Derby Council Tax Calculator, Bands & Rates: 2026/27
Calculate your exact Derby council tax bill for 2026/27. Band D is £2,306.00 — confirmed from Derby City Council's official booklet. All three precepts confirmed: Derby City Council (£1,898.99), Derbyshire Police (£308.60), and Derbyshire Fire (£98.41). Derby's Revenue Support Grant rose by £74.6 million — one of the largest government funding increases in the series.
Your Estimated Total Bill (2026/27)—
Derby Council Tax 2026/27: A Government Funding Windfall Changes the Story
Derby City Council's 2026/27 budget is notably different in tone from most councils in this series. While the council applied the standard maximum 4.99% increase to its own element (2.99% general + 2% Adult Social Care), council leader Cllr Nadine Peatfield opened the official booklet with an unusual statement: "For the first time in a number of years, the Council is able to invest in services that will mean you see a difference on your doorstep. This is because we have significantly more funding from the Government thanks to changes in the way councils are funded."
The numbers behind this statement are striking. Derby's Revenue Support Grant jumped from £36.106 million in 2025/26 to £110.743 million in 2026/27 — an increase of £74.637 million. This dramatic rise is the largest single-year RSG increase confirmed in the entire series and reflects the government's new funding formula, which recalculated deprivation-based allocations in a way that substantially benefited Derby relative to previous years. The result is a council that, rather than cutting services or searching for emergency savings, has committed to additional Public Protection Officers, increased CCTV monitoring, increased weeding, and improved parks — visible, neighbourhood-level improvements that many Derby residents have not seen councils invest in for many years.
Band D total 2026/27
£2,306.00
All 3 precepts confirmed official
Derby City element (Band D)
£1,898.99
+4.99% (2.99% general + 2% ASC)
Govt funding increase 2026/27
+£74.6m
RSG rose from £36.1m to £110.7m
vs England avg (Band D)
−£86
£2,306 vs England avg £2,392
All band figures are confirmed directly from Derby City Council's official "Council Tax 2026/27 — How your money is spent" booklet (derby.gov.uk, published March 2026). Derby City Council (£1,898.99), Derbyshire Police and Crime Commissioner (£308.60), and Derbyshire Fire and Rescue Service (£98.41) are all confirmed from the official band table. Derby is a unitary authority — there is no Derbyshire County Council element on your bill.
Derby Council Tax Bands A–H: Official 2026/27 Rate Table
All eight bands are fixed fractions of the Band D rate, set nationally in ninths. Your band reflects your property's estimated market value on 1 April 1991. Derby is a unitary authority, so your bill has only three components — no county council precept.
Band
Property value (1991)
Derby City Council
Derbyshire Police
Derbyshire Fire
Total annual bill
A
Up to £40,000
£1,265.99
£205.73
£65.61
£1,537.33
B
£40,001 – £52,000
£1,476.99
£240.02
£76.54
£1,793.55
C
£52,001 – £68,000
£1,687.99
£274.31
£87.48
£2,049.78
D
£68,001 – £88,000
£1,898.99
£308.60
£98.41
£2,306.00
E
£88,001 – £120,000
£2,320.99
£377.18
£120.28
£2,818.45
F
£120,001 – £160,000
£2,742.99
£445.76
£142.15
£3,330.90
G
£160,001 – £320,000
£3,164.98
£514.33
£164.02
£3,843.33
H
Over £320,000
£3,797.98
£617.20
£196.82
£4,612.00
Band A and Band D are highlighted. All figures reproduced verbatim from Derby City Council's official 2026/27 council tax booklet. Derby City Council Band D element of £1,898.99 is independently verified by dividing the Council Tax Requirement (£140.194m) by the tax base (73,825.71 Band D equivalents) = £1,898.99 exactly. There are no parish precepts in Derby city — the totals above are the complete bill for every Derby household.
What makes up your Derby bill: the three-precept breakdown
Derby City Council's own booklet confirms: "There are three separate council taxes included in your total bill — set by Derby City Council, Derbyshire Police and Crime Commissioner and Derbyshire Fire Authority." Derby is a unitary authority — there is no Derbyshire County Council element, unlike the two-tier areas surrounding the city.
