VIDEO- Fun, short video on household bills.
Council Tax
In England in 2020-21, the average council tax for a Band D property will be £1,817 a year, a rise of £16. (source)
- Council tax is a tax paid directly to the local council to pay for services such as the police, fire department, recycling, refuse collection and removal, schools, leisure centres, parks and open spaces, street cleaning, housing and council tax benefits, facilities for young people, and many others.
- The amount of council tax you pay is set by the local council and varies by the property band of the place you live in. The property band is based on the value of the property in 1991 and there are 8 bands in England; A (lowest) to H (highest).
- There’s one Council Tax bill for each home. Usually the person living in the property has to pay the bill, even if they are renting and do not own the property.
- Your full Council Tax bill is based on at least two adults living in a home. If only one adult lives in a home (as their main home), the Council Tax is reduced by 25%. The bill doesn’t increase if there are more than two adults in the home.
- A property occupied only by full-time students is exempt from Council Tax. To get a student discount on your household’s Council Tax, you’ll normally need an official letter from your college or university giving details about you and your course (see here). If you’re a full-time student and you live with someone who’s not a full-time student, you may be able to get a 25% reduction in the Council Tax bill.
- If you’re on a low income you may qualify for Council Tax Reduction ( former Council Tax Benefit ceased to exist on 1 April, 2013)
Utility bills and TV Licence
TV Licence costs £154.50 a year. (source)
VIDEO- Fun video on an weird excuse given for not paying a TV licence.
Yearly cost of living for households:
| Living expense | Yearly average household cost | Monthly average household cost (based on a family of 4) |
| Food | £4805 (£3,224 groceries + £1581 eating out) | £667.30 Source |
| Gas | £572 | £48.00 Source |
| Electricity | £590 | £49.00 Source |
| Water | £415 | £34.58 Source |
| TV licence | £157.50 | £13.13 Source |
| Total: | £6539.50. | £812.01 |
- You need to be covered by a valid TV Licence if you watch or record TV as it’s being broadcast. This includes the use of devices such as a computer, laptop, mobile phone or DVD/video recorder.
Cost of living for students:
| Expense | Cost per month |
|---|---|
| Rent | £431 |
| Groceries | £92 |
| Going out | £49 |
| Transport | £44 |
| Takeaways | £34 |
| Household bills | £32 |
| Clothes & shopping | £31 |
| Holidays | £24 |
| Mobile phone | £17 |
| Course materials | £15 |
| Health & wellbeing | £13 |
| Gifts & charity | £10 |
| Illegal drugs | £4 |
| Other | £11 |
| TOTAL | £807 |