Property Band Charges - 2008/2009
For previous years banding please refer to the left hand navigation bar.

Your Council Tax bill is based on the band of the property and the numbers of occupants. The amount to pay on the bill is then made up of five separate parts.

A vast majority of the bill (almost 75%) is to cover the spending of Devon County Council. South Hams District Council accounts for just over 9%, as does Devon and Cornwall Police Authority. The remainder is split between Devon Fire and Rescue Service and the Parish/Town Council area that you live in.

There are 61 individual parishes in the South Hams, each with it's own spending powers, and this leads to 549 possible combinations of charges that the Council has to calculate in order to issue it's bills.

Unless you specifically ask to pay in either a lump sum, or two half yearly payments (see how to pay), or have lost the right to pay by installments (see non payment) the bill will usually give 10 installments. If you are billed part way through the year, installments will be calculated to start in the next full month and run through to February. These installments must be paid by the date that they fall due. Late payers run the risk of getting Reminder Notices and, ultimately, losing the right to pay by installments.