Derby City Council (£1,898.99 at Band D — 82.3% of total)
A confirmed 4.99% increase (2.99% general + 2% Adult Social Care), approved by Derby City Council. The Council Tax Requirement for 2026/27 is £140.194 million, derived from a gross expenditure of £1,047 million. Key spending: Schools (£396m — fully Government-funded), Adult Services and Public Health (£160m), Central Services (£133m), Children's Services (£113m), Communities and Place (£92.8m), Housing (£85.2m), and Housing Benefit (£66.3m). Capital budget 2026/27: £197 million — including flood defences (Our City Our River programme), city centre regeneration, social housing, and SEND school places.
Derbyshire Police and Crime Commissioner (£308.60 at Band D — 13.4%)
A confirmed 5.1% increase (+£15 per year at Band D), confirmed from Derby's official booklet. Covers policing across Derby and the wider Derbyshire force area. The PCC precept rose slightly above Derby City Council's own 4.99% rise.
Derbyshire Fire and Rescue Authority (£98.41 at Band D — 4.3%)
A confirmed 5.35% increase (+£5.00 per year at Band D) — the largest percentage rise of the three Derby elements, though the smallest in absolute terms. Covers fire and rescue services across Derbyshire including Derby city.
The £74.6 million question: why Derby's 2026/27 budget feels different
Derby's Revenue Support Grant increased from £36.106 million in 2025/26 to £110.743 million in 2026/27 — a rise of £74.637 million (207%) in a single year. This is not a one-off grant or emergency relief: it reflects a fundamental recalibration of the government's funding formula, which for 2026/27 placed greater weight on deprivation indicators and relative need assessments. Derby — a city with significant areas of deprivation, a large manufacturing economy, and a substantial population of social care need — was one of the clear beneficiaries.
The practical consequence is visible in the budget table. In 2025/26, Derby's gross spending was £891.853 million. In 2026/27, it is £1,047.219 million — a rise of £83.381 million. But the Council Tax Requirement only rose by £7.904 million (from £132.290m to £140.194m). The gap is filled primarily by the RSG increase, plus growth in Business Rates (up £6.988m) and the Dedicated Schools Grant (up £22.787m). The implication: residents paying the same 4.99% council tax increase as many other cities are getting significantly more service investment per pound in 2026/27 than in recent years.
Cllr Peatfield's booklet framing — "for the first time in a number of years" — reflects genuine changed circumstances. Derby has genuinely not had this level of central government financial support since before 2016. Whether the new formula proves durable beyond 2026/27 remains to be seen: the council's medium-term financial plan will need to account for whether RSG remains at this level, since a reversion to previous levels would immediately reopen the gaps that previous administrations spent years trying to close.
Derby as a unitary authority: why your bill differs from Derbyshire neighbours
Derby City Council is a unitary authority — it has delivered the full range of council services since 1997. This means Derby residents pay no separate Derbyshire County Council precept. For residents in neighbouring two-tier Derbyshire — South Derbyshire, Amber Valley, Erewash, Derbyshire Dales — their total bills include a county council element.
For context: South Derbyshire District Council's own Band D share for 2026/27 is confirmed at £190.78. But South Derbyshire residents also pay Derbyshire County Council on top of that. Derby City residents pay no county council element — Derby's own £1,898.99 element funds the equivalent services (adult social care, children's services, highways) that a county council would normally provide to two-tier residents in the rest of the county.
