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Council tax in Highland
Last updated . Figures refresh every night. How each figure is worked out.
Council tax in Highland for 2026-27 is £1,634 a year for a Band D home, £1,089 for Band A and £4,003 for the top band. That is £19 below the Scotland average of £1,653. It ranks 21 of 32 billing areas in Scotland. Figures are the council's own set rates.
Figures for the 2026–27 financial year. Source: Scottish Government.
Key figures
- £1,634Band D a year, 2026-27 up on a year earlier: +£107 (+7.0%) vs 2025-26
- £1,089Band A, the lowest
- −£19Band D against the Scotland average of £1,653 Below average
- 21 of 32Rank in Scotland, highest first
Source: Scottish Government.
What is the bill for each band?
| Band | A year | A month |
|---|---|---|
Band ADetails for Band A | £1,089.33 | £90.78 |
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Band BDetails for Band B | £1,270.88 | £105.91 |
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Band CDetails for Band C | £1,452.44 | £121.04 |
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Band DDetails for Band D | £1,633.99 | £136.17 |
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Band EDetails for Band E | £2,146.88 | £178.91 |
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Band FDetails for Band F | £2,655.23 | £221.27 |
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Band GDetails for Band G | £3,199.90 | £266.66 |
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Band HDetails for Band H | £4,003.28 | £333.61 |
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Who gets the money?
In Scotland the whole bill goes to the council. Police and fire have been funded centrally since 2013, so there is no police or fire precept. Water and sewerage charges appear on the same bill but belong to Scottish Water and are not council tax.
How does it compare?
Band D here is £19 below the Scotland average, 21 of 32 councils from the highest.
How does Highland compare? The report card
Official figures on complaints, finances, audit, pay and services for Highland, each from the body that published it and set against the figure for Scotland. See every council on the council map.
- Council tax rise this year7.0%Lower than the Scotland figure of 7.1%
- Council tax per head£700Higher than the Scotland figure of £638
- Reserves as a share of net spending17%Higher than the Scotland figure of 16%
- Recycling rate42.5%Lower than the Scotland figure of 44.3%
- Planning decisions on time49.0%Lower than the Scotland figure of 62.9%
Each figure is set against the figure for Scotland as a whole. They are plain comparisons, one measure at a time: there is no overall score and no ranking of councils. Higher is not always better or worse; what each measure does and does not show is on the methodology page.
What do complaints to the ombudsman show?
| Measure | Highland | For comparison |
|---|---|---|
Complaints receivedDetails for Complaints received | 108 | — |
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Complaints determinedDetails for Complaints determined | 99 | — |
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InvestigationsDetails for Investigations | 0 | — |
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Investigations fully or partly upheldDetails for Investigations fully or partly upheld | 0 | 61% of investigations across Scottish councils |
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Source: Scottish Public Services Ombudsman, SPSO annual statistics: complaints by authority, 2025-26.
How healthy are its finances?
| Measure | Highland | For comparison |
|---|---|---|
Net revenue spending, 2024-25Details for Net revenue spending, 2024-25 | £714.1m | — |
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Reserves at the end of 2024-25Details for Reserves at the end of 2024-25 | £120.7m | — |
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Reserves as a share of net spendingDetails for Reserves as a share of net spending | 17% | 16% for Scotland |
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Outstanding borrowing at 30 June 2026Details for Outstanding borrowing at 30 June 2026 | £1.43bn | — |
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General fund reserves (including amounts earmarked within it) at 31 March, as a share of general fund net revenue expenditure. Much of any council’s reserves is set aside for particular purposes. Borrowing is total outstanding loans of every kind; councils borrow mainly to pay for buildings, roads and housing, and the figure does not show what the borrowing was for.
Source: Scottish Government, Scottish Local Government Finance Statistics, 2024-25; Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, Local authority borrowing and investment live table, 30 June 2026.
What have the auditors said?
| Report | Title | Published |
|---|---|---|
| Latest Best Value report (Accounts Commission) | Best Value: The Highland Council | 24 April 2025 |
| Latest annual audit report (Audit Scotland) | Highland Council annual audit 2024/25 | 10 December 2025 |
The Accounts Commission reports on each council’s Best Value duty in a rolling programme, so the date of the latest report differs from council to council. Follow each link for the findings in full.
Source: Accounts Commission and Audit Scotland, Best Value and annual audit reports, latest report. Checked 22 September 2026.
What are senior staff and councillors paid?
| Measure | 2025-26 | 2024-25 |
|---|---|---|
Employees paid £50,000 or moreDetails for Employees paid £50,000 or more | 2,052 | 1,307 |
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Councillors’ allowancesDetails for Councillors’ allowances | £2,207,000 | £1,830,000 |
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The count is up 745 on the year before. Table 4 'General Disclosure by Pay Band': 'The number of Highland Council employees who received remuneration of £50,000 or more during the year ... If there are no employees within a band, the band is omitted'. 2024/25 restated. No total row is printed (our sums: 2,052 for 2025/26; 1,308 for 2024/25). The table does not say whether teachers or senior employees are included. Dashes recorded as 0. The accounts describe the allowances figure as “Members' Allowances and Expenses: Remuneration 2,072 (2024/25 1,698); Travel and subsistence 125 (122); All other expenses 10 (10); Total 2,207 (1,830) £000”. These are draft accounts and may change at audit. Thresholds are not adjusted for inflation, so more staff cross them each year as pay rises.
Source: Highland, The Highland Council Annual Accounts 2025/26 (unaudited), PDF page 44 (printed page 43), Remuneration report Table 4. Checked 24 September 2026.
How are its services rated?
| Measure | Highland | For comparison |
|---|---|---|
Household waste recycled, calendar year, 2024Details for Household waste recycled, calendar year, 2024 | 42.5% | 44.3% for Scotland |
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Planning decisions on time, 2024-25Details for Planning decisions on time, 2024-25 | 49.0% | 62.9% for Scotland |
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Inspections happen at different times, so a rating can be several years old; the date is shown with each. Planning figures are measured differently in each nation: share of local applications decided within two months, without processing agreements. Recycling rates are measured differently in England, Scotland and Wales, so compare within a nation.
Source: Scottish Environment Protection Agency, Household waste data, 2024; Scottish Government, Planning applications statistics, 2024-25.
What has happened recently?
Decisions and publications by official bodies about Highland, newest first. Each links to the body that made or published it. News reports are not included.
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Council tax
Scottish Government
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Audit
Audit Scotland
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Audit
Accounts Commission
Does the council think something here is wrong?
If you represent Highland and think a figure here is wrong, out of date or unfairly presented, email hello@whereyourmoneygoes.co.uk with this page’s address and the source you would point to. Every correction is logged, with its date, on the corrections page.
Where can I find out more?
What council tax is and why it works this way, including why the bands are still based on 1991 property values in England and Scotland, and how every area compares, everything else on Highland: parking, roads, your MP and local services, and Highland on the council map.
Common questions
- How much is council tax in Highland?
- Band D is £1,634 a year for 2026-27. Band A is £1,089 and the top band £4,003.
- Is council tax in Highland higher than average?
- No. Band D here is £19 below the Scotland average of £1,653.
Sources for this page
| Source | Publisher | Figures as of | Updated | Licence |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Council Tax Assumptions: Council Tax by Band | Scottish Government | the 2026–27 financial year | annual | Open Government Licence v3.0 |
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.