The 2026/27 Horsham council tax bands A to H, what each band costs, how the bill splits between West Sussex, Sussex Police and the district, and discounts.
The Horsham council tax bands for 2026/27 were set by Horsham District Council on 23 February 2026, and they run from £1,605.48 at Band A to £4,816.44 at Band H for a home in Horsham town. What surprises most people is where the money goes: the district council that sends you the bill and empties your bins keeps only about 7.4 pence in every pound. This guide sets out the charge for every band, shows exactly how the bill divides between four organisations, explains why your parish changes the figure, and covers the discounts most often missed. Every number below comes from the council’s own published schedule or the precepting authority that set it.
The quick answer
A Band D home in Horsham town pays £2,408.22 for 2026/27. Across the district the Band D figure runs from £2,370.61 in Colgate to £2,531.54 in Steyning, because every parish adds its own precept. A Band A home pays two thirds of the Band D charge and a Band H home pays double it. All the figures come from the council tax bands and charges 2026/27 public notice.
Horsham council tax bands for 2026/27
The table below uses Horsham town as the example, because it covers the largest number of households in the district.
| Band | 1991 property value | Annual charge |
|---|---|---|
| A | Up to £40,000 | £1,605.48 |
| B | £40,001 to £52,000 | £1,873.06 |
| C | £52,001 to £68,000 | £2,140.64 |
| D | £68,001 to £88,000 | £2,408.22 |
| E | £88,001 to £120,000 | £2,943.38 |
| F | £120,001 to £160,000 | £3,478.53 |
| G | £160,001 to £320,000 | £4,013.70 |
| H | More than £320,000 | £4,816.44 |
Bands are not based on what your house is worth now. They are based on what it would have sold for on 1 April 1991, a date that has never been revalued since council tax began in 1993, which is why the band can look out of step with the current market. The ratios between bands are fixed in law and identical everywhere in England: Band A always pays six ninths of Band D, Band H always pays eighteen ninths, or double.
What it means for you: the £802.74 step between Band G and Band H is more than four times the £267.58 step between Band A and Band B. Moving up a band at the top of the scale costs far more than it does at the bottom, which is why a successful band challenge is worth more to a larger home.
Where your Horsham council tax actually goes
Horsham District Council collects the whole bill but keeps only a small slice of it. Here is the breakdown for a Band D home in Horsham town in 2026/27.
| Where it goes | Band D charge | Change on last year |
|---|---|---|
| West Sussex County Council | £1,890.36 | up 4.99% |
| Sussex Police and Crime Commissioner | £281.91 | up £15.00 |
| Horsham District Council | £180.10 | up £5.15, or 2.94% |
| Horsham town special charge | £40.59 | no increase |
| Horsham Town Council precept | £15.26 | new for 2026/27 |
| Total | £2,408.22 |
Across the district as a whole, the council puts the split at 77.4% to West Sussex County Council, 11.6% to the Sussex Police and Crime Commissioner, 7.4% to Horsham District Council and 3.6% to parishes (what does my council tax pay for).
West Sussex County Council takes by far the largest share and raised its part by 4.99%, about £1.73 a week for a Band D household. It pays for adult social care, children’s services and education, fire and rescue, roads, libraries and registrars. Note that unlike Kent, West Sussex has no separate fire precept: the fire service sits inside the county charge (WSCC budget and council tax charges).
The Sussex Police and Crime Commissioner precept rose by the maximum £15 a year at Band D, to £281.91, agreed by the Sussex Police and Crime Panel on 30 January 2026 and approved by the Commissioner on 9 February 2026 (Sussex PCC budget and council tax 2026/27).
Horsham District Council itself charges £180.10 at Band D, which the council describes as £3.46 a week for bins and recycling, parks, leisure, planning, housing support, parking and environmental health. It raised that by £5.15, or 2.94%, against a referendum threshold of the higher of 2.99% or £5, and says its council tax is the lowest in Sussex and in the bottom quartile of district councils nationally (2026-27 Budget Book). Council tax makes up 22% of the council’s income, against a total 2026/27 budget of £55.1 million.
The last two lines are specific to Horsham town, which is an unparished area: instead of a parish council it has a special charge of £40.59 covering services a parish would normally fund. For 2026/27 a Horsham Town Council precept of £15.26 was introduced, and the special charge was held flat to offset it.
Why your parish changes the figure
Every parish sets its own precept, so two identical Band D homes a few miles apart can have different bills. Here is the Band D charge for the district’s main settlements and the extremes of the range.
| Parish or area | Band D charge |
|---|---|
| Colgate (lowest in district) | £2,370.61 |
| Wiston | £2,392.83 |
| North Horsham | £2,398.11 |
| Horsham town | £2,408.22 |
| Storrington and Sullington | £2,464.82 |
| Pulborough | £2,472.63 |
| Billingshurst | £2,474.98 |
| Southwater | £2,493.68 |
| Henfield | £2,499.62 |
| Steyning (highest in district) | £2,531.54 |
What it means for you: the whole spread across the district is about £161 a year at Band D, roughly 6.7% of the bill. Your band matters far more than your parish, and the county and police precepts, which are identical everywhere in West Sussex, matter more than both.