Where your Derby council tax goes: the official 2026/27 spending breakdown
Derby City Council's official booklet provides the gross expenditure breakdown for all 2026/27 services. Note that schools funding (£396m) is entirely Government-funded via the Dedicated Schools Grant and does not come from council tax:
Service area
Gross spend 2026/27
What it covers
Schools
£396.232m
Fully Government-funded via Dedicated Schools Grant — not from council tax
Adult Services and Public Health
£160.141m
Residential care, home care, direct payments, supported living, public health
Central Services
£133.364m
Finance, HR, IT, legal, corporate services
Children's Services
£113.063m
Child protection, fostering, adoption, early help, SEND
Council housing, housing development, strategic housing
Housing Benefit
£66.303m
Housing Benefit payments to eligible households
Total Gross Expenditure
£1,047.219m
Up £83.381m from 2025/26's £963.838m
Of the £1,047m gross budget, the Council Tax Requirement (what council tax actually needs to cover) is only £140.194 million — roughly 13.4p in every £1. The remainder is funded by Business Rates (£55.6m), Revenue Support Grant (£110.7m), the Dedicated Schools Grant (£396.3m), Housing Benefit Subsidy (£66.3m), and other specific grants (£89.1m).
Three real-world Derby scenarios: what different households actually pay
Scenario 1 — Single adult, Band A terrace in Normanton, applying for the expanded Council Tax Support scheme
Normanton, Peartree, and Sinfin are among Derby's most deprived wards — predominantly Band A terraced housing. A single adult on a low income whose CTR application was previously refused or reduced under the old scheme reapplies under Derby's expanded Council Tax Support scheme from 1 April 2026. Band A total: £1,537.33. Single person discount (25%): −£384.33. After discount: £1,153.00. At 75% CTR on remaining bill: −£864.75. Effective bill: £288.25/year (£28.83/month over 10 months). The scheme expansion is one of the most tangible outcomes of Derby's improved financial position — directly benefiting those on the lowest incomes.
Scenario 2 — Manufacturing worker couple, Band C semi in Alvaston, both working
Alvaston, Chellaston, and Chaddesden — south and east Derby — have a predominance of Band B–C semi-detached properties that are typical of Derby's mid-20th century suburban expansion. Rolls-Royce, Toyota, and Bombardier (now Alstom) workers are common residents. Two adults, no discount. Band C total: £2,049.78/year. Monthly instalment: £204.98 over 10 months, or £170.82 over 12 months. At £2,049.78, Derby's Band C is approximately £87 below the England average Band D — a meaningful difference relative to many comparable manufacturing cities.
Scenario 3 — First-time buyer, Band D terraced house in Littleover, with employer-provided second property tied accommodation
Derby's official 2026/27 booklet specifically confirms a 50% discount on a second furnished property for people required to live in employer-provided accommodation (tied accommodation, ministerial residences, Ministry of Defence housing). If you own a Derby property but must live elsewhere for work, you may pay only 50% of the standard bill on the Derby property. At Band D: £2,306 × 50% = £1,153/year. This is a relatively niche but valuable discount — applicable to military personnel, clergy, and some public sector workers.
Discounts and reductions available in Derby 2026 — including the expanded CTR scheme
Derby City Council's official booklet explicitly promotes: "we are also expanding our Council Tax relief scheme from 1 April, to help more households on a lower income." This expansion is the most direct benefit to low-income Derby residents from the 2026/27 budget improvement. None of these apply automatically.
Single person discount
25% off
If you are the only adult (18+) living in the property as their main home. At Band A, saves £384.33/year. At Band D, saves £576.50/year. Apply via myAccount at derby.gov.uk or email council.tax@derby.gov.uk.
Council Tax Support (expanded from April 2026)
Up to 100%
Derby's means-tested scheme, explicitly expanded for 2026/27 to help more low-income households. Pension-age claimants on Pension Credit receive up to 100%. Working-age claimants receive a partial award. If previously refused, recheck eligibility under the new expanded criteria.
Council Tax Hardship Scheme
Additional relief
Derby operates a separate Council Tax Hardship Scheme for residents in exceptional financial difficulty who may not qualify under the standard CTR scheme. Contact Derby City Council's benefits team for details.
Full-time student exemption
Disregarded
Full-time students at the University of Derby or other recognised institutions are disregarded. A property occupied solely by full-time students pays zero council tax. Mixed households with non-student adults: remaining adults may qualify for the 25% single person discount.
