The 2026/27 charge for every one of the Reading council tax bands A to H, how the bill splits between the council, police and fire, and how to pay less.
Council tax is the biggest bill Reading Borough Council sends you, and almost nobody checks how it is built. The Reading council tax bands run from A to H, the band decides the amount, and the amount is then shared between three organisations rather than kept by the council. This page sets out the 2026/27 charge for every band, shows exactly where the money goes, explains why the council’s own share went up 4.99% this year, and covers how to check your band, challenge it, and claim the discounts people routinely miss. Every figure comes from the council’s own published table.
The quick answer
For 2026/27, a Band D home in Reading pays £2,612.77 a year. Band A pays £1,741.84 and Band H pays £5,225.54. Unlike most of the country, there is no parish precept to complicate it: Reading is a unitary authority covering an unparished urban area, so every household in the borough on the same band pays the same figure, whether you are in Caversham, Tilehurst, Whitley or the town centre.
Reading council tax by band, 2026/27
The table below is the council’s full published schedule, broken down by who gets the money (council tax bands and charges).
| Band | Reading Borough Council | Thames Valley Police | Royal Berkshire Fire & Rescue | Total for the year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| A | £1,482.12 | £198.85 | £60.87 | £1,741.84 |
| B | £1,729.14 | £232.00 | £71.02 | £2,032.16 |
| C | £1,976.16 | £265.14 | £81.16 | £2,322.46 |
| D | £2,223.18 | £298.28 | £91.31 | £2,612.77 |
| E | £2,717.22 | £364.56 | £111.60 | £3,193.38 |
| F | £3,211.26 | £430.85 | £131.89 | £3,774.00 |
| G | £3,705.30 | £497.13 | £152.18 | £4,354.61 |
| H | £4,446.36 | £596.56 | £182.62 | £5,225.54 |
Source: Reading Borough Council, council tax bands and charges.
What it means for you: the steps are not even. Moving from Band D to Band E costs an extra £580 a year, more than the £290 jumps lower down the table, because the ratios set in law widen above Band D. If your home sits close to a band boundary, the band is worth checking.
What the bands actually mean
Every home in England sits in one of eight bands, A to H, and the band is not based on what your house is worth now. It is based on what the property would have sold for on the open market on 1 April 1991, a valuation date that has never been updated since council tax began in 1993 (Valuation Office Agency guidance):
| Band | 1991 property value |
|---|---|
| A | Up to £40,000 |
| B | £40,001 to £52,000 |
| C | £52,001 to £68,000 |
| D | £68,001 to £88,000 |
| E | £88,001 to £120,000 |
| F | £120,001 to £160,000 |
| G | £160,001 to £320,000 |
| H | More than £320,000 |
Band D is the reference band. When a council, a police force or the government quotes a council tax figure, it is almost always the Band D number, and the others are fixed proportions of it: Band A is six ninths of Band D, Band H is double.
Where your money goes
Three organisations share the bill. At Band D:
- Reading Borough Council: £2,223.18, about 85 pence in every pound.
- Thames Valley Police: £298.28, about 11 pence.
- Royal Berkshire Fire and Rescue Service: £91.31, about 3.5 pence.
That split looks very different from a two-tier area like Kent or Surrey, where a county council takes the largest slice. Reading is a unitary authority, so it runs both the county-level services and the district-level ones, and the money that would go to a county council stays with the borough. The council says the bill funds “day-to-day services like adult social care, children’s services, environmental health, highways, libraries, parks, planning, playgrounds, recycling and waste, street cleaning and transport”, alongside policing and fire (how we use your money).
Why it went up 4.99% this year
The council’s own element rose by 4.99% for 2026/27, and that figure is two decisions stacked together: a 2.99% general increase plus a 2% adult social care precept. The council puts it at “an increase of £2.02 per week for a band D property”. The 2% precept alone raises £2.556 million for adult social care, part of a £4.7 million increase in the adult social care budget for the year.
What it means for you: the 4.99% is not a coincidence. Councils in England can raise council tax by up to 5% without holding a referendum, split between a general rise and a social care precept, and Reading has gone to just under the ceiling. Council tax is not the whole picture either: fees the council sets itself, including the car park tariffs that changed on 27 July 2026, sit alongside it in the same budget.
