Understanding a Council Tax liability order
A Council Tax liability order is a decision made by the Magistrates’ Court. It confirms that the Council Tax shown on your court summons is legally owed.
If a liability order is granted, it also gives the Council the legal authority to take further action to recover the unpaid Council Tax if the balance is not paid.
How a Council Tax liability order is granted
The Council attends a Magistrates’ Court hearing where many Council Tax cases are considered together. At the hearing:
- the Council presents a list of Council Tax accounts with unpaid balances
- the Magistrates’ Court reviews the information provided
- if the court agrees the amounts are legally owed, it grants liability orders for the cases listed
Will I receive a copy of the liability order?
The Magistrates’ Court grants liability orders during a bulk hearing and does not issue individual printed copies for each case.
This means you will not receive a copy of the liability order.
Instead, the court notifies the Council of all liability orders granted at the hearing. The Council then updates the relevant Council Tax accounts in line with the court’s decision.
What happens after a liability order is granted
If a liability order is granted and the Council Tax remains unpaid, the Council can take further recovery action. This may include:
- agreeing an affordable payment plan with you
- making deductions from your wages or benefits
- instructing enforcement agents (bailiffs) to collect the debt
- using other recovery methods allowed by law
We will always try to work with you first to agree a payment arrangement you can afford before taking further action.
If you already have a payment plan and you keep to it, no further recovery action will be taken on the liability order.
To understand what may happen if payments are not made as agreed, read our further recovery action page.
If you need help paying your Council Tax
If you are struggling to pay because you do not have enough money, you may be able to get help through Portsmouth City Council’s Council Tax Support Scheme. Find more information or apply online to the scheme on our website.
Contact the Council Tax team
If you need to discuss your Council Tax, or if your circumstances have changed, please contact the Council Tax team.
Email (recommended)
Email is the fastest way to contact us, as phone lines are very busy. Please include as much information as possible, especially if you would like us to look at a payment plan. Once we receive your email:
- you will get a confirmation reply
- no recovery action will be taken while you wait for a response or are issued with a new Council Tax bill
Online contact form
You can also use our online contact form 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. When completing the form:
- select Council Tax as the service
- choose the option that best matches your enquiry
Telephone
You can call us between 9am and 4pm, Monday to Friday:
- Council Tax billing enquiries: 023 9268 8588
- Council Tax Support enquiries: 023 9283 4556
- Council Tax recovery enquiries (if court action has been taken): 023 9284 1447
Free and independent debt advice
Free, confidential financial advice is available locally. You can find organisations offering independent debt advice on our free independent financial advice page.