By region
Council tax in Wales 2026/27, council by council
Nine bands, four police areas and a gap of several hundred pounds at Band D between the valleys and the capital.
Swansea, Band C, 2026/27
£1,990a year
First payment £198.59, then 9 of £199.00
| Band C charge | £1,989.59 |
| Bill for the year | £1,989.59 |
Band C at 8/9 of Band D.
Where the council tax goes
How Swansea compares
Band D here is £2,238.29, number 16 of 22 in Wales (1 = dearest). The same band in Cardiff, the cheapest, costs £1,789 on the same terms.
Think the band is wrong? How a band challenge works
Across the 22 Welsh councils, Band D council tax for 2026/27 runs from £2,013.18 in Cardiff to £2,593.60 in Merthyr Tydfil, for a home with two adults. The Welsh Government puts the average Band D bill at £2,283.08, 5.2 % more than last year, including police and community council precepts. Each bill has three parts: the county or county borough council, the police and crime commissioner for one of four police areas, and on average a small community council precept. Fire and rescue services are paid for through the councils' own budgets, so there is no separate fire line as in much of England. Wales also has a ninth band: Band I pays 21/9 of Band D, which in Merthyr Tydfil means £6,051.73 a year. Bands rest on 1 April 2003 values, not 1991 as in England.
Figures checked by Radif Partners · Editorial policy · How the bill is worked out
All Welsh councils, 2026/27
| Council | Band A | Band D | Band I | Band D 2025/26 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Merthyr Tydfil | £1,729.07 | £2,593.60 | £6,051.73 | £2,464.01 | 5.3 % |
| Neath Port Talbot | £1,694.26 | £2,541.39 | £5,929.91 | £2,440.78 | 4.1 % |
| Blaenau Gwent | £1,687.51 | £2,531.26 | £5,906.27 | £2,428.43 | 4.2 % |
| Bridgend | £1,651.99 | £2,477.99 | £5,781.98 | £2,357.63 | 5.1 % |
| Conwy | £1,648.55 | £2,472.82 | £5,769.91 | £2,320.83 | 6.5 % |
| Gwynedd | £1,645.85 | £2,468.77 | £5,760.46 | £2,340.22 | 5.5 % |
| Ceredigion | £1,612.97 | £2,419.45 | £5,645.38 | £2,296.09 | 5.4 % |
| Monmouthshire | £1,611.00 | £2,416.50 | £5,638.50 | £2,277.19 | 6.1 % |
| Flintshire | £1,584.11 | £2,376.17 | £5,544.40 | £2,246.47 | 5.8 % |
| Powys | £1,567.81 | £2,351.72 | £5,487.35 | £2,234.44 | 5.2 % |
| Carmarthenshire | £1,567.47 | £2,351.20 | £5,486.13 | £2,232.06 | 5.3 % |
| Denbighshire | £1,559.35 | £2,339.03 | £5,457.74 | £2,217.08 | 5.5 % |
| Wrexham | £1,539.25 | £2,308.88 | £5,387.39 | £2,192.89 | 5.3 % |
| Rhondda Cynon Taf | £1,526.29 | £2,289.43 | £5,342.00 | £2,190.10 | 4.5 % |
| Isle of Anglesey | £1,507.15 | £2,260.73 | £5,275.04 | £2,143.94 | 5.4 % |
| Swansea | £1,492.19 | £2,238.29 | £5,222.68 | £2,142.88 | 4.5 % |
| Vale of Glamorgan | £1,487.69 | £2,231.54 | £5,206.93 | £2,093.96 | 6.6 % |
| Pembrokeshire | £1,444.10 | £2,166.15 | £5,054.35 | £2,059.82 | 5.2 % |
| Torfaen | £1,437.12 | £2,155.68 | £5,029.92 | £2,059.50 | 4.7 % |
| Newport | £1,392.32 | £2,088.48 | £4,873.12 | £1,983.97 | 5.3 % |
| Caerphilly | £1,388.59 | £2,082.88 | £4,860.05 | £1,956.20 | 6.5 % |
| Cardiff | £1,342.12 | £2,013.18 | £4,697.42 | £1,926.18 | 4.5 % |
The figures come from the Welsh Government table of council tax levels for 2026 to 2027. The last band shown is Band I, which exists only in Wales and covers homes worth more than £424,000 on the 2003 valuation date (band values for Wales).
Set against England, the Welsh average Band D of £2,283.08 is a little below the English average of £2,391.52. Because Welsh bands use 2003 values with their own limits, a Band D home in Wales is not the same kind of home as a Band D home over the border, so the comparison is only a rough guide. Every Welsh council raised its charge this year, with rises shown in the right-hand column.
The four police areas
Every Welsh council falls in one police area, and all its homes pay the same police precept for their band. The precept differs between areas, which explains part of the gap between neighbouring councils:
| Police area | Councils | Police, Band D | Average Band D |
|---|---|---|---|
| North Wales Police | 6 | £398.25 | £2,371.07 |
| Dyfed Powys Police | 4 | £387.63 | £2,322.13 |
| South Wales Police | 7 | £405.14 | £2,340.77 |
| Gwent Police | 5 | £403.53 | £2,254.96 |
Most of the difference, though, is the councils' own charge. Councils in the south Wales valleys, with lower property values and fewer homes in the upper bands, need a higher Band D figure to raise the same money, which is why several of them sit at the top of the table.
Community councils
Most of Wales is covered by town and community councils, which add a small precept. The table spreads it as an average over the whole council area. It weighs most in Carmarthenshire, at £132.60 at Band D on average, and least in Merthyr Tydfil, at £2.13. Your own bill names the community council and its exact charge.
Using the calculator for a Welsh home
The calculator starts on Swansea, Band C, where two adults pay £1,989.59 and an adult living alone £1,492.19. Choose your council and band, from A to I, then who lives there. The 25 % single person discount, the student exemption and the Disabled Band Reduction work as in England. For a second home or a long-term empty home, enter the premium your council has set: the Welsh Government guidance on premiums lets each council choose a rate up to 300 %.
Wales plans to revalue every home with new bands from 2028. The new values and ratios are still to come; the revaluation page sets out what the 2024 Act already fixes.