What this means
We are continuing to upgrade our system for Council Tax, Benefits and Business Rates. We are merging our legacy district services into one.
This downtime may temporarily increase the amount of outstanding work, as the service continues to move from older systems to the new one.
We have a plan to manage this and will work quickly to reduce the backlog and minimise any impact on the Council and residents.
What you can do during this time
Online Forms
You can still submit benefit claims or report changes in circumstances regarding your benefits during this time. All other online forms will be unavailable until the system is back up and running.
The customer portal, where you can view your Council Tax account, will also be unavailable during this period.
Customer Services
From 5pm on 25 June 2026,Customer Services will not be able to process changes or claims. But, they will still be available to give advice.
Housing Benefit customers
Payments will continue as normal during this time. We do not expect any disruption to benefit payments.
Online and phone payments
You can continue to make payments online and through the automated phone service as usual.
Direct Debits
Direct Debits will continue as normal. Customers in the South may receive a notification from their bank about a change to the Service User Number. Payments will now show as Somerset Council.
Barcodes on your Council Tax Bill
You can continue using your barcode on the back of your bill to pay at any Post Office or Pay Point location.
We will keep this page updated with the latest information.