# Where your council tax goes in Aberdeen City url: https://whereyourmoneygoes.co.uk/council-tax/scotland/aberdeen-city/where-it-goes/ updated: 29 September 2026 licence: Our words, analysis, charts and derived calculations: CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), credit [Tekstak Ltd](https://tek-stak.co.uk). Figures: each source's own licence, listed under Sources. publisher: [Tekstak Ltd](https://tek-stak.co.uk) # Where your council tax goes in Aberdeen City Last updated 29 September 2026. Figures refresh every night. [How each figure is worked out](/methodology/). A Band D council tax bill in **Aberdeen City** is **£1,747.54** for 2026-27, split between Aberdeen City £1,747.54. Shared out in proportion to what each body spends, the largest single line is education at Aberdeen City: **£836.90** of the bill. Council tax pays for 14% of the council's own spending; the rest is government grant, business rates and fees. Figures for the 2026–27 financial year. Source: [Scottish Government](https://www.gov.scot/publications/council-tax-datasets/). ## Key figures - £1,747.54Band D bill, 2026-27 As of 6 April 2026 - £1,747.54Goes to Aberdeen City itself (100%) As of 6 April 2026 - £836.90Largest line: education As of 3 February 2026 - 14.1%Of the council's money that comes from council tax, 2024-25 As of 3 February 2026 Source: [Scottish Government](https://www.gov.scot/publications/council-tax-datasets/). ## Who gets your bill Your council tax band A B C D E F G H Figures are for a **Band D** home. Bands A to H pay a fixed fraction of this, set in law. 1747.54 Aberdeen City 100% In Scotland the whole bill goes to the council. Police and fire have been funded nationally since 2013, and the water and sewerage charges on the same bill belong to Scottish Water. ## And where does that bit go? Choose any part of the bill to see how it divides, then keep going as far as the published returns allow. Every level has its own link you can share. ### Where the rest comes from **Council tax pays for 14.1%** of the money Aberdeen City had to spend in 2024-25. ********** - Council tax 14.1% £143.7m - Business rates 20.5% £208.8m - General government grant 25.6% £260.8m - Government grants for specific services 10.9% £110.7m - Fees, charges and other income 28.8% £293.6m Council tax is pooled with the council's other money, not ring-fenced for any service. The split on this page shares your bill out in proportion to what each body spends; it does not say what any one pound paid for. - Your bill ### Your bill: £1,747.54 - [Aberdeen City](#d-council) £1,747.54 ** Your council · 100.0% of the bill - [Your bill](#d-bill) - Aberdeen City ### Aberdeen City £1,747.54 of your bill goes to Aberdeen City. It is shared out below in proportion to how Aberdeen City spent its money in 2024-25, its latest published return. - [Education](#d-council~education) £836.90 ** 47.9% of this part · £268.9m in 2024-25 · £1,168 per resident; similar councils £1,456 · up 13.1% on 2023-24 - [Adult social care](#d-council~adult-social-care) £433.65 ** 24.8% of this part · £139.3m in 2024-25 · £605 per resident; similar councils £659 · up 9.8% on 2023-24 - Children's social care £156.76 ** 9.0% of this part · £50.4m in 2024-25 · £219 per resident; similar councils £186 · up 4.0% on 2023-24 - [Environment and regulation](#d-council~environment) £99.67 ** 5.7% of this part · £32.0m in 2024-25 · £139 per resident; similar councils £133 · up 1.1% on 2023-24 - [Running the council](#d-council~central) £71.52 ** 4.1% of this part · £23.0m in 2024-25 · £100 per resident; similar councils £86 · up 6.3% on 2023-24 - [Parks, leisure, libraries and culture](#d-council~culture-leisure) £68.37 ** 3.9% of this part · £22.0m in 2024-25 · £95 per resident; similar councils £108 · down 16.8% on 2023-24 - [Housing (not council homes)](#d-council~housing) £44.62 ** 2.6% of this part · £14.3m in 2024-25 · £62 per resident; similar councils £47 · down 24.1% on 2023-24 Not council homes: [see the note](#d-council~housing). - [Planning