Council Tax rates

Council Tax rates for 2024/2025

Band A - £1,570.19
Band B - £1,831.89
Band C - £2,093.59
Band D - £2,355.29
Band E - £2,878.69
Band F - £3,402.10
Band G - £3,925.48
Band H - £4,710.58

Note: These figures are for the City Council area as a whole.

If you live in a Parish area you will pay slightly more to pay for the Parish Council. For more details download the Council Tax bands Preston 2024/2025 (PDF) [168KB] .

You can view information on how your council tax is spent.

Council Tax bands

Council Tax is related to the valuation of your property. Each property has been valued and placed in one of eight council tax bands (labelled A through to H) by the Valuation Office Agency.

The Valuation Office Agency (VOA) maintains the Council Tax Valuation List. This includes placing new properties within a Council Tax band and changing bands for properties when necessary.

The tax band is assigned based on the estimated value of the property at 1 April 1991, they do not relate to the value of your home today.

Any improvements or alterations made to the property may affect its value or band category, but will not be taken into consideration until the property is sold.

To understand why your property is in a certain band, visit GOV.UK - How domestic properties are assessed for Council Tax bands.

Band 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 - £320,001 and Over

Use our postcode search to:

Find out your council tax band

For postcodes outside of Preston you can use the GOV.UK - search your Council Tax band website.

Council Tax Banding of houses in multi occupation (HMOs)

The Valuation Office Agency (VOA) is responsible for keeping bands up to date in England and Wales.

This page provides taxpayers with guidance on how the VOA bands multi-let properties often called HMOs, for Council Tax purposes. Many HMOs were originally built as large houses but are now occupied by multiple households.

The starting point is that each separately let part qualifies as a separate dwelling with its own band, whether or not it is self-contained. There may be circumstances, however, where the VOA can amalgamate the bands in particular circumstances.

Here are some examples of how different types of HMO are banded:

HMOs with little or no adaptation

Where minor adaptations like door locks are added, and the occupants of the separately let parts share the kitchen and bathroom of the original house, then the VOA can put the whole property into one band.

HMOs with adaptations to each floor

Where each floor of a house let in parts has standard facilities and can be treated as a self-contained unit, then each floor is able to be given a single band. This applies where the occupiers of the floor share a kitchen and a bathroom.

HMOs with adapted letting rooms

Separately let rooms in a HMO may have been adapted, for example, so that they have their own kitchenette or separate shower/bath and WC. They will be given their own band even though may share some facilities. In making a decision, the VOA will look at the degree to which each part has been structurally altered.

Further information

If you have a specific query about your circumstances and HMOs, which hasn't been covered here, if you believe that your band is wrong; or if you believe your household should not be banded at all; please visit GOV.UK - Appeal a Council Tax bill or fine and follow the links to 'challenge your Council Tax band'.