Martin Lewis has once again spotlighted a money‑saving opportunity for UK households: challenging your council tax band to potentially secure a hefty refund.
He covered what he called “success time” highlights – including a £6,000 tax refund, savings from switching mobile providers, and tech warranty wins – on the latest edition of The Martin Lewis Podcast and also referenced the issue on his ITV Money Show Live.
Thousands of listeners and viewers are being encouraged to check whether they might also be entitled to reclaim overpaid council tax by reviewing their band.
How people are receiving the £6,000 council tax
On the Question Time: “Success Time” special of The Martin Lewis Podcast, Lewis highlighted listeners’ real‑life wins, including someone who secured a council tax refund of roughly £6,000.
He explained multiple listeners have benefited by checking their council tax bands and challenging them where appropriate.
On TV, he brought up a similar success story, quoting a viewer: “After living in my current house and paying band D since 1994, they finally changed it to band C and I received just short of £6,000.”
Council Tax £6,000 refund! £700 saved ditching O2! An iPhone 'ignore the warranty' winner! & more. MY NEW QUESTION TIME PODCAST 'success time' celebration and how you can do it to. Do give it a listenhttps://t.co/tRcr95QlNMhttps://t.co/R4eZdU7v7Ahttps://t.co/RCrSyzobmHDecember 22, 2025
What Martin Lewis says you need to do
Lewis says the first step is comparing your council tax band with your neighbours’, but don’t worry about asking them because you can check this online via GOV.UK for England and Wales, or the Scottish Assessors site if you’re in Scotland.
He explained on his TV show that council tax bands are based on 1991 house prices, so you should then use free valuation tools (such as those on MoneySavingExpert) to check whether your band is appropriate.
If both checks suggest your property is in too high a band, you can contact the Valuation Office Agency to request a reassessment.
Why this matters now
These checks could be particularly timely: MoneySavingExpert estimates hundreds of thousands of households may be in the wrong band and could owe - or be owed - thousands in overpaid tax.
Lewis warns that you should be confident in your evidence before challenging, because council reassessments could theoretically go the other way if poorly supported.
