Aberdeen City Council Tax Debt Help

Struggling With Aberdeen City Council Tax?

Aberdeen, the Granite City, is Scotland’s third largest city and the long-standing heart of the country’s energy industry, from North Sea oil and gas to the growing offshore wind and hydrogen sector. It is also a big student city, home to two universities, with busy neighbourhoods from the city centre and Torry to Bridge of Don, Dyce, Mastrick and Cults. Council tax bills here have risen sharply, and if yours has become hard to manage, you are not alone. This page explains how Aberdeen City Council operates, who it uses to recover arrears, and how to get a debt back under control before it reaches a wage arrestment.

How we can help:

• We deal with the council and its sheriff officers for you
• We help you agree a realistic, affordable payment plan
• We set out every debt solution open to Aberdeen residents
• We can help stop or avoid a wage arrestment
• Free, confidential help – with no obligation

Watch: how council tax recovery and sheriff action works in Scotland, and how to stop it.

About Aberdeen City Council

Aberdeen City Council is the local authority for the city of Aberdeen, Scotland’s third largest city, serving around 227,000 people. It is a unitary authority, responsible for the full range of local services. Aberdeen is a separate council from Aberdeenshire, which surrounds the city, so it is worth making sure your bill and any letters relate to the right authority. If your postcode is in the city (for example AB10, AB11, AB15, AB16, AB24 or AB25), your council tax is normally an Aberdeen City matter.

Council tax and business rates are billed and collected by the council’s finance service, which also handles discounts, Council Tax Reduction and the recovery of arrears. The valuation band on your home is set by the Grampian Valuation Joint Board, the Assessor shared with Aberdeenshire and Moray, rather than by the council itself. The council’s headquarters is Marischal College, Broad Street, Aberdeen, AB10 1AB.

Aberdeen council tax contact details

These are the council’s main contact points for council tax. If you are worried about paying, it is far better to make contact early than to wait for a reminder.

You can pay by Direct Debit over 10 or 12 monthly instalments, online by card, on the automated payment line, or by standing order. If ringing the council yourself feels difficult, we can speak to the council for you and help set up an arrangement.

Council tax in Aberdeen

Council tax is an annual charge on domestic property, set each year by Aberdeen City Council. What you pay depends on the valuation band of your home, which reflects its value on 1 April 1991 and is set by the Grampian Valuation Joint Board, not by the council. Your bill also includes separate water and wastewater charges, which the council collects on behalf of Scottish Water.

Bills are issued in spring for the year that begins on 1 April, and are usually spread across monthly instalments. If you want to understand the wider system, who is liable and how billing works, see our guides to council tax in Scotland, council tax liability and billing and collection.

Aberdeen council tax bands and charges 2026-27

For 2026-27, Aberdeen City Council increased council tax by 6.8%. This follows a 9.85% rise the year before, so Aberdeen now sits among the higher council tax areas in Scotland. The table below shows the charge for each band, with the water and wastewater charges collected for Scottish Water included in the total. Band D is the standard reference band.

The council tax column is the Aberdeen City charge on its own, and the right-hand column adds the standard Scottish Water charges to give the full bill. If you think your home is in the wrong band, you can check it on the Scottish Assessors website and, in limited circumstances, ask for a review, though a review can move a band up as well as down. Our council tax valuation guide explains how bands and challenges work.

Reductions, discounts and students

With bills this high, it is more important than ever to make sure yours is as low as it should be. Aberdeen City Council offers a range of reductions, and claiming the right one can cut what you owe and make catching up far easier.

• Council Tax Reduction (CTR): a means-tested reduction of up to 100% for people on a low income, usually with savings under £16,000. You apply online through the council, and the reduction is credited straight to your council tax account. CTR reduces the council tax element only, not the water and wastewater charges, which have their own separate reduction.
• Single person discount (25%): if you are the only adult in the property, you can claim a 25% reduction.
• Students: Aberdeen is a big university city, and full-time students are disregarded for council tax. A property occupied only by students is fully exempt, and a household of students and non-students may still get a discount. If you are a student in the city and have been billed in full, this is well worth checking.
• Disabled band reduction and other reliefs: a disabled band reduction can lower the band, and students, apprentices, carers and people with a severe mental impairment can be disregarded, with some properties exempt. See our disabled band reduction and council tax discounts guides.

Aberdeen has also used its powers on second homes: since 1 April 2024 a second home is charged at 200% of the standard rate, and long-term empty homes can carry a similar premium. If you are being charged a premium you do not think applies, or you have been paying full price when a discount or exemption was due, raise it with the council straight away.

Business rates in Aberdeen

Business rates, or non-domestic rates, are the commercial equivalent of council tax and are billed by Aberdeen City Council. The rate itself, the poundage, is set nationally by the Scottish Government and is the same across the country. Your bill is the rateable value of your premises, set by the Grampian Valuation Joint Board, multiplied by the poundage.

