Council tax band E
Council tax band E is the fifth band out of 8, counting from A to H, so it lands just past the halfway point. What you actually pay depends on your local council, so treat these averages as a rough guide rather than the figure on your bill.
- average band E bill in England, 2026/27
- £2,923
- of detached houses are band E
- 28%
- band E share of Band D in Scotland
- 473/360
Band E council tax in 2026-27
Every council decides its own charge, and band E is calculated from Band D. Councils treat Band D as their baseline, with each other band set at a fixed proportion of it.
The average band D bill in England is £2,392 for 2026-27, which puts a typical band E home at about £2,923. Wales and Scotland follow the same pattern.
Band E bills by council
Your local area matters a lot here. In England, Westminster charges a band E home £1,282.78 a year, while Nottingham bills the same band £3,367.70.
- In England, the lowest charges are found in Wandsworth at £1,256.70, Westminster at £1,282.78 and City of London at £1,625.02, while the steepest bills come from Dorset at £3,379.47, Lewes at £3,368.65 and Nottingham at £3,367.70.
- Welsh households get off lightest in Cardiff at £2,460.55, Caerphilly at £2,545.74 and Newport at £2,552.59, and pay most in Merthyr Tydfil at £3,169.96, Neath Port Talbot at £3,106.14 and Blaenau Gwent at £3,093.76.
- Over in Scotland, the gentlest bills are in South Lanarkshire at £1,929.41, Shetland Islands at £1,954.94 and Na h-Eileanan Siar at £1,978.06, with the highest in Midlothian at £2,386.23, Argyll and Bute at £2,343.10 and Stirling at £2,303.08.
For England, the source is the official council tax levels set for 2026-27. Wales's figures arrive via the Welsh Government, and Scotland's via the Scottish Government.
Which home values sit in band E?
Bands reflect what a property was worth on a set date in the past, not its current value. That's why the price ranges can seem low.
In England, band E takes in homes valued at £88,001, £120,000, assessed on 1 April 1991. In Wales, banding instead stretches from £123,001 up to £162,000, using valuations from 1 April 2003. In Scotland, band E covers homes worth more than £58,000 and up to £80,000 on 1 April 1991.
Is band E pricier in Scotland?
It is, relative to Band D. Across England and Wales, a band E bill works out at roughly 1.22 times the Band D charge. North of the border, the multiple is about 1.31.
Scotland brought in a new scale on 1 April 2017, which pushed up what bands E to H pay. Despite that, the average band E bill in Scotland still comes in below England's or Wales's, because Scottish Band D bills start from a lower level.
In England and Wales a band E bill is about a fifth more than band D. In Scotland it's nearly a third more.
Which homes are usually band E?
More detached houses sit in band E than in any other band: it accounts for 28% of them. Homes with 4 bedrooms most often land in this band too, at 29%.
A home that's been extended since it was banded may be moved up a band the next time it's sold. This is a good thing to bear in mind when you're looking at a house that's been built on.
Help with a band E bill
A higher band doesn't rule out support. If your income is low or you claim benefits, Council Tax Reduction can cut your bill, and your council runs the scheme. You can find details on the GOV.UK council tax page.