Band D in unparished Solihull is £2,172.96, up 5.21%. Every band A to H, the council, police and fire split, all 16 parish charges, and the discounts.
Solihull Council keeps £1,843.27 of a band D council tax bill. The bill in the unparished part of the borough is £2,172.96. The difference is money the council collects for other people: £244.50 for the West Midlands Police and Crime Commissioner and £85.19 for the West Midlands Fire and Rescue Authority.
Live in one of the borough’s 16 parished areas and you pay more on top, from £34.79 in Kingshurst to £107.96 in Castle Bromwich.
Below is the full band A to H table, the three-way split behind it, what every parish adds, and the discounts that change what you personally owe. The figures come from Solihull’s own Revenue Strategy and council tax leaflet, and the parish totals reconcile exactly with the council’s online calculator.
The quick answer
- Band D, unparished Solihull: £2,172.96 for 2026/27.
- That is £107.61 more than last year, a rise of 5.21 per cent.
- Band A pays £1,448.64. Band H pays £4,345.92, exactly triple band A.
- Solihull’s own share rose 4.99 per cent. The police precept rose 6.54 per cent and the fire precept 6.24 per cent.
- Your parish decides the rest. Castle Bromwich pays £2,280.92 at band D, £107.96 more than the town.
- Check your band free at the Valuation Office Agency. Never pay for this.
Every band in Solihull, 2026/27
This is the table the council buries in a PDF. It excludes parish precepts, so it applies directly if you live in the unparished area, which is most of Solihull town itself.
| Band | Solihull Council | Police | Fire | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| A | £1,228.85 | £163.00 | £56.79 | £1,448.64 |
| B | £1,433.65 | £190.17 | £66.26 | £1,690.08 |
| C | £1,638.46 | £217.33 | £75.73 | £1,931.52 |
| D | £1,843.27 | £244.50 | £85.19 | £2,172.96 |
| E | £2,252.89 | £298.83 | £104.12 | £2,655.84 |
| F | £2,662.50 | £353.17 | £123.05 | £3,138.72 |
| G | £3,072.12 | £407.50 | £141.99 | £3,621.61 |
| H | £3,686.54 | £489.00 | £170.38 | £4,345.92 |
Source: Solihull Council Revenue Strategy 2026/27 to 2028/29, paragraph 4.5, cross-checked against the council’s council tax calculator.
The gaps between bands are fixed in law, not set locally. Band A is six ninths of band D and band H is double it, which is why the percentage rise is identical in every row.
What went up, and by how much
| 2025/26 | 2026/27 | Increase | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Solihull Council | £1,755.66 | £1,843.27 | 4.99% |
| West Midlands Police and Crime Commissioner | £229.50 | £244.50 | 6.54% |
| West Midlands Fire and Rescue Authority | £80.19 | £85.19 | 6.24% |
| Total at band D | £2,065.35 | £2,172.96 | 5.21% |
Source: Solihull Council Tax leaflet 2026/27, page 4.
Three things are worth pulling out of that table.
The council’s own 4.99 per cent is not one decision but two. It is 2.99 per cent general council tax plus a 2.00 per cent adult social care precept, which together sit just under the level that would force a referendum.
The two precepting authorities both rose faster than the council did. Police and fire between them account for £20.00 of the £107.61 increase, a fifth of it, despite making up only 15 per cent of the bill.
And the total is 5.21 per cent, above the 4.99 per cent headline most coverage quotes, because the police and fire rises are averaged in.
Behind the numbers: the council’s tax base is 80,829 band D equivalent properties, its council tax requirement is £148.990 million, and its total revenue budget for 2026/27 is £244.357 million.
What every parish adds
Sixteen parish and town councils levy their own precept on top. Solihull town itself is unparished and pays nothing extra.
| Parish | 2025/26 at band D | 2026/27 at band D | Change | Total band D bill |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kingshurst | £32.02 | £34.79 | +8.6% | £2,207.75 |
| Berkswell | £35.24 | £37.00 | +5.0% | £2,209.96 |
| Hampton-in-Arden | £35.87 | £37.66 | +5.0% | £2,210.62 |
| Cheswick Green | £36.00 | £43.00 | +19.4% | £2,215.96 |
| Dickens Heath | £42.47 | £44.60 | +5.0% | £2,217.56 |
| Chadwick End | £47.70 | £48.41 | +1.5% | £2,221.37 |
| Balsall | £39.48 | £50.26 | +27.3% | £2,223.22 |
| Tidbury Green | £43.15 | £53.53 | +24.1% | £2,226.49 |
| Fordbridge | £52.22 | £55.37 | +6.0% | £2,228.33 |
| Smith’s Wood | £56.74 | £62.22 | +9.7% | £2,235.18 |
| Meriden | £55.12 | £63.39 | +15.0% | £2,236.35 |
| Barston | £52.48 | £65.22 | +24.3% | £2,238.18 |
| Bickenhill & Marston Green | £87.28 | £92.01 | +5.4% | £2,264.97 |
| Hockley Heath | £81.21 | £96.98 | +19.4% | £2,269.94 |
| Chelmsley Wood | £99.67 | £103.32 | +3.7% | £2,276.28 |
| Castle Bromwich | £102.95 | £107.96 | +4.9% | £2,280.92 |
Parish charges from the Solihull Council Tax leaflet 2026/27, page 5. Total bills confirmed one by one against the council’s calculator.