and development](#d-council~planning-development) £24.38 ** 1.4% of this part · £7.8m in 2024-25 · £34 per resident; similar councils £29 · down 3.8% on 2023-24 - [Roads and transport](#d-council~highways-transport) £11.67 ** 0.7% of this part · £3.7m in 2024-25 · £16 per resident; similar councils £84 · down 61.9% on 2023-24 Other services brought in £27.6m more than it cost in 2024-25, so it takes no share of your bill. **Which councils count as similar** Medians are across the 10 Scottish councils closest in population: Highland, Aberdeenshire, Renfrewshire, West Lothian, Falkirk, South Lanarkshire, Perth & Kinross, North Lanarkshire, Dundee City, Dumfries & Galloway. Per-resident figures use ONS mid-year population estimates. - [Your bill](#d-bill) - [Aberdeen City](#d-council) - Education ### Education £836.90 of your bill goes to education at Aberdeen City. Here is how its £268.9m of net spending on it divides in the return. - Primary schools £331.09 ** 39.6% of this · £106.4m in 2024-25 · £462 per resident; similar councils £522 · up 4.4% on 2023-24 - Secondary schools £289.25 ** 34.6% of this · £92.9m in 2024-25 · £404 per resident; similar councils £525 · up 3.8% on 2023-24 - Early years and nursery £117.19 ** 14.0% of this · £37.6m in 2024-25 · £164 per resident; similar councils £197 · up 184.0% on 2023-24 - Special schools and alternative provision £72.39 ** 8.6% of this · £23.3m in 2024-25 · £101 per resident; similar councils £174 · down 6.3% on 2023-24 - Community learning £26.55 ** 3.2% of this · £8.5m in 2024-25 · £37 per resident; similar councils £15 · up 6.7% on 2023-24 - Other education £0.43 ** under 0.1% of this · £138k in 2024-25 · £0.60 per resident; similar councils £0.10 · down 15.3% on 2023-24 - [Your bill](#d-bill) - [Aberdeen City](#d-council) - Adult social care ### Adult social care £433.65 of your bill goes to adult social care at Aberdeen City. Here is how its £139.3m of net spending on it divides in the return. - Paid to the Integration Joint Board £417.42 ** 96.3% of this · £136.8m in 2024-25 · £594 per resident; similar councils £617 · up 10.5% on 2023-24 - Other adult services £14.72 ** 3.4% of this · £4.8m in 2024-25 · £21 per resident; similar councils £5.82 · down 22.3% on 2023-24 - Criminal justice social work £1.51 ** 0.3% of this · £496k in 2024-25 · £2.15 per resident; similar councils £2.01 · down 12.7% on 2023-24 - [Your bill](#d-bill) - [Aberdeen City](#d-council) - Environment and regulation ### Environment and regulation £99.67 of your bill goes to environment and regulation at Aberdeen City. Here is how its £32.0m of net spending on it divides in the return. - Waste disposal £47.57 ** 47.7% of this · £15.3m in 2024-25 · £66 per resident; similar councils £52 · up 12.8% on 2023-24 - Waste collection £24.72 ** 24.8% of this · £7.9m in 2024-25 · £35 per resident; similar councils £41 · down 12.0% on 2023-24 - Other environmental services £9.20 ** 9.2% of this · £3.0m in 2024-25 · £13 per resident; similar councils £18 · down 20.2% on 2023-24 - Environmental health, food safety, pest control and licensing £8.02 ** 8.1% of this · £2.6m in 2024-25 · £11 per resident; similar councils £13 · down 23.3% on 2023-24 - Trading standards £4.38 ** 4.4% of this · £1.4m in 2024-25 · £6.11 per resident; similar councils £7.43 · down 2.0% on 2023-24 - Flood defence, land drainage and coast protection £1.23 ** 1.2% of this · £394k in 2024-25 · £1.71 per resident; similar councils £0.90 · up 0.8% on 2023-24 - Cemeteries and crematoria £0.84 ** 0.8% of this · £269k in 2024-25 · £1.17 per resident; similar councils £2.36 - Not itemised in the return £3.70 ** 3.7% of this · £1.2m in 2024-25 · £5.17 per resident; similar councils £0.54 · up 370.4% on 2023-24 "Not itemised in the return" is the difference between the service total and the lines the return lists. - [Your bill](#d-bill) - [Aberdeen City](#d-council) - Running the council ### Running the council £71.52 of your bill goes to running the council at Aberdeen City. Here