Dartford council tax bands for 2026/27: the charge for every band A to H, how the bill splits between five authorities, parish differences and discounts.
Dartford council tax bands run from A to H, and for 2026/27 the charge in Dartford town ranges from £1,554.80 at Band A to £4,664.40 at Band H. The band is not set by the borough council and the money does not go to the borough council either: it collects a single bill and passes most of it on to four other bodies, keeping about eight pence in every pound. This guide sets out the charge for every band, where the money actually goes, why some addresses pay more than others, and the discounts people most often miss. Every figure comes from the council’s own published charges schedule.
The quick answer
For 2026/27, a Band D home in Dartford town pays £2,332.20 a year. Band A pays two thirds of that and Band H pays double. If you live in one of the borough’s eight parished areas the figure is higher, because your parish council adds its own precept: from £2,346.53 at Band D in Southfleet up to £2,473.67 in Stone. All the figures below come from the council’s council tax charges 2026/2027 schedule.
Dartford council tax by band, 2026/27
The table below is the same data in full. It uses Dartford town, the unparished part of the borough, which covers the large majority of households.
| Band | Kent County Council | Kent Police | Dartford Borough | Kent Fire | Total for the year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A | £1,172.40 | £190.10 | £125.76 | £66.54 | £1,554.80 |
| B | £1,367.80 | £221.78 | £146.72 | £77.63 | £1,813.93 |
| C | £1,563.20 | £253.47 | £167.68 | £88.72 | £2,073.07 |
| D | £1,758.60 | £285.15 | £188.64 | £99.81 | £2,332.20 |
| E | £2,149.40 | £348.52 | £230.56 | £121.99 | £2,850.47 |
| F | £2,540.20 | £411.88 | £272.48 | £144.17 | £3,368.73 |
| G | £2,931.00 | £475.25 | £314.40 | £166.35 | £3,887.00 |
| H | £3,517.20 | £570.30 | £377.28 | £199.62 | £4,664.40 |
Source: Dartford Borough Council council tax charges 2026/2027.
What it means for you: Band C, which covers a lot of the borough’s terraced housing and flats, works out at just over £2,073 for the year, or about £207 a month across ten instalments. Band E, common for larger semis and newer family homes, is £2,850. The gaps between bands are fixed in law, so moving up a single band adds several hundred pounds a year and is never a rounding error.
Where the money goes
Dartford Borough Council sends the bill and collects the money, but it keeps only a small slice. In 2026/27 the split of every pound is roughly:
- 74p to Kent County Council, which funds adult social care, children’s services, schools support, libraries and most main roads
- 12p to the Police and Crime Commissioner for Kent
- 8p to Dartford Borough Council, which pays for bin collections, street cleaning, parking, planning, housing and leisure
- 4p to Kent and Medway Fire and Rescue Authority
- 2p to town and parish councils, on average
Those proportions are the council’s own, published in the same 2026/27 charges schedule, and they are also summarised on its what your council tax pays for page.
The one figure worth pausing on is the borough’s own share. Dartford Borough Council’s Band D charge is £188.64 for 2026/27, exactly what it was in 2025/26. The borough has not put its element up at all, while the county, police and fire precepts have all risen. It is the smallest slice of your bill and the only one that stayed still.
Why your parish changes the figure
Most of the borough, including Dartford town itself, is unparished, so the total above is what you pay. Eight areas have their own parish or town council, and each adds a precept on top for very local things: allotments, recreation grounds, play areas, burial grounds, litter bins and seats.
| Area | Band D total | Parish share |
|---|---|---|
| Dartford town (unparished) | £2,332.20 | None |
| Southfleet | £2,346.53 | £14.33 |
| Longfield & New Barn | £2,360.00 | £27.80 |
| Wilmington | £2,375.47 | £43.27 |
| Bean | £2,399.79 | £67.59 |
| Darenth | £2,404.21 | £72.01 |
| Sutton-at-Hone & Hawley | £2,430.79 | £98.59 |
| Swanscombe & Greenhithe | £2,473.38 | £141.18 |
| Stone | £2,473.67 | £141.47 |
Source: Dartford Borough Council council tax charges 2026/2027.
What it means for you: the spread across the whole borough at Band D is about £141 a year, which is real money but far smaller than the difference between two bands. Swanscombe and Greenhithe residents saw the sharpest change this year: their town council precept rose from £99.21 to £141.18 at Band D, the biggest parish increase in the borough.
What the bands actually mean
Every home in England sits in one of eight bands. The band is not based on what your house 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 been updated since council tax began in 1993. That is why a 2020s flat at Ebbsfleet and a 1930s semi in Wilmington can end up closer together than their asking prices suggest.
