Elmbridge council tax bands 2026-27: band D is £2,556.87

A band D home in Elmbridge pays £2,556.87 in 2026 to 2027, or £2,573.52 if it is in Claygate. That is £114.81 more than last year, a rise of 4.7%.

Only about a tenth of it stays in the borough. The rest goes to Surrey County Council and Surrey Police, and this year’s increase is almost entirely theirs.

The full band table for 2026 to 2027

Source: Elmbridge Borough Council, council tax charges 2026 to 2027.

Every band rose by exactly 4.7%, and every figure in the council’s table adds up against its own precept breakdown. That is not always true of a council tax table, so it is worth saying.

Where the money actually goes

Elmbridge collects the whole bill and keeps a small slice of it. The council says it receives 10.4% of what it collects, and that it took in £154 million across all the precepting bodies last year at a collection rate of 98.2%.

The band D bill breaks down like this:

As a share, that is 76% Surrey County Council, 14% Surrey Police and 10% Elmbridge. In Claygate the split is 75%, 14%, 10% and 1%.

Source: Elmbridge Borough Council, how your council tax is spent, 2026 to 2027.

What changed this year, and who put it up

Comparing band D against last year’s charges:

Surrey County Council accounts for £92.07 of the £114.81. Its two lines together went up 4.99%, which the council splits as 2.99% for general expenditure and 2.0% for adult social care.

Both of those percentages are calculated against the combined total of the two charges, not against each one separately. That is a legal presentation rule, and Elmbridge spells it out. Taken on its own, the adult social care charge rose from £286.61 to £323.51, which is nearly 13%. Your bill will still show it as 2.0%. Money raised through that line can only be spent on adult social care.

Elmbridge’s own share went up by £7.74 a year on a band D home, which is 65p a month.

Claygate: the only parish in the borough

Claygate is the only part of Elmbridge with a parish council, so it is the only place with a different bill. The precept adds £16.65 to a band D home this year, up from £16.17. Across the bands it runs from £11.10 at band A to £33.30 at band H.

Everywhere else in Elmbridge, from Esher and Cobham to the Moleseys and the Dittons, pays the borough-wide figure.

Checking and challenging your band

Bands were set on 1991 property values and have never been revalued in England. Two ways to look yours up:

• Elmbridge’s own Property Explorer, which takes a postcode
• the Valuation Office Agency’s national council tax band search

If you think the band is wrong, the challenge goes to the Valuation Office Agency, not the council. The route is council tax appeals on GOV.UK. You must keep paying while a challenge is being decided.

Substantial building works can change a band. So can disrepair, and the VOA publishes separate guidance on properties that are derelict or in disrepair.

Discounts and the ones people miss

Single person discount: 25%. A full bill assumes two or more adults over 18. If you are the only one, you can apply through My Account. The council says it processes applications within 10 working days. You must tell it within 21 days of anything that affects your entitlement, including someone moving in, a person in the household turning 18, or a death.

There are further discounts and exemptions for students, people with a severe mental impairment, disabled people, and terminally ill household members. Some adults are disregarded entirely when the council counts the household, which can push you back into the single person discount even when someone else lives there.

Council Tax Support is the low income scheme. The important detail in Elmbridge is that working age households have to pay something towards their bill unless they fall into a protected group, so it is not a full write-off. It is applied for separately.

If you are simply struggling with the timing rather than the amount, the council will spread the bill over 12 instalments instead of the default 10 on request, and will set up a payment arrangement on arrears. Free debt advice is available from Citizens Advice at Walton-on-Thames on 01932 248660 and Esher on 01372 464770.

Empty homes and second homes carry a premium

Elmbridge charges some of the steepest empty property premiums available:

• unoccupied and substantially unfurnished for more than 1 year: a premium of 100% on top of the bill
• more than 5 years: 200%
• more than 10 years: 300%

Furnished second homes have carried a 100% premium since 1 April 2025. There is no discount for a home that is furnished but is not your main residence, and you cannot claim single person discount on a property that is not your main home.

The council lists exceptions, each running for a limited period. They include homes actively marketed for sale or let for up to 12 months, homes within 12 months of probate, annexes used as part of the main home, armed forces accommodation, job-related second homes, caravan pitches and moorings, and seasonal homes restricted by a planning condition. Unfurnished properties undergoing or needing major repairs get up to 12 months. The full list is on the council’s empty homes page.

There is no discount at all for an uninhabitable property, only the possibility of a time-limited exception to the premium.

Elsewhere on Elmbridge News

• Elmbridge house prices, which is what the bands have stopped tracking
• Elmbridge bin collection days, one of the services the borough’s 10% pays for
• Parking in Elmbridge, including which car parks are free on a Sunday
• Elmbridge planning news

Every figure on this page was read from Elmbridge Borough Council on 26 August 2026 and checked against its own precept breakdown. Charges change each April: confirm your own bill with the council.