What local government reorganisation means for Reading
Every district council in Kent and much of the South East is being abolished and merged into larger unitaries. Reading is not. Because the borough is already a unitary, it continues as it is, and the 2026/27 bill above is set and collected the same way next year.
The change that did affect Reading went the other way. The council asked for three West Berkshire wards, Tilehurst Birch Copse, Tilehurst and Purley, and Tilehurst South and Holybrook, to be transferred into the borough, and the Government refused on 16 July 2026. Council leader Liz Terry called it “obviously a disappointing decision from Reading’s perspective”, arguing that “our western boundary line was created well over a century ago and for many years now it has failed to reflect the reality of patterns of daily living” (council statement).
What it means for you: if you live in one of those Tilehurst wards, you are billed by West Berkshire Council, not Reading, and the figures on this page do not apply to you. That will not change.
Checking and challenging your band
Banding is the Valuation Office Agency’s job, not the council’s. A question about the band goes to the VOA; a question about the bill goes to Reading Borough Council.
- Check your band free on the GOV.UK council tax band tool. It shows your band and your neighbours’, which is the evidence that matters: if similar homes on your street are a band lower, you have a case.
- Challenge your band through the VOA challenge service. You never need to pay a company to do this. Be aware the review can go either way, including up.
Discounts and reductions people miss
A surprising number of Reading households pay full price when they should not (help paying your council tax):
- Single person discount, 25%. Awarded “if only one adult over the age of 18 is living at the property”. On a Band D bill that is £653 a year.
- Full-time students, up to 100%. Students, student nurses and foreign language assistants can claim “a discount of up to 100%”.
- Disabled band reduction. Where a property “has been permanently adapted to assist residents with disabilities”, the bill can be charged at a lower band.
- Council Tax Support for households on a low income, which reduces the bill itself rather than applying a discount.
- Care leavers under 25 and job-related second homes at 50% both have their own reductions, and a Section 13A reduction exists for short-term financial hardship.
It runs the other way too. Empty properties carry a rising premium: 100% extra after one year, 200% after five years and 300% after ten, in place since 1 April 2024. From 1 April 2025 those premium rates also apply to homes that are “empty and furnished” (council tax information for landlords).
What it means for you: the single person discount is the biggest easy win, and Council Tax Support is worth checking even if you assume you earn too much, because it also unlocks the reduced garden waste subscription at £58.50 instead of £78.
Frequently asked questions
How much is council tax in Reading for 2026/27?
Band A £1,741.84, Band B £2,032.16, Band C £2,322.46, Band D £2,612.77, Band E £3,193.38, Band F £3,774.00, Band G £4,354.61 and Band H £5,225.54. Those totals include the police and fire precepts.
What is the Band D council tax in Reading?
£2,612.77 for 2026/27. Of that, £2,223.18 goes to Reading Borough Council, £298.28 to Thames Valley Police and £91.31 to Royal Berkshire Fire and Rescue Service.
Why did my Reading council tax go up?
The council’s share rose 4.99%: a 2.99% general increase plus a 2% adult social care precept, which the council describes as £2.02 a week more for a Band D home. The precept raises £2.556 million towards a £4.7 million increase in the adult social care budget.
Does the charge vary across Reading?
No. Reading is a unitary authority with no parish councils in the urban area, so every household in the borough on the same band pays the same. Neighbouring Tilehurst wards inside West Berkshire are billed by West Berkshire Council instead.
How do I check what band my house is in?
Search your postcode on the GOV.UK band checker. It is free and shows neighbouring properties too. To challenge a band, use the VOA challenge service rather than paying an agent.
Can I get money off my council tax in Reading?
Yes. A single adult in a property gets 25% off. Full-time students can get up to 100%. There are reductions for adapted homes, care leavers under 25, and households on low incomes through Council Tax Support.
Sources
- Reading Borough Council, council tax bands and charges, the full 2026/27 table by band and precepting body
- Reading Borough Council, council tax bills and how we use your money, for the 4.99% increase, the 2% adult social care precept and the £2.02 a week figure
- Reading Borough Council, help paying your council tax
- Reading Borough Council, council tax information for landlords, for the empty property premiums
- Reading Borough Council press office, statement on the local government reorganisation decision
- GOV.UK, how council tax bands are assessed, check your band and challenge your band
Figures are the 2026/27 charges published by Reading Borough Council. Bands are set by the Valuation Office Agency, not the council. Last checked 4 August 2026.
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