Disabled band reduction
1 band lower
If your home has been adapted for a disabled resident — extra bathroom, room for wheelchair use, or a room used predominantly for disability needs. Your band is reduced by one step. At Band D, reduction to Band C saves £256.22/year.
Second home discount (tied accommodation)
50% off second property
If your employer requires you to live in tied accommodation (Class A — employer-provided; Class B — ministerial residence; Class C — MoD housing), you may pay only 50% council tax on your second furnished Derby property. Apply via myAccount at derby.gov.uk with evidence of tied accommodation status.
Council Tax Support and benefits: critical links for Derby residents
Universal Credit does not cover council tax — apply for CTR separately
If you receive Universal Credit in Derby, you must apply separately for Council Tax Support at derby.gov.uk. UC does not automatically trigger CTR. Apply simultaneously with your UC claim — and re-check if you were previously refused under the old scheme, as Derby has expanded CTR from 1 April 2026.
Pension Credit unlocks full Council Tax Support
Pension Credit Guarantee entitles you to 100% Council Tax Support — your bill is reduced to zero. At Band A (most common type in deprived Derby wards), this saves £1,537.33/year. Apply via derby.gov.uk — it's not automatic even if the council already knows you receive Pension Credit.
PIP and the Disabled Band Reduction
Receiving PIP does not automatically reduce your Derby council tax band — but if your property has been significantly adapted for a disabled resident, you may qualify for the Disabled Band Reduction (one band lower). Apply via myAccount at derby.gov.uk with evidence of the specific adaptation.
Use our Universal Credit Calculator to estimate your UC entitlement — then apply for Derby Council Tax Support separately. If you were previously turned down or received a low award, the expanded 2026/27 scheme is worth reapplying under.
Derby's empty property and second home premiums: 2026/27 confirmed charges
Derby City Council's official bands and charges page confirms the following premium structure:
Situation
Premium
Total charge
Band D annual bill
Empty & unoccupied, under 1 year
0%
100% standard
£2,306.00
Empty & unoccupied, 1–5 years
100% premium
200% of standard
£4,612.00
Empty & unoccupied, 5–10 years
200% premium
300% of standard
£6,918.00
Empty & unoccupied, 10+ years
300% premium
400% of standard
£9,224.00
Second home (furnished, unoccupied) — from 1 April 2026
100% premium from day 1
200% of standard
£4,612.00
New owners of properties that have been empty for 5+ continuous years before they take ownership will not be charged a premium for 12 months after taking ownership. If you believe your property meets a government exception category, email council.tax@derby.gov.uk with evidence. Each case is assessed individually.
How to challenge your Derby council tax band
Derby City Council's official booklet lists the limited circumstances in which band appeals can be made:
An increase in property value resulting from building work
A decrease in property value due to demolition of any part, changes in the physical state of the local area, or an adaptation for disability use
A change in the balance between domestic and business use
In practice, the most common route for a standard challenge is through the VOA if you can demonstrate that comparable neighbouring properties built before 1993 are in a lower band. Use the free VOA band checker at gov.uk/council-tax-bands, or call 03000 501501, or email ctinbox@voa.gov.uk. Moving down one band in Derby saves approximately £256.22 per year (Band D to C) or £256.22/year (Band B to A).
Important: Making an appeal does not allow you to withhold payment — you must continue paying at your current band. If successful, you are entitled to a refund of any overpayment. The VOA can also raise a band it finds too low.
Decision guide: what Derby households should do right now
1
Re-check CTR eligibility under Derby's expanded scheme
If you were previously refused or received a reduced Council Tax Support award, reapply under the expanded 2026/27 scheme. Apply via derby.gov.uk — the official booklet explicitly promotes the expansion.
2
Claim single person discount if you live alone
Save £576.50/year at Band D and £384.33 at Band A. Apply via myAccount at derby.gov.uk or email council.tax@derby.gov.uk. Not automatic — even if the council knows you live alone.