Balsall Parish Council put its band D charge up 27.3 per cent, the steepest rise in the borough, taking its precept from £113,495 to £145,000. Barston is up 24.3 per cent and Tidbury Green 24.1 per cent, though both are small councils where a modest cash increase moves the percentage a long way: Barston’s whole precept is £24,000.
A parish precept is not capped by the referendum rules that bind the council, so these rises need no vote.
Across the borough, parish precepts total £1,963,717 for 2026/27, up from £1,811,140.
Castle Bromwich is the most expensive place to live in Solihull at band D, at £2,280.92. That is £107.96 more than the town centre, and £73.17 more than Kingshurst, the cheapest parished area.
How to check your band, and how to challenge it
Your band is on the front of your bill. You can also look it up free on the Valuation Office Agency’s band search. No council, and no company, should ever charge you for that check.
Bands are still based on what a property was worth on 1 April 1991, not today. If you think yours is wrong, the challenge goes to the VOA, not to Solihull Council, through the VOA’s contact page.
A separate route exists if you think the bill is wrong rather than the band. Contact the council first, and if you are not satisfied you can appeal to the Valuation Tribunal.
Discounts and reductions
Single person discount: 25 per cent. If you are the only adult in the house, apply through your council tax account. There is a sting on the way out. If someone moves in, or a child in the house turns 18, and you do not tell the council within 21 days, a £70 penalty is added to your account.
Disregarded people. Some adults are not counted at all. If two adults live in a property and one is disregarded, the bill drops 25 per cent. If everyone is disregarded, it drops 50 per cent. The list includes full time students, student nurses, apprentices, 18 and 19 year olds still attracting child benefit, people who are severely mentally impaired, certain carers, and people in hospital, prison or a care home.
Council Tax Reduction. Up to 100 per cent off if you are state pension age, and up to 85 per cent if you are working age. You cannot claim with more than £16,000 in savings, unless you receive Pension Credit Guarantee Credit. Apply through the council’s council tax reduction page, which also links a free benefits calculator.
Care leavers pay nothing. Solihull gives a 100 per cent discount to its own care leavers under 25, and applies it automatically. You do not need to claim. If it is missing from your bill, call 0121 704 8100.
Annexes occupied by an elderly or disabled relative are exempt. Other annexes used by the family of the main household get 50 per cent off.
Empty homes and second homes
Solihull charges the full amount on an empty, unfurnished property from the day the furniture goes out, and then adds a premium the longer it stands empty (Solihull Council, empty properties).
| How long empty | Charge |
|---|---|
| Up to 1 year | 100% |
| 1 to 5 years | 200% |
| 5 to 10 years | 300% |
| More than 10 years | 400% |
Second homes and furnished empty properties pay the full charge, with no discount at all.
Two details matter here. A period of occupation of six weeks or less is ignored when the council works out how long a property has been empty, so moving someone in briefly does not reset the clock. And the premium, not the basic charge, can be waived in three cases: a home actively marketed for sale, one actively marketed to let, or one undergoing major structural repairs, each for up to 12 months. The council is strict about the third: it means the roof and supporting walls, not a new kitchen or rewiring.
Where probate has recently been granted, a 12-month exception applies automatically from the date of probate.
Paying, and what happens if you do not
Instalment dates are printed on the front of the bill. Direct debit continues automatically year to year unless you cancel it with your bank.
Miss an instalment and the council issues a reminder. Ignore that and the whole year’s balance becomes due at once. After a summons and a liability order, the council can take money from your wages or benefits, place a charging order on your home, or send enforcement agents, whose costs the council warns could exceed £420.
If you are struggling, ask before that starts. The council has a problems paying page and a discretionary reduction for severe financial hardship.
Council tax enquiries: council.tax@solihull.gov.uk or 0121 704 8100.
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