is how its £23.0m of net spending on it divides in the return. - Corporate and democratic core £31.63 ** 44.2% of this · £10.4m in 2024-25 · £45 per resident; similar councils £22 · up 142.7% on 2023-24 - Non-distributed costs (past pensions, unused assets) £16.30 ** 22.8% of this · £5.4m in 2024-25 · £23 per resident; similar councils £10 · down 32.9% on 2023-24 - Other central services £7.17 ** 10.0% of this · £2.4m in 2024-25 · £10 per resident; similar councils £19 · up 38.0% on 2023-24 - Council tax and rates valuation £5.53 ** 7.7% of this · £1.8m in 2024-25 · £7.92 per resident; similar councils £7.33 · up 9.9% on 2023-24 - Collecting council tax and business rates £4.74 ** 6.6% of this · £1.6m in 2024-25 · £6.79 per resident; similar councils £9.32 · down 36.0% on 2023-24 - Elections and electoral registration £4.52 ** 6.3% of this · £1.5m in 2024-25 · £6.49 per resident; similar councils £2.27 · down 13.6% on 2023-24 - Registering births, deaths and marriages £1.20 ** 1.7% of this · £396k in 2024-25 · £1.72 per resident; similar councils £0.44 · down 33.7% on 2023-24 - Emergency planning £0.43 ** 0.6% of this · £141k in 2024-25 · £0.61 per resident; similar councils £0.47 · up 60.2% on 2023-24 - [Your bill](#d-bill) - [Aberdeen City](#d-council) - Parks, leisure, libraries and culture ### Parks, leisure, libraries and culture £68.37 of your bill goes to parks, leisure, libraries and culture at Aberdeen City. Here is how its £22.0m of net spending on it divides in the return. - Museums, arts, heritage and archives £19.80 ** 29.0% of this · £6.4m in 2024-25 · £28 per resident; similar councils £15 · down 16.1% on 2023-24 - Sport and leisure £17.97 ** 26.3% of this · £5.8m in 2024-25 · £25 per resident; similar councils £42 · down 28.3% on 2023-24 - Parks and open spaces (including play areas) £16.53 ** 24.2% of this · £5.3m in 2024-25 · £23 per resident; similar councils £29 · down 9.9% on 2023-24 - Libraries £12.62 ** 18.5% of this · £4.1m in 2024-25 · £18 per resident; similar councils £15 · down 7.9% on 2023-24 - Tourism £1.46 ** 2.1% of this · £469k in 2024-25 · £2.04 per resident; similar councils £0.96 · down 0.4% on 2023-24 - [Your bill](#d-bill) - [Aberdeen City](#d-council) - Housing (not council homes) ### Housing (not council homes) £44.62 of your bill goes to housing (not council homes) at Aberdeen City. Here is how its £14.3m of net spending on it divides in the return. - Homelessness and temporary accommodation £26.67 ** 59.8% of this · £13.0m in 2024-25 · £56 per resident; similar councils £18 · up 24.9% on 2023-24 - Private sector housing renewal £10.47 ** 23.5% of this · £5.1m in 2024-25 · £22 per resident; similar councils £2.01 · up 294.3% on 2023-24 - Supporting People and welfare services £7.48 ** 16.8% of this · £3.6m in 2024-25 · £16 per resident; similar councils £8.92 · up 26.6% on 2023-24 **Council homes are not in this.** Council housing is paid for through the Housing Revenue Account, from tenants' rents, and the law keeps it separate from the General Fund that council tax goes into. Aberdeen City's Housing Revenue Account took in £109.2m and spent £86.2m in 2024-25. [What council tax does and doesn't pay for](/what-council-tax-pays-for/#ring-fence). - [Your bill](#d-bill) - [Aberdeen City](#d-council) - Planning and development ### Planning and development £24.38 of your bill goes to planning and development at Aberdeen City. Here is how its £7.8m of net spending on it divides in the return. - Economic development and business support £9.07 ** 37.2% of this · £3.0m in 2024-25 · £13 per resident; similar councils £20 · down 25.2% on 2023-24 - Environmental initiatives £7.91 ** 32.4% of this · £2.6m in 2024-25 · £11 per resident; similar councils £0.70 · up 99.8% on 2023-24 - Planning applications (development management) £4.14 ** 17.0% of this · £1.4m in 2024-25 · £5.89 per resident; similar councils £1.19 · down 22.3% on 2023-24 - Planning policy £3.26 ** 13.4% of this · £1.1m in 2024-25 · £4.64 per resident; similar councils £4.15 · down 16.2% on 2023-24 - [Your bill](#d-bill) - [Aberdeen City](#d-council) - Roads and transport ### Roads and transport £11.67 of your bill goes to roads and transport at Aberdeen City. Here is how its £3.7m of net spending on it divides in the return. - Road and bridge maintenance £7.08 ** 60.7% of this · £6.7m in 2024-25 · £29 per resident; similar councils £21 · down 18.0% on 2023-24 - Winter service (gritting) £1.71 ** 14.7% of this · £1.6m in 2024-25 · £7.00 per resident; similar councils £14 · down 11.7% on 2023-24 - Street lighting (including energy) £1.62 ** 13.9% of this · £1.5m in 2024-25 · £6.62 per resident; similar councils £12 · down 41.5% on 2023-24 - Traffic management and road safety £1.05 ** 9.0% of this · £991k in 2024-25 · £4.31 per resident; similar councils £9.07 - Support for bus, rail and other public transport £0.19 ** 1.7% of this · £183k in 2024-25 · £0.80 per resident; similar councils £18 · up 10.2% on 2023-24 ## Parks, street cleaning and roads here What Aberdeen City spent, net of income, on the lines readers ask about most. Roads and street cleaning are also shown per mile of road the council looks after, where it is the highway authority. Gully cleaning and verge cutting are inside routine maintenance; no return splits them out. | Line | Net spending | Per resident | Similar councils, per resident | Per mile of road | Change | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Parks and open spaces (including play areas)Details | £5.3m | £23 | £29 | — | down 9.9% on 2023-24 | | Per resident£23Similar councils, per resident£29Per mile of road—Changedown 9.9% on 2023-24 | | | | | | | Road and bridge maintenanceDetails | £6.7m | £29 | £21 | £10,207 (similar: £2,697) | down 18.0% on 2023-24 | | Per resident£29Similar councils, per resident£21Per mile of road£10,207 (similar: £2,697)Changedown 18.0% on 2023-24 | | | | | | | Winter service (gritting)Details | £1.6m | £7.00 | £14 | £2,471 (similar: £2,516) | down 11.7% on 2023-24 | | Per resident£7.00Similar councils, per resident£14Per mile of road£2,471 (similar: £2,516)Changedown 11.7% on 2023-24 | | | | | | | Street lighting (including energy)Details | £1.5m | £6.62 | £12 | £2,336 (similar: £2,801) | down 41.5% on 2023-24 | | Per resident£6.62Similar councils, per resident£12Per mile of road£2,336 (similar: £2,801)Changedown 41.5% on 2023-24 | | | | | | Miles of road: Department for Transport road lengths, 2025; locally managed major roads and all minor roads. More on [what council tax does and doesn't pay for](/what-council-tax-pays-for/#local-environment). ## What it adds up to | Service | Per resident | Median | | --- | --- | --- | | EducationDetails | £1,168 | £1,454 | | Median£1,454 | | | | Adult social careDetails | £605 | £707 | | Median£707 | | | | Children's social careDetails | £219 | £170 | | Median£170 | | | | Environment and regulationDetails | £139 | £135 | | Median£135 | | | | Running the councilDetails | £100 | £82 | | Median£82 | | | | Parks, leisure, libraries and cultureDetails | £95 | £115 | | Median£115 | | | | Housing (not council homes)Details | £62 | £56 | | Median£56 | | | | Planning and developmentDetails | £34 | £35 | | Median£35 | | | | Roads and transportDetails | £16 | £89 | | Median£89 | | | | Other servicesDetails | £-119.76 | £-0.65 | | Median£-0.65 | | | - Aberdeen City spent **37.0%** of its gross service spending on its own staff in 2024-25 (median for Scottish councils: 42.2%); the rest went on suppliers, contractors, grants, benefits and other running costs. ## What this data does and doesn't show - These are each body's own figures, as reported to government in its revenue outturn return. Net spending is after the fees, charges and grants a service brings in. - Your bill is for 2026-27; it is shared out using the latest published return, which covers an earlier year. The mix of spending changes little from one year to the next, but it does change. - Council tax is not ring-fenced: this shows your bill in proportion to spending, not what your