Council Tax bailiff fees from 1 May 2026

Council tax enforcement by taking control of goods uses the non-High-Court fee scale in the Taking Control of Goods (Fees) Regulations 2014. The fixed fees were amended with effect from 1 May 2026.^[1]

Compliance stage: £79. Enforcement stage: £247. Sale or disposal stage: £116.^[2]

At the enforcement and sale or disposal stages there can also be a percentage fee of 7.5% on the part of the sum to be recovered which exceeds £1,900.^[2]

The fixed fee is not a licence to invent additional attendance charges. Other fees and disbursements may only be recovered where the Fees Regulations permit them. Ask for a full statement showing the stage reached, the date on which it was reached, the sum to be recovered, and every fee and disbursement charged.^[3]

Where more than one council tax enforcement power exists against the same debtor and the powers can reasonably be exercised together, regulation 11 restricts duplication of the enforcement and sale-stage fixed fees.^[4]

If you dispute the amount of a bailiff fee, Civil Procedure Rule 84.16 provides a court procedure for determination of the amount payable. The court can consider, among other matters, whether regulation 11 should have been applied.^[5]

For enforcement that began before the 1 May 2026 amendments, check the transitional position and the date on which the relevant enforcement action was taken before applying the new scale. The 2026 instrument expressly preserves enforcement action taken before commencement.^[6]

^{[1] The Taking Control of Goods (Miscellaneous Amendments) Regulations 2026, in force from 1 May 2026
[2] Schedule to the Taking Control of Goods (Fees) Regulations 2014, as amended by the 2026 Regulations
[3] Regulation 8 of the Taking Control of Goods (Fees) Regulations 2014
[4] Regulation 11 of the Taking Control of Goods (Fees) Regulations 2014
[5] Civil Procedure Rule 84.16
[6] Regulation 1(3) of the Taking Control of Goods (Miscellaneous Amendments) Regulations 2026}