For 2026-27 the Scottish Government set three rates:

Many smaller Aberdeen businesses pay little or nothing through the Small Business Bonus Scheme, which can give 100% relief on a single property with a rateable value up to £12,000, with tapered relief up to £20,000. Other reliefs, including charity, empty property and Fresh Start relief, may also apply. Business rates enquiries go to 01224 346146 or businessrates@aberdeencity.gov.uk. City-centre businesses also pay a levy to the Aberdeen Inspired Business Improvement District, which the council collects alongside rates.

If a business falls behind, non-domestic rates are recovered in the same way as council tax, through a summary warrant that adds a 10% surcharge and enforcement by Scott & Co. If your business is behind on its rates, the same early action and the same support apply.

Which sheriff officers does Aberdeen City Council use?

When council tax or business rates go unpaid and a summary warrant has been granted, Aberdeen City Council passes the account to sheriff officers to collect. Sheriff officers are officers of the court, not private bailiffs, and their powers are set by Scottish law.

Under its own procurement, Aberdeen City Council’s sheriff officer services are provided by Scott & Co, the largest sheriff officer firm in Scotland, whose contract covers council tax, business rates and other council debts. This is a separate arrangement from neighbouring Aberdeenshire, which uses a different firm, so make sure any letter you receive relates to the right council.

If Scott & Co have contacted you about an Aberdeen debt, our dedicated Scott & Co guide sets out exactly who they are, the enforcement they can use, the fees they can add and how to stop them. You can also see every firm that acts for Scottish councils on our sheriff officers and council tax hub.

What happens if you fall behind with Aberdeen City Council

Aberdeen follows the standard Scottish recovery process. Knowing the stages helps you see where you are and how much room you still have to act.

1. Reminder notice. Miss an instalment and the council sends a reminder, usually giving you 7 days to bring the account up to date.
2. Loss of the right to pay by instalments. If you do not pay, or you fall behind again, you lose the right to pay monthly and the whole year’s balance becomes due.
3. Summary warrant. The council applies to the sheriff court for a summary warrant, which is granted without a hearing and adds a statutory 10% surcharge to what you owe.
4. Sheriff officer enforcement. The account is passed to Scott & Co, who can serve a charge for payment giving you 14 days, and then pursue a wage (earnings) arrestment, a bank arrestment or an attachment.
5. Benefit deductions. As an alternative, the council can ask for deductions to be taken directly from certain benefits.

Because the 10% surcharge and the sheriff officer fees are fixed by law, acting early is what keeps the cost down. You can offer payment at any stage, even after a summary warrant, and the council would rather hear from you, or from us on your behalf, before things reach that point. Our billing and collection guide covers the process in more depth.

What to do if Aberdeen City Council contacts you about arrears

Whether the letter comes from the council or from Scott & Co, the sensible steps are the same.

1. Open it and act. Council tax arrears do not go away, and ignoring letters only moves the debt further along the recovery process.
2. Check it is right. Make sure the debt is yours, for the correct property and year, that it is Aberdeen City and not Aberdeenshire, and that any discount, exemption or Council Tax Reduction you are due has been applied.
3. Ask for identification. A genuine sheriff officer carries a formal identity document, and you are entitled to see it before you deal with them.
4. Do not overcommit. Only agree to what you can genuinely afford, because a broken arrangement usually leads straight to a wage arrestment.
5. Get advice and set up a plan. A realistic arrangement, the Debt Arrangement Scheme or another solution is what actually stops enforcement.

If dealing with the council or Scott & Co feels overwhelming, we can take it on for you with your permission and help you reach something affordable.

Solutions if you are struggling with Aberdeen council tax debt

The most effective way to deal with sheriff officers is to resolve the arrears behind the enforcement. Depending on your circumstances, the main routes for Aberdeen residents are:

Not sure which fits your situation? See our wage arrestment solutions overview, or get in touch and we will talk it through, free and with no obligation.

Free debt advice in Aberdeen

Alongside our service, Aberdeen has a strong network of free advice, including the council’s own team. You never need to pay for good council tax debt advice.

• Aberdeen City Council Money Advice Team: the council’s own free, confidential money, benefits and debt advice service, on 01224 522709 or moneyadvice@aberdeencity.gov.uk.
• Citizens Advice Bureau Aberdeen: free debt and benefits advice at 41 Union Street, on 01224 569750.
• Instant Neighbour: an Aberdeen charity offering crisis and welfare support, including food and hardship help.
• StepChange Debt Charity: free national debt advice, on 0800 138 1111.
• National Debtline: free confidential telephone debt advice, on 0808 808 4000.

These services are independent and free. We work alongside this kind of support and can help you take the practical steps that stop enforcement.

Aberdeen City Council at a glance

Frequently asked questions

Where to find free, impartial information

As well as speaking to us, you can check your rights with these independent, official sources:

• Aberdeen City Council – Council Tax
• mygov.scot – Council Tax (Scottish Government)
• mygov.scot – Sheriff officer powers and your rights
• Citizens Advice Scotland – Debt and money
• mygov.scot – Non-domestic rates guidance

« Back to council tax in Scotland  |  Sheriff officers and council tax  |  See all wage arrestment solutions