The 2026/27 Guildford council tax bands A to H, how the bill splits between Surrey County Council, the police and the borough, and what changes in 2027.
The Guildford council tax bands for 2026/27 run from £1,667.46 at Band A to £5,002.36 at Band H in the town area, with Band D, the reference band every comparison uses, at £2,501.18. What surprises most people is where that money goes. Guildford Borough Council collects the whole bill but keeps just 8 pence in every pound. More than three quarters of it belongs to Surrey County Council before the borough sees any of it. This guide sets out the full band table, the split between the three bodies that levy it, why your parish changes the figure, and what happens when the council disappears in 2027.
The full band table for 2026/27
These are the charges for the Guildford town area, which is unparished and covers the largest number of households in the borough. Villages with a parish council pay a little more, and the range is set out further down.
| Band | 1991 property value | Annual charge 2026/27 |
|---|---|---|
| A | Up to £40,000 | £1,667.46 |
| B | £40,001 to £52,000 | £1,945.36 |
| C | £52,001 to £68,000 | £2,223.28 |
| D | £68,001 to £88,000 | £2,501.18 |
| E | £88,001 to £120,000 | £3,057.00 |
| F | £120,001 to £160,000 | £3,612.82 |
| G | £160,001 to £320,000 | £4,168.64 |
| H | More than £320,000 | £5,002.36 |
Charges from Guildford Borough Council’s council tax charges 2026/27. Band values from the Valuation Office Agency.
What the bands actually mean
Your band is not based on what your house is worth now. It is based on what it would have sold for on the open market on 1 April 1991, a date that has never been revisited since council tax replaced the poll tax in 1993. That is why a Guildford flat and a Surrey Hills cottage can sit closer together than today’s asking prices suggest.
Band D is the standard reference. Every other band is a fixed proportion of it, set in law and identical everywhere in England: Band A is six ninths of Band D, Band H is eighteen ninths, which is exactly double. You can see that in the chart above, where the steps between bands widen as you climb.
Where the money goes
Three organisations levy this bill, and a fourth, your parish council, applies in most of the borough outside the town. Here is the Band D split for 2026/27.
| Where it goes | Band D charge | Share | Change on last year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Surrey County Council | £1,938.42 | about 78% | +4.99% |
| Surrey Police and Crime Commissioner | £352.57 | about 14% | +£15.00 |
| Guildford Borough Council | £210.19 | about 8% | +2.99% |
| Parish council (where you have one) | varies | the rest | varies |
Figures from the council tax resolution recorded in the minutes of the Council meeting of 11 February 2026.
Surrey County Council takes the overwhelming share, for adult social care, children’s services, most main roads, libraries and Surrey Fire and Rescue. Note that last one: unlike Kent or Sussex, Surrey has no separate fire precept. The fire service is a county council service, funded from within the county’s charge, which is part of why the Surrey element looks larger than the county element elsewhere. Of the 4.99% increase, 2 percentage points is the adult social care precept, taking that element alone to £323.51.
Surrey Police took the maximum permitted flat rise of £15 at Band D, up about 4.4%.
Guildford Borough Council raised its own share by 2.99%, an extra £6.10 a year for a Band D home. In its billing leaflet the council makes the point squarely: it receives £4.04 a week from a Band D household while providing around £24.48 of services per household per week, because most of its money comes from fees, charges and investments rather than council tax (council tax financial information 2026/27). This is the slice that pays for bin collections, car parks, planning, parks and leisure.
Why your village pays more
The town area is unparished, so there is no parish precept and the bill stops at £2,501.18. Everywhere else in the borough adds a parish charge on top, funding very local things: recreation grounds, allotments, village halls, street furniture.
| Area | Band D charge |
|---|---|
| Guildford town area | £2,501.18 |
| Wanborough | £2,533.44 |
| Send | £2,547.22 |
| Shalford | £2,569.70 |
| Ash | £2,583.57 |
| Effingham | £2,610.50 |
| Shere | £2,616.14 |
| Worplesdon | £2,630.91 |
| Seale and Sands | £2,678.05 |
Source: Guildford Borough Council council tax charges 2026/27, which lists all 24 parishes plus the town area. Wisley is a parish meeting and levies no precept, so it pays the same as the town.
What it means for you: the whole spread across the borough is £176.87 a year at Band D, between the cheapest area and the dearest. That is real money, but it is dwarfed by the band itself. Moving from Band D to Band E costs £555.82, more than three times the widest parish gap. Parish precepts also rose fastest of anything on the bill this year, up an average 12.8%, though from a small base.
