What steps do I need to take?
1st time user
Firstly you need to create a ‘My Account’ on the website – you just need an email address and password (no special characters!).
Click on the link below to create a My Account.
You’ll be sent a verification email to the email address given that you need to click to validate.
You can now log into your My Account.
You’ll be asked to complete your profile – the minimum is name and address.
Then you can start to link different services to your dashboard.
Click on the 'View and manage your council tax or benefits account' button.
Click on 'My Services dashboard' button.
From the 'My Services' dashboard, click on the 'Add Service' button
Once clicked, you will be asked for your council tax account number (if linking council tax) or your benefit reference number (if linking benefits) and then answer some security questions to confirm their identity.
Return user
People with an existing My Account log in, will log in as usual.
Click on the link below to log into My Account.
If you have previously signed up to link your council tax and benefits, you will see a message saying that due to new functionality being introduced, you need to re-link your services. At this point, you will click on the link that takes you to the new functionality and follow the process above.
Where can I find my council tax account number or benefits reference number?
These will be on your bill or benefit notification.
What if I can’t answer a security question?
If you don’t know the answer to one, you can skip.
If you skip too many, you’ll be given 3 options:
- come back another time when you have the information
- have a pin number sent to you in the post (up to 10 working days)
- have another go at the questions now
Once you have linked the account, you can then link your benefits account if relevant through the same way as above.
Next time you log in to the My Account, the service you have linked will be visible and you will not need to answer any security questions to access them.
How long does it take to get a pin? Can I get a pin via email?
For security reasons, the pin will be only posted to the address held on our database. This may take up to 10 working days depending on the post. Therefore if you can answer the security questions, this is the quickest way of accessing the information.
What’s available when?
Functionality |
15 November |
Coming soon |
|---|---|---|
Portal for council tax, housing benefit, and business rates (viewing account details and calculation, payment history, upcoming payments, correspondence sent) |
Yes |
|
Council tax discounts and exemptions* |
Yes |
|
Direct debit sign up* |
Yes |
|
Landlord portal (to view payment schedules) ** |
Yes |
|
Schools portal (to view education benefits) ** |
Yes |
|
e-billing (Ctax and BR) sign up |
Yes |
|
e-notification (benefits) sign up |
Yes |
|
Arrangement manager (repayment of debts) |
Yes |
|
Benefits change of circumstances * |
Yes |
|
Change of address |
Yes |
*Direct debit sign up, council tax discounts and exemptions and benefits change of circumstances are available in both the account and on the relevant web pages without account sign in.
**The landlord and schools portals will be going live but landlords or agents and schools need a pin to access them. We will contact landlords or agents and schools over the next month.
I’ve just moved in, can I access my online account straight away?
You can set up your My Account but you will need a council tax reference number to link your council tax service information. You need to complete the moving in form and wait for the confirmation of your council tax account number.
Can I link more than one council tax account?
Yes, you can but you will need to add each one separately and answer the relevant security questions.
Where there is joint liability, can we each view the council tax account?
Yes, but you will each need to set up a separate My Account first and then you able to link the council tax records to more than one account.
Why can’t I access the landlord or schools portal?
Landlords and schools will be written to directly as they will need to be issued with a pin to access the information. This will take place in December 2023.
I’m a landlord with a pin but cannot access the landlord portal.
If you are receiving housing benefit/council tax support you will not be able to access the landlord portal.