A Money Saving Expert investigation has revealed that more than 862,000 UK households could be due a refund for overpaid Council Tax.
MSE figures show a huge £150.2 million sits unclaimed, worth an average of £174 per account. Almost £13 million of the unclaimed cash is owed to households in the north west of England.
MSE said: "There are a number of reasons why households may be owed cash from their council, but the main one is when a householder has moved out of the area but had already paid the bill upfront".
READ MORE: HMRC taxpayers given £1,382 warning over their incomes
You may still be owed if you haven't moved, so it could be worth checking. Most councils will allow people to claim as far back as 1993.
Gareth Shaw, deputy editor at MoneySavingExpert.com, said: "While many councils do make an effort to track down those who have cash lying unclaimed, they are still staggeringly sitting on £150 million worth of overpayments.
"You're less likely to have overpaid if you use direct debit, but it's not impossible, so if you've moved home it's worth checking if you might be due – especially if you changed local authority area and paid by cash, cheque or standing order instead. Each council has its own way of processing claims, but some have an easy online form.
"But don't just call on the off chance you might be due – do a little bit of digging so you don't clog up councils' switchboards for those who need essential and urgent support. Check your previous statements and bills to see if council tax you paid upfront covers a period after you moved and if you closed your account in credit."
For more information, you can read the full MSE article here
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