3
Switch to e-billing and Direct Debit
Derby accepts Direct Debit and you can request 12 monthly payments instead of 10. At Band D, 12-month plan reduces monthly direct debit from £230.60 to £192.17. Sign up via myAccount at derby.gov.uk.
4
Check the second home discount if you live in tied accommodation
If your employer requires you to live in tied accommodation, you may pay only 50% on a second furnished Derby property. Apply via myAccount with evidence. Relevant for military, clergy, and some public sector workers.
5
Contact Derby City Council immediately if you've missed a payment
Call the council or email council.tax@derby.gov.uk as soon as you anticipate difficulty. CTR, the hardship scheme, and payment plans are all available before enforcement begins.
What happens if you miss a Derby council tax payment
1
Reminder notice — 7 days to pay
Sent shortly after a missed instalment. Pay within 7 days to retain your right to monthly instalments.
2
Final notice — full balance due immediately
The full remaining annual balance becomes payable immediately, with 7 days before court action.
3
Court summons and Liability Order
Derby City Council applies to the magistrates' court — adding court costs. A Liability Order enables bailiff action, deductions from wages or benefits, and charging orders on your property.
✓
Early contact resolves most cases
Contact Derby City Council via derby.gov.uk or email council.tax@derby.gov.uk as soon as you anticipate difficulty. Derby operates a specific Council Tax Hardship Scheme alongside standard CTR. Citizens Advice and Derbyshire Housing Aid can also provide independent advice.
Frequently asked questions
What is the Derby council tax Band D rate for 2026/27?
£2,306.00 — confirmed from Derby City Council's official "Council Tax 2026/27 — How your money is spent" booklet (published March 2026). This breaks down as: Derby City Council £1,898.99 (+4.99%), Derbyshire Police and Crime Commissioner £308.60 (+5.1% / +£15), and Derbyshire Fire and Rescue Service £98.41 (+5.35% / +£5). Derby is a unitary authority — there is no Derbyshire County Council element on your bill.
Why did Derby's government funding increase so dramatically in 2026/27?
Derby's Revenue Support Grant rose from £36.106 million in 2025/26 to £110.743 million in 2026/27 — an increase of £74.637 million. This reflects a fundamental recalibration of the government's funding formula for 2026/27, which placed greater weight on deprivation indicators and relative need. Derby's population profile — significant areas of deprivation, a large social care need, high manufacturing employment — positioned it as a clear beneficiary of the new formula. Council leader Cllr Nadine Peatfield described it as "significantly more funding from the Government thanks to changes in the way councils are funded."
Is there a Derbyshire County Council element on my Derby bill?
No. Derby City Council is a unitary authority and has been since 1997. It delivers the full range of local government services itself — including adult social care, children's services, and highways that a county council would normally provide. There are only three components on a Derby council tax bill: Derby City Council, Derbyshire Police, and Derbyshire Fire. Residents in neighbouring South Derbyshire, Amber Valley, and Erewash districts pay Derbyshire County Council separately.
Derby expanded its Council Tax Support scheme in 2026/27 — what changed?
Derby City Council explicitly stated in its 2026/27 booklet that it is "expanding our Council Tax relief scheme from 1 April, to help more households on a lower income." The expansion was funded by Derby's improved financial position — specifically the large increase in Revenue Support Grant. If you were previously refused CTR or received a lower award, it is worth reapplying under the expanded scheme. Contact Derby via derby.gov.uk or email council.tax@derby.gov.uk.
Does Universal Credit cover my Derby council tax?
No. Universal Credit does not include a council tax element. If you receive UC in Derby, you must apply separately for Council Tax Support at derby.gov.uk. Apply at the same time as your UC claim. See our Universal Credit Calculator to estimate your UC entitlement first.
Can I pay Derby council tax over 12 months?
Yes. Derby City Council's official booklet explicitly offers a 12-month instalment plan (section heading: "Pay your Council Tax over 12 months"). At Band D (£2,306.00), this reduces monthly payments from £230.60 (10-month plan) to £192.17 (12-month plan). Apply via myAccount at derby.gov.uk or contact the council tax team.
