The 2026/27 charge for every one of the Barnet council tax bands A to H, the Greater London Authority split, why the bill rose 4.8%, and how to check or cut it.
The Barnet council tax bands run from A to H, and for 2026/27 the annual charge runs from £1,421.73 at Band A to £4,265.20 at Band H. Unlike most of the country, a Barnet bill splits only two ways: Barnet Council keeps the larger share, and the rest goes to the Greater London Authority. There are no parish precepts here, so two identical homes anywhere in the borough, from High Barnet to Golders Green, pay exactly the same. This guide sets out every band, shows how the split works, explains the 4.8% rise, and covers how to check your band, challenge it, and claim the discounts people most often miss.
Barnet council tax by band, 2026/27
| Band | 1991 property value | Barnet Council | Greater London Authority | Total for the year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| A | Up to £40,000 | £1,081.39 | £340.34 | £1,421.73 |
| B | £40,001 to £52,000 | £1,261.63 | £397.06 | £1,658.69 |
| C | £52,001 to £68,000 | £1,441.85 | £453.79 | £1,895.64 |
| D | £68,001 to £88,000 | £1,622.09 | £510.51 | £2,132.60 |
| E | £88,001 to £120,000 | £1,982.55 | £623.96 | £2,606.51 |
| F | £120,001 to £160,000 | £2,343.02 | £737.40 | £3,080.42 |
| G | £160,001 to £320,000 | £2,703.48 | £850.85 | £3,554.33 |
| H | Over £320,001 | £3,244.18 | £1,021.02 | £4,265.20 |
Source: Barnet Council, check how much Council Tax you must pay. Charges for previous years are published on the council’s open data portal.
What it means for you: Band C, common for terraced houses and larger flats across Finchley and Hendon, works out at £1,895.64 for the year, roughly £190 a month over ten instalments. Band F, typical of a larger detached home, is £3,080.42. The steps between bands are fixed in law, so a single band up is never a small difference: from D to E adds £473.91 a year.
Where your Barnet council tax goes
Every bill in the borough has just two elements (check how much Council Tax you must pay):
- London Borough of Barnet, which includes the adult social care precept. At Band D that is £1,622.09, about 76 pence in every pound. It pays for adult and children’s social care, bin collections, parking and highways, planning, parks, libraries and street cleaning.
- Greater London Authority, £510.51 at Band D, about 24 pence in every pound. This is the Mayor of London’s precept, funding the Metropolitan Police, the London Fire Brigade and Transport for London. Barnet Council has no control over it.
That two-way split is a London thing. Outside the capital a bill is usually carved between a county council, a district council, a police and crime commissioner, a fire authority and a parish. In Barnet there are no parish or town councils adding a precept, which is why there is a single set of figures for the whole borough rather than a different total for every village.
Why the bill went up 4.8% this year
The council puts the overall increase for 2026/27 at 4.8% once both elements are combined. That comes from a 4.98% rise in the Barnet Council element, including its adult social care component, and a 4.1% rise in the Greater London Authority precept.
In cash, a Band D home paid £2,035.52 in 2025/26 and pays £2,132.60 in 2026/27, an increase of £97.08 for the year, or a little over £8 a month. At Band A the same rise is £64.72; at Band H it is £194.16.
The council publishes the detail behind the figure in its Council Tax and Business Rates booklet 2026 to 2027 and a financial summary, both linked from its how your Council Tax is spent page.
What the bands actually mean
Your band is not based on what your home is worth now. It is based on what the property would have sold for on the open market on 1 April 1991, a date that has never moved since council tax began in 1993. That is why a flat in Whetstone and a house in Mill Hill can sit closer together than current prices suggest, and why the band on your bill can look out of step with the market.
The 1991 value ranges are set nationally by the Valuation Office Agency and are shown in the table above. Band D is the reference band: when a council or the Mayor quotes a figure, it is almost always the Band D one, and every other band is a fixed proportion of it. Band A always pays six ninths of Band D and Band H pays twice it, everywhere in England.
