Council Tax Band A — 2026/27 Annual Charge & Guide

What is council tax Band A?

Band A is assigned to properties valued at Up to £40,000 (1991 value) on 1 April 1991. Using the England average Band D of £2,392, a typical Band A annual charge is £1,595 (£133/month). Your exact charge depends on your local authority.

Based on England average 2026/27. Check exact rates for your postcode →

How Band A is calculated

Band A has a statutory multiplier of 6/9 of Band D. This ratio is fixed by law and applies to whatever Band D rate your council sets each April.

Am I wrongly in Band A?

Use our band checker to compare nearby properties. If similar homes are in a lower band, read our appeal guide.

Band A council tax across English cities, 2026/27

At the England average Band D rate of £2,392, Band A costs £1,595 a year (£133 a month). But the same band can cost very different amounts depending on where you live: across the 28 English cities and boroughs we track, Band A ranges from £685 in Wandsworth to £1,837 in Nottingham — a gap of £1,152 a year for an identical-band home. The median of those cities is £1,637.

Each band step has a price: moving up to Band B adds £265 a year at the England average. That is why a successful band challenge is worth checking even for a single band.

Figures use each city's 2026/27 Band D rate, including average parish and precept charges, with Band A set at 6/9 of Band D. See the full league table to compare every council.

Which homes are in Band A?

In England, Band A covers homes valued at up to £40,000 on 1 April 1991. Band A holds the lowest-value homes on the list. In practice it is dominated by smaller terraced houses, flats and maisonettes, and older homes in lower-value parts of the country, particularly in the North of England, the Midlands and former industrial towns. It is the single most common band in England: roughly one home in four sits here (23.7% of properties on the 2025 list, according to the VOA).

Two points are worth keeping in mind. First, the band is fixed by the 1991 value (or, for newer homes, by an estimate of what the property would have been worth then), so it does not change when house prices rise or fall. Second, Wales and Scotland use their own bands and valuation dates: Wales was revalued in 2003 and has nine bands (A to I), and Scotland uses its own 1991 valuation ranges. This page uses the English bands; see our council tax rates league table for individual councils.

What Band A costs at the England average

At the 2026/27 England average Band D charge of £2,392, Band A pays 6/9 of that amount, which is £1,595 a year. Paid in 12 monthly instalments that is about £133 a month; over the more common 10 instalments (April to January) it is about £160 a month. Per day it works out at £4.37. Your own bill will differ because each council sets its own Band D charge, and parish, police and fire precepts are included in the figure you actually pay.

The discounts and premiums above apply on top of whatever your council charges, so the real figure depends on your local Band D. Households in which everyone is a full-time student are exempt altogether, and people on a low income may be able to claim help through their council's Council Tax Reduction scheme; see our council tax support guide.

Moving up or down from Band A

At the England average, Band B would cost £265 a year more. Band A is the lowest band, so a band challenge cannot reduce it. The one route to a lower bill through the bands is the disabled band reduction, which charges Band A households 5/9 of Band D instead of 6/9.

If you think your home is in the wrong band, you can check the band of similar nearby properties on the GOV.UK council tax band checker and, if you have grounds, send a proposal to the Valuation Office Agency (the listing officer), not to your council. Challenges are most straightforward within six months of becoming the council tax payer for the home; after that, the band can usually only change if there has been a material change such as a demolition, a split into flats or a change in use. Keep paying your bill while the challenge is considered, and be aware that a review can also result in a higher band.

Common questions about Band A

Is Band A the same everywhere in the UK?

No. The letter is the same but the valuation ranges and the amount charged are not. Each council in England sets its own Band D rate, and Wales and Scotland have separate band structures, so Band A can cost very different amounts depending on where you live.

Does an extension or renovation move my home out of Band A?

Not straight away. In England a home is normally re-banded only when it is sold after an increase in value, not while the same owner lives there, so improvements generally have no effect until you sell and the new owner is assessed.

Can I get a discount on Band A?

Yes, depending on who lives in the property: a 25% discount for a single adult, full exemptions for certain groups such as full-time students, and a one-band reduction where a disabled person needs extra space. Ask your council to confirm what applies, as it will not always apply discounts automatically.

Sources: GOV.UK: Council Tax bands, GOV.UK: Challenge your Council Tax band and the VOA's Council Tax stock of properties statistics.

Council tax band FAQs