Council Tax, rates and benefits systems improvements

We have upgraded our Council Tax, business rates and Housing Benefits systems.

We have launched a new Council Tax, business rates and Housing Benefits system making it quicker, easier and more convenient.

To complete this significant upgrade, we had to shut down our previous systems for several weeks, and our teams couldn’t process any requests received in that time.

We are now working through this backlog of requests as quickly as we can, in date order.  

If you made an application/ request using our online forms in May and June, please be assured we have received it, and we’re working hard to process it for you. Please don’t send us chaser emails or make a duplicate application as this will lead to further delays.  

If you are experiencing extreme hardship or are at risk of eviction, contact us straight away.

Sign up for our new customer portal

If you have received your new reference number via letter or email, you can sign-up for our new customer portal.  In direct debit emails and letters, your new account reference number is referred to as the ‘new originator reference’. Every Council Tax, business rates and Housing Benefit customer will receive their new reference number by the next annual billing cycle.

Use this service to:

  • make service requests with our new online forms
  • sign up for electronic billing so that you can view all correspondence from the council in a secure portal
  • change the payment details we use to request your payments and the date on which they are taken
  • view your instalments, when they are due and that you are up to date with payments
  • update your contact details
  • add notes to your account for our team to pick up

Sign up for our new customer portal

Watch our how-to video about registering for the customer portal:


Information for landlords

We are also building a new online portal for landlords. This will help landlords manage their tenant's benefits payments securely and easily online.

Sign up for our new online benefits system for landlords

What is new?

We have introduced a new secure website for North Yorkshire revenues and benefits customers and landlords, called the Citizens’ Access Portal. This portal replaces any previous online revenue and benefits systems with improved self-service features for all our customers.

We have updated our web pages to make it easier for you to find the information you need.

We have updated our online forms so all customers can access the same online service.  

Your new Council Tax reference number

As part of the system upgrade, every Council Tax, business rates and Housing Benefit customer has been given a new account reference number.

We have written or emailed to council tax and business rates customers who pay by Direct Debit to advise that the referencing information associated with their Direct Debit instruction will be changing. This notification is a statutory requirement and will not affect collection of Direct Debit payments which will continue to be taken as arranged. In Direct Debit emails and letters, your new account reference number is referred to as the ‘new originator reference’.

New Housing Benefit reference numbers will be found on correspondence issued from July 2025 onwards.