Council Tax cyber-attack update

Published: Friday 16 January 2026

Updated: Monday 16 February 2026

A cyber-attack is affecting our Council Tax service. We are sorry for any inconvenience.

Here is what you can do if you have any problems, and where you can get help.

Council Tax Bills 2026/27

We apologise for the delay in issuing Council Tax bills for the 2026/27 financial year. This delay has been caused by a cyber-attack on the Council in November 2025, which affected several systems, including Revenues and Benefits and which had to be taken offline.  

We are expecting to send your annual council tax bill in May with instalments to start in June.  
As the Revenues and Benefits system is unavailable, any changes reported since November 2025 have not yet been applied. We are working through a large backlog of correspondence. If you have already notified us of a change, you do not need to contact us again.

Your instalments will be different this year, due to us having to send this bill later than usual:

  • monthly payments: June to March
  • quarterly payments: June, September, December and March
  • half yearly payments: June and November

New residents

You may need to wait for some time before you get your first bill. Make sure you set aside money for when the bill arrives.

If you have not made contact already, please email your information to [email protected] 
Include as much information as possible to avoid the need for us to reply for more information which could cause delays in registering you, if able please also attach a copy of your tenancy agreement.

Paying your 2025/26 bill

You can pay your Council Tax bill by credit or debit card 24 hours a day, seven days a week by calling the automated bill payment line on: 020 3974 4670. Have your card and Council Tax account reference number ready when you call.

Online forms

Our online forms are currently unavailable.

You can contact us instead and we will do our best to help.

Refunds

Our system for issuing refunds is currently unavailable.

We will pay refunds as soon as possible. We apologise for any inconvenience.

Discounts or exemptions

Please email us with details and evidence of your discount or exemption and this will be processed when our systems are restored.

Please provide as much information as you can including any documents you to support your application, such as a student certificate for each student at the property and a list of occupants in the email (or confirmation if you are living alone) or evidence of diplomatic exemption (Form 3). 

  • Email: [email protected]
  • Council Tax reduction
  • The online claim form is currently unavailable.
  • Contact us and we will send you a paper claim form.
  • Phone: 020 7361 3006

New residents

You may need to wait for some time before you get your first bill. Make sure you set aside money for when the bill arrives.

If you have not made contact already, please email your information to [email protected] 
Include as much information as possible to avoid the need for us to reply for more information which could cause delays in registering you, if able please also attach a copy of your tenancy agreement.

If you’ve emailed but have not heard back

We have limited access to our emails with a lot of emails to work through, as we cannot make changes, we are prioritising general enquiries and emails which further information is required for us to action when our systems return.

When emailing please check you have provided as much information as possible to ensure we can process your email. 

Help and support

If you need help with your council tax bill or to arrange a repayment plan for any outstanding balances for 2025/26, please contact us once you receive your annual notice for 2026/27 as our system will then be online.  

you can contact us:

You may also get support from our community partners: