Council Tax - Arrears

Council Tax payments must be made by the dates shown on the demand notice. If you fall into arrears with one or more of the instalments you will be sent a reminder to bring the payments up to date within 7 days.

If you fail to pay the amount asked for on the reminder you will be sent a notice to pay the full amount that remains outstanding for the year.

Further non-payment may result in an application being made to the Sheriff Court for a Summary Warrant, resulting in an additional surcharge of 10% being added onto the outstanding balance. The debt may then be passed to the Sheriff Officers for collection, which may also incur additional fees.

Couples living together are jointly and severally liable to pay the bill. This also applies to joint owners and tenants.

Further information on the Council's Debt Recovery and Write-off Policy can be found in the Related Downloads section of this page.

Seeking Debt Advice

If you are experiencing financial difficulties and are not able to make the required payments, you should contact the Council to see if alternative arrangements can be made.

You can also seek independent advice from the Orkney Citizens Advice Bureau, who employ Money Advisors providing free, independent, impartial and confidential debt advice. Contact Orkney Citizens Advice Bureau, Anchor Buildings, Bridge Street, Kirkwall, Orkney, KW15 1HR. Tel: (01856) 875266.

Online Payments

You can pay Council Tax, Non-Domestic Rates, Council House Rent, Garage Rent, Invoices and Other Payments using our online payments facility, available from the Related Links section of this page. Additional Services will be added as we continue to develop the range of payments available online.