The 1991 value ranges, set by the Valuation Office Agency, are:
| Band | 1991 property value |
|---|---|
| A | Up to £40,000 |
| B | £40,001 to £52,000 |
| C | £52,001 to £68,000 |
| D | £68,001 to £88,000 |
| E | £88,001 to £120,000 |
| F | £120,001 to £160,000 |
| G | £160,001 to £320,000 |
| H | More than £320,000 |
Band D is the reference point. Every other band is a fixed fraction of it, set in law and identical everywhere in England: Band A is six ninths of Band D, Band H is eighteen ninths, or double. That is why the Dartford figures in the chart above rise in such regular steps.
How to check or challenge your band
Banding is the Valuation Office Agency’s job, not the council’s. A question about the amount on your bill goes to Dartford Borough Council; a question about which band you are in goes to the VOA.
To check your band, search your postcode on the GOV.UK council tax band tool. It shows your band alongside your neighbours’, which matters, because near-identical homes in a lower band is the strongest evidence you have a case.
To challenge your band, use the free VOA challenge service. You do not need to pay a company to do it. Be aware a review can go three ways: down, unchanged, or up. The council points residents to the VOA and explains the appeal route on its bands and charges page.
Discounts, disregards and the premiums that go the other way
Plenty of households in the borough pay more than they need to. The main reductions, per the council’s reductions pages, are:
- Single person discount of 25%. If you are the only adult aged 18 or over living in the property, you get a quarter off. It applies to your main home only, never a second home.
- Disregards. Some people are not counted at all: full-time students, student nurses, apprentices, hospital patients, care home residents, people who are severely mentally impaired, 18 and 19 year olds still at or just out of school, low-paid care workers, carers looking after someone with a disability, members of religious communities, prisoners and diplomats. If only one person is counted you get 25% off; if nobody is counted you get 50% off.
- Disabled reduction. If a disabled person lives in the home and there is an extra bathroom or kitchen because of the disability, enough space to use a wheelchair, or a room used because of the disability, the bill can be reduced.
- Council Tax Reduction is a separate scheme for people on low incomes and applies to the bill itself rather than the number of adults in the house.
The premiums are worth knowing too, because they are steep in Dartford:
- Empty and unfurnished homes get no discount at all. After one year empty the charge becomes 200%, after five years it is 300%, and after ten years it is 400% (empty properties and second homes).
- Second homes carry a 100% levy from 1 April 2025, so a furnished property where nobody lives, or where the owner’s main home is elsewhere, pays double.
- Annexes are treated more kindly: nothing is payable on an annexe occupied by a dependent relative who is disabled, severely mentally impaired or aged 65 or over, and other relatives’ annexes get a 50% reduction.
What it means for you: if you live alone, the single person discount is worth £518 a year at Band C and £583 at Band D, and it is not applied automatically. If a student or a carer lives with you, check whether they should be disregarded before you assume the bill is correct.
Frequently asked questions
How much is council tax in Dartford for 2026/27?
In Dartford town the annual charge is £1,554.80 at Band A, £1,813.93 at Band B, £2,073.07 at Band C, £2,332.20 at Band D, £2,850.47 at Band E, £3,368.73 at Band F, £3,887.00 at Band G and £4,664.40 at Band H. Parished areas pay between £14 and £141 more at Band D.
What is the Band D council tax in Dartford?
£2,332.20 for 2026/27 in the unparished area, which includes Dartford town. In the parishes it runs from £2,346.53 in Southfleet to £2,473.67 in Stone.
Where does my Dartford council tax go?
About 74p in every pound goes to Kent County Council, 12p to the Police and Crime Commissioner for Kent, 8p to Dartford Borough Council, 4p to Kent and Medway Fire and Rescue and 2p on average to town and parish councils.
Did Dartford council tax go up in 2026/27?
The borough council’s own share did not. It is £188.64 at Band D, unchanged from 2025/26. The total bill still rose, because the county council, police and fire precepts all increased.
How do I check or challenge my council tax band in Dartford?
Search your postcode on the free GOV.UK band checker, which also shows your neighbours’ bands. To challenge, use the Valuation Office Agency’s free challenge service rather than the council, and be aware a review can raise your band as well as lower it.
Can I get a discount on my Dartford council tax?
Yes. A single adult in the property gets 25% off. Students, carers, apprentices and several other groups are disregarded entirely, which can mean 25% or 50% off. There are also reductions for adapted homes and a separate Council Tax Reduction scheme for low incomes.
Sources
- Dartford Borough Council, council tax charges 2026/2027, the spreadsheet behind every figure on this page
- Dartford Borough Council, bands and charges
- Dartford Borough Council, what your council tax pays for
- Dartford Borough Council, reductions, discounts and disregards, empty properties and second homes and disabled reduction
- Valuation Office Agency, how council tax bands are assessed, check your band and challenge your band
Figures are from Dartford Borough Council’s published 2026/27 charges and were checked in August 2026. Charges are reset each spring, so confirm against the council’s own schedule before relying on a number. For the rest of the borough’s news and local information, see Dartford Online.
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