council Tax Support or Housing Benefit, you will need to tell our Benefits team about the change.

Further information on the types of changes you need to report if you are claiming Housing Benefit, Council Tax Support, or 2nd Adult Rebate (for example income related changes) and the online form to report the change can be found on the Benefits Change of Circumstance page.

The owner or tenant who usually lives in the property is living elsewhere to give or receive care

Further information can be found on the Council Tax reductions for unoccupied properties page.

Authority to disclose

If someone else is helping you sort out your Council Tax, you can give us permission to talk to them by signing our authority to disclose form:

Authority to disclose

What happens next when you tell us about a change of circumstance

We are currently experiencing a high volume of enquiries, which is causing delays in updating some Council Tax accounts. To help us manage this, please avoid contacting us or sending duplicate enquiries. Our backlog is currently around three months.

We sincerely apologise for any inconvenience this may cause and assure you that we are working diligently to respond as quickly as possible.

Thank you for your patience and understanding

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Cheshire East Account

We recommend that our customers sign up to view their council tax accounts online via Cheshire East account. The benefits to this include not having to wait for a paper bill to arrive in the post.

For those council tax payers who live overseas we are aware that although post is sent Air Mail there can be delays which are beyond our control. Setting up a Cheshire East account will mean that you have access to your account 24/7.

Contact Council Tax

Council Tax enquiry form

If you're unable to use our forms or have any questions about your bill you can call the Council Tax Customer Service Team on 0300 123 5013 during normal office hours, 8.30am to 5pm Monday to Friday, excluding bank holidays.

Page last reviewed: 19 May 2025