Clackmannanshire Council Tax Debt Help

Struggling With Clackmannanshire Council Tax?

Clackmannanshire is the smallest council on the Scottish mainland, the Wee County, tucked below the Ochil Hills between Stirling and the Forth. It takes in Alloa, the main town, the Hillfoots towns of Tillicoultry, Alva, Menstrie and Dollar, and Sauchie, Tullibody and Clackmannan. Small does not mean simple when it comes to council tax, and bills here have risen sharply in the last two years. Wherever you live in the county, the way council tax is billed and collected is the same, and if you have fallen behind, there are clear ways out. This page explains how Clackmannanshire 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 Clackmannanshire 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 Clackmannanshire Council

Clackmannanshire Council is the local authority for the smallest county on the Scottish mainland, often called the Wee County, serving around 52,000 people across roughly 24,000 households. It is a unitary authority, responsible for the full range of local services. Alloa is the administrative centre and largest town, with the Hillfoots towns of Tillicoultry, Alva, Menstrie and Dollar sitting under the Ochil Hills, and Sauchie, Tullibody and the historic county town of Clackmannan making up the rest.

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 Central Scotland Valuation Joint Board, the Assessor shared with Falkirk and Stirling, rather than by the council itself. The council’s headquarters is Kilncraigs, Greenside Street, Alloa, FK10 1EB.

Clackmannanshire council tax contact details

These are the council’s main contact points for council tax. Clackmannanshire runs a dedicated revenues recovery team, and it is far better to contact them early than to wait for a reminder.

You can pay by Direct Debit, online by card through the council’s Pay It service, or by phone, over 10 or 12 monthly instalments. If ringing the council yourself feels difficult, we can speak to the recovery team for you and help set up an arrangement.

Council tax in Clackmannanshire

Council tax is an annual charge on domestic property, set each year by Clackmannanshire 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 Central Scotland 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 due on the 15th of the month. 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.

Clackmannanshire council tax bands and charges 2026-27

For 2026-27, Clackmannanshire Council increased council tax by 5.6%, following a 13% rise the year before. 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 Clackmannanshire 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 Clackmannanshire

After two big rises, it is more important than ever to make sure your bill is as low as it should be. Clackmannanshire 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. It is not a discount, so you may be able to get both CTR and a discount. You apply 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.

Clackmannanshire has also used its powers on second and empty homes. A second home is charged at 200% of the standard rate, and a home left empty for more than 12 months carries a 100% premium, with a small reduction if it is genuinely being marketed for sale or let. 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 Clackmannanshire

Business rates, or non-domestic rates, are the commercial equivalent of council tax and are billed by Clackmannanshire 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 Central Scotland Valuation Joint Board, multiplied by the poundage.

For 2026-27 the Scottish Government set three rates:

Many smaller Clackmannanshire 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 01259 450000 or rates@clacks.gov.uk. Businesses in Alloa town centre also fall within the Alloa First 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 Stirling Park.

Which sheriff officers does Clackmannanshire Council use?

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

Clackmannanshire Council names its sheriff officers in its own council tax information as Stirling Park, a long-established Scottish sheriff officer firm that also acts for several other councils. Stirling Park recovers council tax and business rates arrears for the council once a summary warrant is in place, and the council can also ask the DWP to take deductions directly from certain benefits.

If Stirling Park has contacted you about a Clackmannanshire 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 Clackmannanshire Council

Clackmannanshire follows the standard Scottish recovery process, and it sets out clear day counts on its own council tax leaflet. Knowing them helps you see where you are and how much room you still have to act.

1. Reminder notice. Instalments are due on the 15th of the month. Miss one and the council sends a reminder, giving you 7 days to pay the arrears.
2. Final notice. If it is not paid within 7 days, you lose the right to pay by instalments and the full year’s balance becomes due within 14 days.
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 Stirling Park, who can pursue a wage (earnings) arrestment or a bank arrestment, and the council can alternatively arrange deductions from 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’s recovery team would rather hear from you first. Our billing and collection guide covers the process in more depth.

What to do if Clackmannanshire 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 Clackmannanshire 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 Clackmannanshire 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 Clackmannanshire

Alongside our service, Clackmannanshire has free advice available, and the local Citizens Advice Bureau even runs a council tax debt project with the council. You never need to pay for good council tax debt advice.

• Clackmannanshire Citizens Advice Bureau: free debt, benefits and money advice in Alloa, on 01259 219404. It runs a Welfare Rights and Money Advice Service and a Council Tax Debt Engagement project in partnership with the council.
• Clackmannanshire Council Revenues Recovery Team: the council’s own team for arranging affordable payments before enforcement, on 01259 450000 or revenuesrecovery@clacks.gov.uk.
• National Debtline: free confidential telephone debt advice, on 0808 808 4000.
• StepChange Debt Charity: free national debt advice, on 0800 138 1111.

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

Clackmannanshire 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:

• Clackmannanshire 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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