Eight bands, one number
The average Band D council tax in England is £2,392 for 2026/27, and every other band is a fixed share of it set in law. Band A pays six ninths, about £1,594 on that average, and Band H pays eighteen ninths, about £4,783, exactly double Band A. Once you know your area's Band D, every band follows by arithmetic. Here is what each band costs, what the bands actually mean, and how to check yours.
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What each band costs
On the England average Band D of £2,392 for 2026/27. Your own council sets the Band D figure, so treat these as the shape, not your exact bill, and use the rates page for your area.
| Band | Share of Band D | Average a year |
|---|---|---|
| Band A | 6/9 of Band D | £1,594 |
| Band B | 7/9 of Band D | £1,860 |
| Band C | 8/9 of Band D | £2,126 |
| Band D | 9/9 of Band D (the benchmark every other band is set against) | £2,392 |
| Band E | 11/9 of Band D | £2,923 |
| Band F | 13/9 of Band D | £3,454 |
| Band G | 15/9 of Band D | £3,986 |
| Band H | 18/9 of Band D | £4,783 |
For the real Band D where you live, and every band to the penny, see the council tax rates page or find your council in the index.
What the bands actually mean
Your band is not based on what your home is worth today. In England it is based on what the property would have sold for on 1 April 1991, and England has never revalued since, so a band set more than thirty years ago still decides your bill. Band A is the lowest 1991 value and Band H the highest. That is also why so many bands are wrong: homes were assessed quickly and in bulk, and plenty were never looked at again.
The ratios between the bands, though, are fixed in statute and never change. Band D is the benchmark at nine ninths. Band A is six ninths of it, Band B seven, Band C eight, and above D the ratios keep climbing to Band H at eighteen ninths, which is exactly twice Band A. This is national law, so it holds in every council in England and Wales, which is how the rates page can check all 350 authorities as exact ratios of their own Band D.
Which band am I in, and can I challenge it?
Your band is printed on your bill, and you can look up any address free on the Valuation Office Agency's council tax band search. If you think yours is too high, perhaps because similar neighbouring homes are a band lower, you can ask the VOA to review it for nothing. Be careful though: a review can move a band either way, so check comparable homes near you first. If you are on a low income or live alone, a discount or reduction is usually a bigger and safer saving, and the help with bills page lists what you can claim.
A lower band is not the whole story
Your band decides your share, but your council decides the size of the bill, and that varies far more than most people expect. Band D itself runs from about £1,000 to nearly £2,800 depending on the authority, so where you live can matter more than your band. We set out the cheapest and dearest places, and the £1,737 gap between them, in the council tax by area guide.
Where these figures come from, and the nations
The average Band D of £2,392 is the MHCLG figure for England, 2026/27, including parish precepts. The band ratios are set in the Local Government Finance Act 1992. This guide is England: Wales revalued in 2003 and has nine bands, A to I; Scotland keeps eight bands but with different ratios above Band D; and Northern Ireland does not use bands at all, charging domestic rates on capital value instead. The rates page handles all of them.
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