Can Your Council Tax Band Go UP If You Appeal?

The Honest Answer: Yes, But It's Unlikely

Let's address the elephant in the room straight away: yes, your council tax band can go up if you appeal. When you challenge your band with the Valuation Office Agency (VOA), they conduct an independent review of your property's valuation — and sometimes they conclude it should be in a higher band.

But here's what the statistics actually show: only about 5% of challenges result in a band increase. That means for every 20 people who challenge their band, only 1 ends up paying more. The other 19 either get a reduction (33%) or stay the same (62%).

So while the risk exists, it's small — and there are ways to minimise it even further.

Why Bands Sometimes Go Up

The VOA Does Their Own Assessment

When you submit a challenge, the VOA doesn't just look at your evidence — they conduct their own independent review. This means they'll look at:

• Your property's characteristics (size, type, location)
• Comparable properties in your area
• 1991 property values (or 2003 in Wales)
• Any improvements or extensions

If their review suggests your property was undervalued at the current band, they may propose an increase.

Common Reasons for Band Increases

• Extensions or improvements that weren't reflected in the original banding
• Conversion from flats back to a single dwelling
• Area regeneration that increased 1991 values retrospectively
• Errors in the original banding that actually favoured you

How to Protect Yourself

1. Do Your Research First

Before submitting any challenge, thoroughly research your neighbours' bands. Use our free checker tool to compare your property with others on your street. If most similar properties are in the same band as you, an appeal may not be worthwhile.

2. Look for Clear Evidence of Misbanding

Only proceed if you find clear evidence that similar properties nearby are in a lower band. The stronger your evidence, the less likely the VOA is to increase your band.

3. Know You Can Withdraw

This is your biggest safety net. If the VOA indicates during their review that your band may increase, you can withdraw your challenge before a formal decision is made. This means no change to your band.

The VOA typically contacts you before making a decision, giving you the opportunity to withdraw if things aren't going your way.

4. Consider the Financial Maths

Even if there's a small risk of increase, consider the potential upside:

• If you drop one band: save £200-400/year + backdated refund of £1,000-5,000
• If you stay the same: no change, nothing lost
• If you go up one band: pay £200-400/year more (not backdated)

The key asymmetry is that decreases are backdated but increases are not. This makes the expected value of an appeal strongly positive.

What Actually Happens: Real Numbers

Based on VOA data from 2024/25:

• 80,000+ challenges submitted
• ~26,400 (33%) resulted in a band reduction — average refund of £2,100
• ~49,600 (62%) saw no change — nothing lost
• ~4,000 (5%) resulted in a band increase — average extra cost of £280/year

If you do the expected value calculation: the average challenger is financially better off by about £600, even accounting for the small risk of an increase.

Who Should NOT Appeal

There are situations where challenging your band may not be advisable:

• Your property has had significant extensions or improvements since 1991 that neighbours haven't
• All comparable properties on your street are in the same or higher band
• You live in a clearly higher-value property than most in your current band
• Your property was recently converted from multiple dwellings to a single property

The Bottom Line

Yes, your council tax band can go up if you appeal — but the odds are heavily in your favour. With a 33% chance of success, a 62% chance of no change, and only a 5% chance of increase (which isn't backdated), most homeowners have far more to gain than lose.

The smart approach: check your neighbours' bands first, make sure you have clear evidence, and know that you can withdraw if things aren't going well. Start with our free checker — it takes 10 seconds and there's zero risk in just looking.