Online Payments
Your Questions Answered
Q1 : What can I pay on-line?
At the moment the service is limited to Council Tax. However it is planned that this will be extended to cover a broad range of Council services.
Q2 : Which reference number do I use?
Council Tax: The reference number you need is your Customer Account Number from your Council Tax Demand Notice. It is a 13 digit number, starting with 75. If you have any problems, please email us at counciltax@cnes.gov.uk.
Q3 : Why can't I pay other things?
We are starting with Council Tax as it equates to the largest percentage of payment volume. We will be adding more items in the future and if you want to let us know what you think would be most useful, please fill in our feedback form.
Q4 : Is it safe?
We have teamed up with WorldPay to bring this service to you. WorldPay, a leading Internet payment company and part of the Royal Bank of Scotland group provides the secure site for taking your payment details. Go to Is It Safe for more details.
Q5 : Which address should I put in if I don't live in the Western Isles?
Please enter details for the address to which the bill refers, which will be an address in the Western Isles.
Q6 : How else can I pay?
You can still choose to pay your bills in any of the usual ways, e.g., How can I pay my Council Tax?
Q7 : Which cards do you take?
We accept all major debit and credit cards.
Q8 : Can I get a receipt?
WorldPay will automatically send you a receipt when your transaction has completed successfully. You can also print off a copy of the confirmation page at the end of your transaction if you want a paper record.
Q9 : What if my card is refused?
There are many reasons why this may happen. If it does, you should contact your own bank immediately.
Q10: Why on-line payments?
The Council is committed to modernising its services and giving you a range of payment options - on-line payments is part of this.
Q11: What if I experience problems?
Help is available throughout the system, but if you run into difficulties, please let us know at counciltax@cnes.gov.uk. We will get back to you within 3 working days
Q12: How quickly will you process my payment?
At the end of each day, WorldPay will let the Council know about the payments they have received. We will then process these payments on your account within one working day. This means in effect that your account will be updated within two working days of you making payment on-line.
Q13: Can I check my balance on-line?
Not at the moment. We hope to develop on-line services in the future that will allow you to do this. As soon as this service is available, we will let you know through our Website.
Q14: Do you keep my card details?
Not at all. We have teamed up with WorldPay to bring this service to you. WorldPay, a leading Internet payment provider and part of the Royal Bank of Scotland group is providing the secure site for taking your payment details. This means that at no time are your debit card details known to or stored by the Council.
