The Band Ledger · Guide · England only
In England you can ask the Valuation Office Agency to look at your band. That is a right to be heard, not a win. Compare neighbouring homes first, pick the right route — a proposal or a band review — then file free on GOV.UK.
This guide is for people in England who think their council tax band may be wrong. It is not about council tax support or other bill reductions — those are separate council schemes. If you have just become the council tax payer, start with the 6-month proposal guide.
People mix these up. A council tax proposal is the formal route when you have a legal right. A band review is the informal route for everyone else who thinks the band is wrong.
Proposal
Legal right to be heard
Band review
Informal request
Both routes are free if you file yourself at GOV.UK. Paying us is never required to challenge a band. New taxpayers: see how to challenge within 6 months.
1. Confirm you are in England
Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland use different rules. This guide is for England only.
2. Work out which VOA route you are on
If you have been paying council tax here for less than 6 months, you usually have a legal right to make a proposal. Otherwise you are on an informal band review.
3. Screen neighbouring homes first
Look at similar homes nearby before you file. Most bands are right. A weak case wastes time and can put a higher band in play.
4. Gather the evidence the VOA actually weighs
Comparable neighbouring homes — same type, similar size, age, style and location, up to 5. A modern sale price is not proof on its own.
5. File free on GOV.UK
The official challenge is always free if you file yourself. Keep paying your bill while the case is open — a challenge does not pause it.
Neighbour evidence is what the VOA actually weighs. They look for comparable homes — up to 5 — that match yours on:
Today’s house price, or a house-price index, is not proof on its own. For a band review you must send evidence up front. A proposal does not require it, but evidence still decides whether the band moves.
Source: GOV.UK — Challenge your Council Tax band: evidence to support your challenge.
Asking the VOA to look is a right to be heard, not to win. Of the 24,250 proposals resolved in 2023–24, only 19% ended in a reduction and 70% left the band unchanged. Band reviews, which require evidence up front, reduced the band in 41% of resolved cases.
A band can also go up, and a change can affect neighbouring homes. Across all challenge routes the published increase rate was less than 1% in 2023–24. Rare is not the same as impossible — which is why we show evidence against a challenge as well as evidence for one.
Source: Valuation Office Agency — Council Tax: challenges and changes in England and Wales, March 2024 (29 August 2024).
Enter your postcode on the homepage, pick the exact home, and read the comparable bands before you file. Most bands are right. If ours looks consistent, or the records are incomplete, we will say so.
Filing yourself with the VOA is always free. A paid evidence pack is optional, and only worth considering after a strong screen. We do not sell help on a weak case.
The official route is free and does not go through us. Use these pages to check the rules and file:
Compare similar neighbouring homes first, then file free with the Valuation Office Agency on GOV.UK. If you became the council tax payer within the last 6 months you usually have a legal right to make a proposal. Everyone else uses an informal band review and must send evidence up front. Most bands are right — screen before you file.
A proposal is the formal route when you have a legal right — most often a new taxpayer in the first 6 months. The VOA must send a written decision and you can appeal. A band review is the informal route for everyone else: evidence is expected up front, they may close the case without a formal decision, and there is no right of appeal.
Comparable neighbouring homes of the same type, similar size, age, style and location — up to 5. A modern sale price or a house-price index is not proof on its own. For a band review you must supply evidence up front. A proposal does not require it, but evidence still decides the outcome.
Yes. A review can leave the band unchanged, reduce it, or (rarely) raise it — and a change can affect neighbouring homes. Across all challenge routes in 2023–24, less than 1% ended with a higher band. That is why we screen neighbouring homes first.
No. Filing with the VOA on GOV.UK is always free. Our neighbour check is also free. A paid evidence pack is optional, and only worth considering after a strong screen. We do not sell help on a weak case.
Free council tax screening
Start with your postcode. We will show the evidence we can verify and say plainly when it is not enough. Then you can file free with the VOA if you still want to.
Check your band free