Inverclyde Council Tax Debt Help

Struggling With Inverclyde Council Tax?

Inverclyde sits on the south bank of the Firth of Clyde, taking in Greenock, Port Glasgow and Gourock, the villages of Kilmacolm, Inverkip and Wemyss Bay, and a long stretch of coast looking across to the Cowal hills. For generations the area lived on shipbuilding and sugar refining, and although those industries have shrunk, the pride has not. Money is tight for a lot of families here. The council raised council tax by 7.9% for 2026-27 and plans the same again for 2027-28, and it changed its sheriff officers in April 2026, so many people are now getting letters from a firm they have not dealt with before. This page explains how the council collects council tax, who Walker Love are, 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 Inverclyde 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 Inverclyde Council

Inverclyde Council is the unitary local authority for Inverclyde, one of Scotland’s 32 councils. National Records of Scotland estimates that 78,550 people lived in Inverclyde on 30 June 2025, a fall of 0.2% on the year before. Greenock is the main town and the council’s base, with Port Glasgow to the east and Gourock to the west.

Council tax and business rates are billed and collected by the council’s finance services, which also handle discounts, exemptions and the recovery of arrears. The valuation band on your home is set by the Renfrewshire Valuation Joint Board, the assessor shared with Renfrewshire and East Renfrewshire, not by the council itself. The council’s headquarters is the Municipal Buildings, Clyde Square, Greenock, PA15 1LY.

Inverclyde council tax contact details

Inverclyde keeps general enquiries and arrears separate. If you are worried about paying, use the debt recovery line, and ring early rather than waiting for a reminder.

You can pay by Direct Debit, online, by phone, or at any PayPoint or Post Office. Monthly instalments run over 10 months from April to January or 12 months from April to March, and weekly payments are also available. If ringing the council yourself feels difficult, we can speak to the debt recovery team for you.

Council tax in Inverclyde

Council tax is an annual charge on domestic property, set each year by Inverclyde 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 Renfrewshire 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. For the wider system, see our guides to council tax in Scotland, council tax liability and billing and collection.

Inverclyde council tax bands and charges 2026-27

In March 2026 Inverclyde Council agreed a two-year budget with a 7.9% council tax rise in each year, to help close an £8 million funding gap. For 2026-27 the rise adds £122.55 a year, or £2.36 a week, to a Band D bill, taking the Band D council tax to £1,673.85. The council says around 9,000 households, about 24%, are protected from the increase because they receive Council Tax Reduction. The table shows the council tax on its own and then the full total with the Scottish Water charges added.

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 second homes

With bills rising two years running, make sure yours is as low as it should be. Claiming the right reduction 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 who are unemployed or on a low income. Claim by phone on 0800 013 1375 or ask for a form at benefitenquiries@inverclyde.gov.uk. There is a separate form for people on Universal Credit. CTR reduces the council tax element only, not the water and wastewater charges.
• 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: carers, students, apprentices, school leavers, care leavers and people with a severe mental impairment may qualify. Our council tax discounts guide explains who.

Since 1 April 2024 Inverclyde has charged double council tax on second homes, though purpose-built holiday homes and job-related homes can get a 50% discount instead. A home left empty and unfurnished gets a 10% discount for up to 12 months, or up to 24 months if it is being marketed or renovated, and after that the owner pays double. These premiums do not apply to the home you live in, but if you are charged one you think is wrong, raise it with the council straight away. Our empty dwellings guide has more.

Business rates in Inverclyde

Business rates, or non-domestic rates, are the commercial equivalent of council tax and are billed by Inverclyde Council. The poundage is set nationally by the Scottish Government, and your bill is the rateable value of your premises, set by the Renfrewshire Valuation Joint Board, multiplied by the poundage.

For 2026-27 the Scottish Government set three rates:

Many small businesses pay little or no rates thanks to the Small Business Bonus Scheme. A single property with a rateable value up to £12,000 can qualify for 100% relief, with tapered relief up to £20,000, and combined-value rules for businesses with more than one property. Other reliefs, such as charity relief, empty property relief and Fresh Start, may also apply. Unpaid rates go to a summary warrant with a 10% surcharge, and Walker Love handles rates arrears for the council as well as council tax.

Which sheriff officers does the council use?

When council tax or business rates go unpaid and a summary warrant has been granted, Inverclyde Council passes the account to sheriff officers. Sheriff officers are officers of the court, not private bailiffs, and their powers are set by Scottish law. The council says it outsources this work because the law does not let it carry out certain recovery steps itself.

Unlike many councils, Inverclyde names its firm on its own website. Since 1 April 2026 its sheriff officer and debt recovery partner has been Walker Love, which recovers council tax, non-domestic rates, sundry debts, housing benefit overpayments and unpaid parking charges for the council. Before that, the council used Alex M Adamson. If you were already dealing with Adamson, you should have had a letter from Walker Love explaining the changeover, so a new firm writing about an old debt is expected rather than a scam.

The council lists these ways to pay Walker Love: online at walkerlove.com/payments, by phone on 0141 212 6120, or by text or WhatsApp on 07860 041770. Questions about the change of firm go to the council on 01475 712369.

The sheriff court for the area is Greenock Sheriff Court on Nelson Street, in the sheriffdom of North Strathclyde. Our Walker Love guide explains what they can do and how to deal with them, and our sheriff officers and council tax hub covers every firm.

What happens if you fall behind in Inverclyde

Inverclyde follows the standard Scottish recovery process. Knowing the stages helps you see how much room you still have to act.

1. Reminder notice. Miss an instalment and the council sends a reminder, giving you 7 days to catch up. Inverclyde sends no more than two reminders in a year.
2. Loss of instalments. If you do not catch up, you lose the right to pay by instalments and the full balance for the year becomes due.
3. Summary warrant. The council applies to the sheriff for a summary warrant, granted without a court hearing, which adds a statutory 10% penalty.
4. Walker Love takes over. Walker Love can serve a charge for payment giving you 14 days to pay, then use a wage (earnings) arrestment or a bank arrestment. The council also mentions deductions from benefits, and legal fees are added to your balance.

Because the penalty and 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 debt recovery team would rather hear from you, or from us on your behalf, before things reach that point.

What to do if the council contacts you about arrears

Whether the letter comes from the council or from Walker Love, 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 or Council Tax Reduction you are due has been applied.
3. Check who is writing. A Walker Love letter about a debt Adamson used to handle is the April 2026 changeover. A genuine sheriff officer also carries a formal identity document, and you are entitled to see it.
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 Walker Love feels overwhelming, we can take it on for you with your permission.

Solutions if you are struggling with Inverclyde 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 Inverclyde residents are:

• A payment arrangement with the council or Walker Love, at a level you can keep up.
• The Debt Arrangement Scheme: once a Debt Payment Programme is approved, an existing earnings arrestment is recalled.
• A protected trust deed for larger debts, which ends an earnings arrestment from the date of protection.

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 Inverclyde

Alongside our service, Inverclyde has free advice through the council and its partners. You never need to pay for good council tax debt advice.

• Inverclyde Advice First: free advice on debt, eviction and benefit problems, run by Inverclyde Health and Social Care Partnership and the Legal Services Agency with Financial Fitness, on 01475 715 299 or triage.advice@inverclyde.gov.uk. Emergency appointments can be arranged if you are at serious financial risk.
• Citizens Advice: the council points Inverclyde residents to East Renfrewshire Citizens Advice Bureau on 0141 881 2032.
• 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.

Inverclyde Council at a glance

Where to find free, impartial information

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

• Inverclyde 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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