ScotlandCounted

Scotland · all 32 councils · bands A to H

How much is my council tax?

Enter your postcode and see what every band costs where you live — with water and waste water included, which most figures leave out. Scotland only: the bands and rates here do not apply in England or Wales.

What this means

Council tax is worked out from a band, which depends on your property, and a rate, which your council sets.

Your bill also includes water and waste water. That is Scottish Water's charge, not the council's, but it arrives on the same bill — and at Band A it is £434.88 a year on its own.

On a low income you may pay a lot less. I explain how below.

Need the rules as well as the price? Read the plain-English guide to bands, discounts, reductions, appeals and arrears.

Read this before you compare anywhere else

Your water bill is inside your council tax

In Scotland you do not get a separate water bill. Scottish Water charges you for water and for taking waste water away, and your council collects it on the same bill as your council tax.

Band A — the most common band in Scotland

£435

a year of water charges — £201.30 for water and £233.58 for waste water

Band D — the standard comparison band

£652

a year of water charges — £301.95 for water and £350.37 for waste water

This is why other websites give you a lower number. They quote the council tax and leave the water out. Every figure on this site includes it.

If you get Council Tax Reduction you can also get up to 35% off the water charges. That is the Water Charges Reduction Scheme, and your council applies it for you. Charges shown are 2026-27.

Or pick your council:

Band D across Scotland, worst first

Band D is the standard comparison. Every other band is a fixed proportion of it, so this ranking holds for all bands. Water and waste water are included.

1. Midlothian£2,3192. Aberdeen City£2,2893. Argyll and Bute£2,2784. Stirling£2,2645. Glasgow City£2,2636. East Ayrshire£2,2597. Dundee City£2,2588. East Dunbartonshire£2,2529. Clackmannanshire£2,24710. East Lothian£2,23211. Falkirk£2,22912. Orkney Islands£2,22713. Moray£2,22614. Renfrewshire£2,22515. South Ayrshire£2,22216. City of Edinburgh£2,21617. West Dunbartonshire£2,21218. North Ayrshire£2,20619. Inverclyde£2,20420. Perth and Kinross£2,18921. Aberdeenshire£2,18522. East Renfrewshire£2,18123. Highland£2,17924. West Lothian£2,16825. Fife£2,15126. Scottish Borders£2,14427. Angus£2,11428. Dumfries and Galloway£2,10729. North Lanarkshire£2,10530. Na h-Eileanan Siar£2,04031. Shetland Islands£2,03932. South Lanarkshire£2,031

Straight answers

Questions people ask

How do I find out my council tax band?

Your band belongs to the property, not the postcode, and only the Scottish Assessors hold it. You can look it up free on the Scottish Assessors Association website. Most flats and smaller homes in Scotland are Band A to C.

Does council tax include water charges in Scotland?

Yes. Water and waste water charges are set by Scottish Water but collected on your council tax bill. They are a large part of it — £434.88 a year at Band A — and most figures published online leave them out.

Can I pay less council tax?

Possibly. Council Tax Reduction cuts the bill for people on a low income, and anyone receiving it can get up to 35% off the water charges as well. An adult living alone gets a 25% single person discount. Both are applied for through your council and both are free to apply for.

Why is council tax different in each council area?

Each of Scotland's 32 councils sets its own Band D rate, and every other band is a fixed proportion of it. Band A is two thirds of Band D; Band H is about two and a half times it. So the same size of home costs different amounts in different council areas.

What months are free of council tax?

Most Scottish councils spread the bill over 10 instalments from April to January, so February and March have no payment. That is not a discount — the same total is collected in ten payments rather than twelve. You can usually ask your council to spread it over 12 months instead, which makes each payment smaller.

How is council tax calculated?

Two things decide it. Your property has a band from A to H, set by the Scottish Assessors from what it was worth in April 1991. Your council then sets a Band D rate each year, and every other band is a fixed fraction of that: Band A is 240/360 of Band D, Band C is 320/360, Band H is 882/360.

How much is council tax a month in Scotland?

It depends on your band and your council. At Band A, the most common band in Scotland, the bill including water is roughly £125 to £135 a month. At Band D it is roughly £180 to £195. The postcode lookup above gives your own council's exact figures.

Where these figures come from

Council tax is 2025-26, the latest complete set published for all 32 councils. Water is 2026-27. Some councils have announced rises for 2026-27 that are not in the national dataset yet, so your bill may be slightly higher than shown.