What happens in 2027
This is the last full year in which Guildford Borough Council sets any part of your bill. The Surrey (Structural Changes) Order 2026, made on 9 March 2026, abolishes Surrey County Council and all eleven district and borough councils with effect from 1 April 2027, replacing them with two unitary authorities (legislation.gov.uk).
Guildford joins West Surrey Council alongside Runnymede, Spelthorne, Surrey Heath, Waverley and Woking. East Surrey Council covers the other five districts. Elections to both were held on 7 May 2026, and they currently exist in shadow form, with one of their formal duties being to set the budget and council tax for 2027/28.
What that means for the amount is genuinely unsettled, and it is worth saying so rather than guessing. The reorganisation order contains no article on council tax and no harmonisation mechanism. The practical point is that only a small part of the bill differs between the six areas going into West Surrey: the county element of £1,938.42 and the police element of £352.57 are already identical across Surrey. It is the borough element, £210.19 in Guildford, plus parish precepts, that varies, and how those are brought together is a decision for the new council rather than something already written down.
Discounts, and the premiums that go the other way
- Single person discount, 25%. If you are the only adult in the property, you pay three quarters of the bill. At Band D in the town area that is a saving of £625.30 a year (single person discount).
- Disabled band reduction. If a home has been adapted for a disabled resident, with an extra room or space for wheelchair use, the bill is charged at the band below. Guildford confirms this applies even in Band A (reductions for adapted properties).
- Local Council Tax Support. Guildford’s scheme helps around 4,000 households, and the council voted in February 2026 to keep it at current levels for another year (local council tax support scheme).
- Empty homes premium. Since 1 April 2025 a home empty for one year attracts a 100% premium, doubling the bill. After five years it triples, and after ten years it quadruples (empty homes premium). A Band D house in the town area empty over ten years would be charged £10,004.72.
- Second homes premium, 100%. Also from 1 April 2025, second homes pay double, with exceptions for recently probated properties, homes actively marketed for sale or let, annexes, job related accommodation and seasonal homes under planning restriction (second homes).
Checking or challenging your band
Bands are set by the Valuation Office Agency, not by the council, so a band question and a billing question go to different places. Check your band and your neighbours’ free on the GOV.UK band checker. If similar houses on your street sit a band lower, that is your evidence. Challenge it through the VOA challenge service, free, with no need to pay a company. A review can lower your band, leave it, or in rare cases raise it.
Frequently asked questions
How much is council tax in Guildford for 2026/27?
In the Guildford town area: Band A £1,667.46, Band B £1,945.36, Band C £2,223.28, Band D £2,501.18, Band E £3,057.00, Band F £3,612.82, Band G £4,168.64 and Band H £5,002.36. Parished areas add a parish precept on top, up to £2,678.05 at Band D in Seale and Sands.
What is Band D council tax in Guildford?
£2,501.18 a year in the town area. Band D is the reference band used in all national comparisons, and every other band is a fixed proportion of it.
Where does my Guildford council tax go?
About 78% to Surrey County Council, about 14% to Surrey Police, about 8% to Guildford Borough Council, and the remainder to your parish council if you have one. At Band D that is £1,938.42, £352.57 and £210.19 respectively.
Is there a separate fire service charge on my Guildford bill?
No. Surrey Fire and Rescue Service is run by Surrey County Council and funded from within the county’s charge, so there is no separate fire precept on a Surrey bill.
Will council tax change when Guildford Borough Council is abolished?
Guildford Borough Council and Surrey County Council are both abolished on 1 April 2027 and replaced by West Surrey Council, which will set the 2027/28 bill. The county and police elements are already the same across Surrey; only the borough and parish elements differ between areas, and no harmonisation mechanism is set out in the reorganisation order.
How do I get a discount on my Guildford council tax?
If you live alone, claim the 25% single person discount. Other reductions cover adapted homes for disabled residents, students and other disregarded adults, and low incomes through the council’s Local Council Tax Support scheme.
Sources
- Guildford Borough Council, council tax charges 2026/27
- Guildford Borough Council, minutes of the Council meeting, 11 February 2026, for the adopted council tax resolution
- Guildford Borough Council, council tax financial information 2026/27 and how is my council tax spent
- Guildford Borough Council, single person discount, adapted property reduction, local council tax support, empty homes premium and second homes premium
- The Surrey (Structural Changes) Order 2026
- GOV.UK, how council tax bands are assessed, check your band and challenge your band
Figures are Guildford Borough Council’s published 2026/27 charges, checked on 4 August 2026. Council tax is set each February, and from 2027/28 it will be set by West Surrey Council.
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