What local government reorganisation means for your bill
The council that sets and collects this bill is due to disappear. Under the government’s local government reorganisation programme, Horsham District Council and West Sussex County Council would both cease to exist and be replaced by a new unitary authority, likely elected in May 2027 and starting on 1 April 2028 (local government reorganisation).
Which areas that unitary covers is not yet settled. Horsham District Council’s own preference, shared with the other district and borough councils, is a council combining Horsham, Crawley and Mid Sussex. The second government consultation, which closed on 15 June 2026, put a larger version on the table adding Chichester District, at around 566,000 residents. On 16 July 2026 the government confirmed the decision had been delayed again, to an expected date of October 2026.
Nothing published so far says what happens to the amount. The West Sussex districts charge different council tax and reorganisations elsewhere have brought bills into line over several years. Until then the 2026/27 charges on this page stand unchanged.
Discounts, exemptions and premiums
A good number of households pay more than they need to. The main reductions in Horsham are:
- Single person discount of 25%, if you are the only adult aged 18 or over living in the property as your sole or main residence. At Band D in Horsham town that is worth about £602 a year.
- Disabled band reduction. If a disabled person lives in the home and it has a qualifying feature, such as an extra room used for their needs, a second adapted bathroom or kitchen, or enough floor space for indoor wheelchair use, the bill is charged one band lower. A Band A property gets a reduction rather than a lower band.
- People who are disregarded. Full time students, student nurses, apprentices, youth training trainees, carers providing at least 35 hours a week, members of religious communities, people in legal detention, hospital and care home residents, and people who are severely mentally impaired are not counted when working out how many adults live in the home. Where everyone in the property qualifies, the property can be exempt.
- Family annexe discount, where an annexe with its own band is occupied by a family member.
- Council Tax Support, a reduction in the bill itself for people on a low income or certain benefits, which is separate from the discounts above.
The full list, with application forms for each, is on the council’s Council Tax Support, discounts, exemptions and premiums page.
The premiums run the other way and are steep. Second homes pay 100% plus an additional 100% premium, effectively double. Empty and unfurnished homes get no discount at all, and then carry a rising premium: an extra 100% after a year, 200% after five years and 300% after ten.
How to check or challenge your band
Bands are set by the Valuation Office Agency, not by Horsham District Council, so a band challenge goes to the VOA while a billing question goes to the council.
Check your band free on the GOV.UK band checker, which also shows your neighbours’ bands. If similar homes in your street sit in a lower band, that is the strongest evidence you have a case. Then use the VOA challenge service. You do not need to pay a company to do this.
You can ask for a review as of right if you have been the taxpayer for less than six months or your band changed in the last six months. Outside that window you can still ask, but you need strong supporting evidence. A review can lower your band, leave it alone, or in rare cases raise it, so gather the comparisons first (council tax bands, charges and completion notices).
Frequently asked questions
How much is council tax in Horsham for 2026/27?
For a home in Horsham town: Band A £1,605.48, Band B £1,873.06, Band C £2,140.64, Band D £2,408.22, Band E £2,943.38, Band F £3,478.53, Band G £4,013.70 and Band H £4,816.44. Other parishes differ by their own precept.
What is the Band D council tax in Horsham?
£2,408.22 a year in Horsham town. Across the district Band D ranges from £2,370.61 in Colgate to £2,531.54 in Steyning.
Where does my Horsham council tax go?
About 77.4% goes to West Sussex County Council, 11.6% to the Sussex Police and Crime Commissioner, 7.4% to Horsham District Council and 3.6% to parishes. At Band D in Horsham town that is £1,890.36 to the county, £281.91 to policing, £180.10 to the district, plus £40.59 special charge and £15.26 town council precept.
Is there a separate fire precept in Horsham?
No. West Sussex Fire and Rescue Service is run by West Sussex County Council and is funded from the county council’s share of the bill, so it does not appear as its own line the way fire precepts do in Kent and East Sussex.
How do I check what council tax band my house is in?
Search your postcode on the GOV.UK council tax band checker. It is free and also shows your neighbours’ bands, which is the evidence you need if you want to challenge yours.
Can I get a discount on my Horsham council tax?
Yes. If you are the only adult in the home you get 25% off. Discounts and exemptions also exist for students, apprentices, carers, people who are severely mentally impaired, hospital and care home residents and adapted homes occupied by a disabled person, and Council Tax Support is available on a low income.
Sources
- Horsham District Council, council tax bands and charges 2026/27 public notice (all bands, all parishes)
- Horsham District Council, 2026-27 Budget Book, for the £180.10 district Band D charge and the £40.59 special charge
- Horsham District Council, what does my council tax pay for
- Horsham District Council, council tax bands, charges and completion notices and discounts, exemptions and premiums
- West Sussex County Council, our budget and council tax charges, for the £1,890.36 Band D county charge
- Sussex Police and Crime Commissioner, budget and council tax 2026/27, for the £281.91 Band D precept
- Horsham District Council, local government reorganisation
- Valuation Office Agency and GOV.UK, how council tax bands are assessed, check your band and challenge your band
Figures are the 2026/27 charges set by Horsham District Council on 23 February 2026 and were checked against the council’s own published notice on 4 August 2026. Our guide to bin collection days covers the district services this bill pays for.
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