Aberdeenshire Council Tax Debt Help

Struggling With Aberdeenshire Council Tax?

Aberdeenshire stretches from the fishing ports of Peterhead and Fraserburgh, across the farming country of Buchan and the Garioch, down through Inverurie, Ellon and Westhill to Stonehaven and the Mearns, and inland to Banchory and Royal Deeside. It is one of Scotland’s largest and most rural councils, and its recent 10% council tax rise has left many households looking hard at their budgets. Wherever you live in the shire, the way council tax is billed and collected is the same, and if you have fallen behind, there are more ways out than you might expect. This page explains how Aberdeenshire 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 Aberdeenshire 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 Aberdeenshire Council

Aberdeenshire Council is the local authority for the large rural area that surrounds, but does not include, the city of Aberdeen. It is the sixth most populous council in Scotland, serving around 265,000 people and roughly 117,000 households, and one of the biggest by land area. The council divides its work across six areas: Banff and Buchan, Buchan, Formartine, Garioch, Marr, and Kincardine and Mearns, taking in towns such as Peterhead, Fraserburgh, Inverurie, Stonehaven, Westhill, Ellon, Banchory, Huntly, Turriff and Portlethen.

Council tax and business rates are billed and collected by the council’s revenues 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 Aberdeen City and Moray, rather than by the council itself. The council’s headquarters is Woodhill House, Westburn Road, Aberdeen, AB16 5GB.

Aberdeenshire council tax contact details

These are the council’s main contact points for council tax. Aberdeenshire runs a separate income recovery team for people who are worried about paying, and it is well worth using that route early rather than waiting for a reminder.

You can pay by Direct Debit, online, on the automated payment line, by online or mobile banking, or in person at a service point, Post Office or PayPoint. If ringing the council yourself feels difficult, we can contact the income recovery team for you and help set up an arrangement.

Council tax in Aberdeenshire

Council tax is an annual charge on domestic property, set each year by Aberdeenshire 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.

Aberdeenshire council tax bands and charges 2026-27

For 2026-27, Aberdeenshire Council increased council tax by 10%, one of the larger rises in Scotland, worth about £12.77 a month for the average Band D household. 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 Aberdeenshire 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 and discounts in Aberdeenshire

With a 10% rise this year, it is more important than ever to make sure your bill is as low as it should be. Aberdeenshire 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.
• Disabled band reduction: if a resident needs an extra room, an additional bathroom or space to use a wheelchair indoors because of a disability, the bill can be charged one band lower. See our disabled band reduction guide.
• Other discounts and exemptions: students, apprentices, carers and people with a severe mental impairment can be disregarded, and some properties are exempt. Our council tax discounts guide explains who qualifies.

Aberdeenshire has a lot of second and holiday homes along the coast and in Royal Deeside, and it has used its powers here. Since 1 April 2024 a second home is charged at 200% of the standard rate, and long-term empty homes are also charged at 200%, with limited exceptions for properties genuinely being renovated or marketed. If you are being charged a premium you do not think applies, or you have been paying full price when a discount was due, raise it with the council straight away.

Business rates in Aberdeenshire

Business rates, or non-domestic rates, are the commercial equivalent of council tax and are billed by Aberdeenshire 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 Aberdeenshire 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 01346 415824 or business.rates@aberdeenshire.gov.uk. Businesses in Inverurie also fall within the We Are Inverurie Business Improvement District and pay a separate BID levy, 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 the council’s sheriff officers. If your business is behind on its rates, the same early action and the same support apply.

Which sheriff officers does Aberdeenshire Council use?

When council tax or business rates go unpaid and a summary warrant has been granted, Aberdeenshire 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.

The council refers to them simply as its sheriff officers on its own pages, but under its current contract Aberdeenshire’s sheriff officer services are provided by Stirling Park, a long-established Scottish sheriff officer firm that also acts for several other councils. Stirling Park handles both council tax and business rates arrears for Aberdeenshire once a summary warrant is in place.

If Stirling Park has contacted you about an Aberdeenshire debt, our dedicated Stirling Park 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 Aberdeenshire Council

Aberdeenshire follows the standard Scottish recovery process and sets out clear stages on its own website. Knowing them 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 an overdue account reminder, giving you 14 days to pay. If you do not, you lose the right to pay by instalments and the full year’s balance becomes due within 21 days.
2. Second reminder. If you catch up but fall behind again, a second reminder can be issued on the same terms.
3. Final notice. After that, a final notice removes the right to instalments entirely and gives you 14 days to pay the full outstanding balance.
4. 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.
5. Sheriff officer enforcement. The account is passed to Stirling Park, who can add their own fees and pursue a wage (earnings) arrestment or bank arrestment, or agree a payment arrangement.

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 Aberdeenshire’s income recovery team on 03456 08 12 01 would rather hear from you before things reach that point. Our billing and collection guide covers the process in more depth.

What to do if Aberdeenshire Council contacts you about arrears

Whether the letter comes from the council or from Stirling Park, 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, 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 Stirling Park feels overwhelming, we can take it on for you with your permission and help you reach something affordable.

Solutions if you are struggling with Aberdeenshire 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 Aberdeenshire 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 Aberdeenshire

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

• Aberdeenshire Council Money Advice and Welfare Rights Team: the council’s own free, confidential service, which can help with benefit claims, appeals and some debts. You can ask an adviser to call you through the council’s online referral form.
• Aberdeenshire Citizens Advice Bureaux: a shared helpline on 0800 028 1032 (Monday to Friday) connects you to the bureaux serving the area, based in Peterhead, Turriff, Westhill and Stonehaven.
• 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.

Aberdeenshire 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:

• Aberdeenshire 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

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