Local authorities receive more than £46 million in council tax overpayments

The Scottish Liberal Democrats urged households to check their accounts and get in touch with their local authority if they believe they have paid too much council tax.

Freedom of information requests by the party found councils have banked a total of £46,621,986.21 in overpayments, with 293,210 closed and overpaid accounts in Scotland.

Glasgow City Council is sitting on £13,708,493.68 in overpayments, while Edinburgh has received £12,694,965.47. The highest single unrefunded overpayment is £11,599.37 in an account in Dumfries and Galloway.

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Local authority body Cosla has previously explained councils can hold overpayments for a variety of reasons, including changes in household circumstances. They cannot always trace closed accounts, it said, which in some cases date back several years.

“They do everything they can to keep overpayments as low as possible,” Cosla said in response to figures released in 2021.

Liberal Democrat MSP Willie Rennie said: “There have clearly been lots of overpayments across the country, so it is important that households check their accounts and get in touch with their local authority if they believe they have paid too much council tax.

“With household bills soaring, people across Scotland are struggling to make ends meet. If they are entitled to a council tax refund, that could go a long way to helping them with costs and easing a bit of the strain.

“Councils allow you to check your account balance on their websites, and you can contact them over the phone or by email if you think you have paid too much.

“Scottish Liberal Democrats are committed to helping everyone with the cost of living, and that starts by making sure people are paying the right amount for their bills every month.”

On their websites, councils advise households to contact them for a refund if they believe they have overpaid tax.

The Scottish Government is currently consulting on council tax reforms. The SNP has long pledged to change the system, but little progress has been made.