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Council Tax was introduced as a rush job in 1993 to replace the then relatively new form of local taxation - the Community Charge (aka the Poll Tax) - which'd caused riots in the streets. The speed at which it was set up, meant there were some serious flaws in the system, many of which have still - 33 years later - not been fixed. And that has left large numbers overpaying.

Within a few years of starting this site, I turned my focus to exposing this. Now, as many saw their Council Tax rise another 5% last month, it's worth bringing to your attention again. Here are my six things we'll talk you through checking, interwoven with a potted history of MSE's Council Tax campaigning and help...

Check & challenge your Council Tax band. I launched this system in 2007 and it was splashed all over the newspaper front pages. Since then, who knows, maybe 100,000s have had their band lowered and got backdated refunds - we certainly get swamped with successes.
Help to Challenge your band. If you band looks too high, getting it changed is the tough part. Two years ago, we extensively improved our 'challenge help' based on why people were being rejected. This includes the big 'un... getting your key property attribute data.
Missing out on a discount? If you're single, a single parent, a student, or have physical or mental disabilities, you may be. We added this to our Council Tax arsenal over a decade ago.
Up to 2.25m on low incomes not claiming Council Tax Support. Since 2024 (if not earlier) we've been warning about this on the back of Policy In Practice research, which revealed huge under-claiming, often by people on Universal Credit (UC) wrongly assuming it's automatic.
Owed Council Tax credit back? In 2019, we discovered that many who'd moved home, weren't getting the refunds due.
And there's good news to come in 2027... Last year, with my Money & Mental Health Policy Institute charity, we launched a campaign against overly aggressive English Council Tax debt collection - and it's worked. It's just one of a raft of small but crucial changes coming next year.

So now the team and I will run you through the specifics of those...

The primary fact that dictates what you pay is your Council Tax valuation band - A is the lowest, H the highest. Yet many people were arguably put in the wrong band (Geri, Robbie, Zayn - sorry).

That's because it was assessed via a stop-gap system back in 1991, literally via estate agents doing drive-by 2nd gear valuations. And in England & Scotland it hasn't been redone since. No surprise then, up to 400,000 homes may be in the wrong band.

Yet Martin's check & challenge system has meant many are not only getting bands lowered, but a backdated payout too. Michael is one of many who's emailed us in the last year... "As a result of reading about it on your website, we got our Council Tax band reduced from E to D, backdated 20 years. Got a cheque for £6,500. Brilliant result. Very many thanks MSE."

To see whether you're likely in too high a band, there are two checks.

Check 1: The Neighbours Check. Find whether you're in a higher band than your neighbours in very similar or preferably identical properties. Don't worry, you won't need to ask them what their band is - you can check your band and neighbours' online.

Yet remember, all this shows is your relative bands, if it shows yours is higher, that may be as yours is too high, or theirs too low. And you don't want to be responsible for a rise in your neighbour's band, so always do the next check too...
Check 2: The Valuation Check. This is Martin's safety check. It isn't allowed as evidence if you challenge - this is purely so you can see if it's likely you're in the wrong band.

To do it, you need to assess your house's value in 1991 (which in Eng & Scot is still what bands are based on). It sounds complex, but don't worry - our free Valuation check help and tool will take you through it easily.

And remember, only consider a challenge if you clearly pass BOTH checks.