When a Barnet property gets rebanded
The council lists the changes that can trigger a revaluation: major alterations such as an extension or annexe (the band does not change until you sell), splitting a single property into self-contained flats, converting flats back into one property, starting or stopping working from home, and significant changes to the local area such as a new road.
How to check or challenge your band
Banding is the Valuation Office Agency’s job, not Barnet Council’s. A question about the band goes to the VOA; a question about the bill goes to the council.
To check your band, search your postcode on the GOV.UK council tax band tool. It shows your band and your neighbours’ bands free of charge, which matters: if similar homes on your street sit a band lower, that is the strongest evidence you have.
To challenge your band, use the VOA challenge service. You never need to pay a company to do this. Be clear-eyed about the risk: a review can lower your band, leave it alone, or raise it. The VOA wants evidence, normally the bands and 1991 sale values of comparable nearby homes.
Discounts and reductions worth claiming
A lot of Barnet households pay more than they need to because nobody told them a discount existed. The main ones (discounts, exemptions and refunds):
- Single person discount of 25%. If you are the only adult living in the property as your main home. On a Band D bill that is £533.15 a year.
- Student discount or exemption. A household of only full-time students pays nothing.
- Severe mental impairment discount or exemption. Applies where a resident has been medically certified and receives a qualifying benefit.
- Carer and care worker exemptions, where someone in the household provides care.
- Apprenticeship discount for apprentices on low pay.
- Care leaver discount, specifically for Barnet care leavers.
- Disabled band reduction. If a disabled person lives in the home and it has an extra feature for their needs, such as a downstairs bathroom or wheelchair space, the bill can be charged at the band below.
- Council Tax Support, a reduction in the bill itself for people on a low income or benefits, separate from the discounts above.
- Discretionary Relief for severe financial or personal hardship caused by events outside your control, and, from 1 April 2026, a new award for residents who are terminally ill and meet the criteria.
If your account is in credit, for example after moving out, you can apply for a refund rather than leaving the money sitting there.
What it means for you: the single person discount is the biggest easy win, worth £355 to £1,066 a year depending on band. After that, check whether anyone in the house should be disregarded, and if you have an adapted home with a disabled resident, the band reduction is the one most often missed entirely.
Frequently asked questions
How much is council tax in Barnet for 2026/27?
Band A £1,421.73, Band B £1,658.69, Band C £1,895.64, Band D £2,132.60, Band E £2,606.51, Band F £3,080.42, Band G £3,554.33 and Band H £4,265.20 for the year. The figures are the same everywhere in the borough.
What is the Band D council tax in Barnet?
£2,132.60 for 2026/27, made up of £1,622.09 for Barnet Council and £510.51 for the Greater London Authority.
Why did my Barnet council tax go up?
The combined bill rose 4.8%. The Barnet Council element, including adult social care, went up 4.98%, and the Greater London Authority precept went up 4.1%. At Band D that is £97.08 more than 2025/26.
Does council tax differ across Barnet?
No. Barnet has no parish or town councils levying their own precept, so a Band D home in Edgware pays the same as a Band D home in East Barnet.
How do I check my council tax band in Barnet?
Search your postcode on the GOV.UK band checker. It shows your band and your neighbours’ bands for free.
How do I challenge my Barnet council tax band?
Through the VOA challenge service on GOV.UK, not through the council. Gather the bands of similar nearby homes first, and be aware the review can raise your band as well as lower it.
Can I get a discount on my Barnet council tax?
Yes. A 25% single person discount if you live alone, plus discounts and exemptions for students, apprentices, care leavers, carers, people with a severe mental impairment and disabled residents, and Council Tax Support if you are on a low income.
Sources
- Barnet Council, check how much Council Tax you must pay, for the 2026/27 and 2025/26 band tables and the increase breakdown
- Barnet Council, how your Council Tax is spent and the Council Tax and Business Rates booklet 2026 to 2027
- Barnet Council, discounts, exemptions and refunds
- Barnet Council, Council Tax valuation bands open data
- Valuation Office Agency and GOV.UK, how bands are assessed, check your band and challenge your band
Figures checked against Barnet Council’s published tables on 4 August 2026.
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