Council tax band D
Council tax band D sits in the middle and acts as the yardstick for the rest. Each council fixes its Band D charge first, then every other band is worked out from it by set shares.
- Band D average across England, 2026/27
- £2,392
- average Band D in Wales, 2026/27
- £2,283
- average Band D in Scotland, 2026/27
- £1,653
What makes band D the standard
For council tax, government statistics use Band D as their standard measure (MHCLG council tax levels). All the other bands take their amounts as shares of that figure.
What gets published is the bill for a home in band D with two or more adults living there. If you get a discount or Council Tax Reduction, your bill may be smaller.
Average council tax band D for 2026/27
In England the average Band D bill is £2,392, which is £111 or 4.9% more than last year (MHCLG). Every precept is counted in it. A precept is money your council collects on behalf of another body, like a parish.
The Welsh average is £2,283, up £113 or 5.2% (Welsh Government). County councils get £1,831 of that, police get £400 and community councils get £52.
Scotland's official average bill is £1,653 (Scottish Government datasets). The average rests on a count of Band D equivalents, which puts each home at its Band D share.
What a Band D home is worth
Homes valued at £68,001 to £88,000 on 1 April 1991 fall under England's Band D (Valuation Office guidance). Welsh values date from 2003, with Band D set at £91,001 to £123,000.
Band D in Scotland starts above £45,000 and reaches £58,000 at 1991 prices (Scottish Assessors).
| Nation | Valuation date | Band D value range |
|---|---|---|
| England | 1 April 1991 | £68,001 to £88,000 |
| Wales | 1 April 2003 | £91,001 to £123,000 |
| Scotland | 1 April 1991 | Over £45,000, up to £58,000 |
Councils with the cheapest and dearest Band D bills
For Wales, Band D ranges from £2,013 (Cardiff) to £2,594 (Merthyr Tydfil) (Welsh Government).
The gap in England is much bigger. For Band D, Wandsworth bills £1,028.21 while Dorset bills £2,765.02 (MHCLG tables).
| Nation | Lowest three band D bills | Highest three band D bills |
|---|---|---|
| England | Wandsworth £1,028.21; Westminster £1,049.55; City of London £1,329.56 | Dorset £2,765.02; Lewes £2,756.17; Nottingham £2,755.39 |
| Wales | Cardiff £2,013.18; Caerphilly £2,082.88; Newport £2,088.48 | Merthyr Tydfil £2,593.60; Neath Port Talbot £2,541.39; Blaenau Gwent £2,531.26 |
| Scotland | South Lanarkshire £1,468.47; Shetland Islands £1,487.90; Na h-Eileanan Siar £1,505.50 | Midlothian £1,816.16; Argyll and Bute £1,783.33; Stirling £1,752.87 |
How band D sets the other bands
Under section 5 of the 1992 Act, a band A bill equals six ninths of Band D, while England's band H bill is double that.
From 1 April 2017, Scotland used a new scale. Scotland's bands E to H now pay a higher share of Band D than England charges (section 74). Band D council tax is unique in this way: it's the single figure every nation uses as its base.