money bought. Where a precept is set aside for adult social care, it is shown against adult social care. - No council publishes spending at street or property level, so nothing here says what was spent near you. - Sub-service lines are the ones the national returns itemise. Councils describe their own budgets differently; their budget books and statements of accounts have more detail. ## Sources - Scottish Government, [Council Tax by Band](https://www.gov.scot/publications/council-tax-datasets/). Open Government Licence v3.0. - Scottish Government, [Scottish Local Government Finance Statistics](https://www.gov.scot/binaries/content/documents/govscot/publications/statistics/2026/02/scottish-local-government-finance-statistics-2024-25/documents/la-level---net-revenue-expenditure-by-subservice/la-level---net-revenue-expenditure-by-subservice/govscot%3Adocument/Scottish%2BLocal%2BGovernment%2BFinance%2BStatistics%2B%2528SLGFS%2529%2B2024-25%2B-%2BLA%2BLevel%2B-%2BNet%2BRevenue%2BExpenditure%2Bby%2BSubservice%2B-%2B2026-01-09.xlsx), published 3 February 2026. Open Government Licence v3.0. How the split is worked out, and how the three nations' returns are matched to one list of services, is on the [methodology page](/methodology/#council-spending). The dataset is on the [data page](/data/#council-spending). See also [council tax in Aberdeen City](/council-tax/scotland/aberdeen-city/) and [everything else about Aberdeen City](/your-area/aberdeen-city/). ## Common questions What does council tax pay for in Aberdeen City? A Band D bill of £1,747.54 is split between Aberdeen City. In proportion to spending, the largest line is education, £836.90.Is council tax ring-fenced for particular services? No. Council tax is pooled with grants, business rates and fees. The adult social care precept is the exception: councils raise it for adult social care. ## Sources for this page | Source | Publisher | Figures as of | Updated | Licence | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | [Council Tax Assumptions: Council Tax by Band](https://www.gov.scot/publications/council-tax-datasets/) | Scottish Government | the 2026–27 financial year | annual | [Open Government Licence v3.0](https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3/) | | [Scottish Local Government Finance Statistics](https://www.gov.scot/binaries/content/documents/govscot/publications/statistics/2026/02/scottish-local-government-finance-statistics-2024-25/documents/la-level---net-revenue-expenditure-by-subservice/la-level---net-revenue-expenditure-by-subservice/govscot%3Adocument/Scottish%2BLocal%2BGovernment%2BFinance%2BStatistics%2B%2528SLGFS%2529%2B2024-25%2B-%2BLA%2BLevel%2B-%2BNet%2BRevenue%2BExpenditure%2Bby%2BSubservice%2B-%2B2026-01-09.xlsx) | Scottish Government | 3 February 2026 | annual | [Open Government Licence v3.0](https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3/) | Each source's figures are used under the licence shown. Our own words, analysis, charts and derived calculations are ours, under [CC BY 4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). ## Related pages - [Next in this section: Parking income in Aberdeen City](https://whereyourmoneygoes.co.uk/parking/aberdeen-city/) - [Back to Aberdeen City: your area](https://whereyourmoneygoes.co.uk/your-area/aberdeen-city/) - [How much is council tax and what does it pay for?](https://whereyourmoneygoes.co.uk/council-tax/) - [Who is my MP, and what does their office cost?](https://whereyourmoneygoes.co.uk/mps/) - [Where does my tax money actually go?](https://whereyourmoneygoes.co.uk/for-every-100-pounds-of-tax/) ## More from this publisher - [UK tax calculators](https://howlongisit.co.uk) Published by [Tekstak Ltd](https://tek-stak.co.uk). Our words, analysis, charts and derived calculations: CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), credit [Tekstak Ltd](https://tek-stak.co.uk). The figures belong to the publishers listed under Sources and are used under their licences. Figures last updated 29 September 2026.