CIL Process and Payment

Who is liable to pay CIL?

The responsibility to pay the levy defaults to the owner of the land on which the liable development will be situated.

The CIL regulations recognise that others involved in a development may wish to pay. To allow this, anyone can assume liability for the development by submitting a completed 'Assumption of Liability' form (Form 2) prior to the commencement of the development.

If no Form 2 is submitted, or it is submitted after the commencement of the development, a surcharge is applicable and the liability to pay CIL defaults to the owner(s) of the relevant land.

Forms to send if you do have to pay

Once planning permission is granted you will receive a CIL liability notice, which tells you the amount of CIL you have to pay once you start your development. If the chargeable amount is £0 due to an exemption from CIL being granted, you will still receive a liability notice showing a zero balance. If you do not agree with the liability notice see:

After receiving the liability notice, you must complete and submit 'CIL Form 2: Assumption of Liability' and, if applicable, any forms to claim exemption for your development:

Before starting work on your development, including site clearance and/or demolition, you must send us a:

You will lose the option to pay the CIL charge in instalments and you may also incur a surcharge up to a maximum of £2,500 if you:

  • do not submit the commencement notice at least one working day before the date of commencement
  • start your development before we confirm we have received the commencement notice

Please note that this form is different from any similar form required by building control or planning enforcement.

When we receive your commencement notice, we will send you a CIL demand notice, which confirms how much, when and how to pay. See the 'Payment of the CIL charge' section (below) for more details on when the payment will be due.

For more detailed information on the steps undertaken for a CIL liable application, see our:

All completed forms should be emailed to:

For copies of all the CIL Forms see:

Payment of the CIL charge

Payment of the CIL charge is due within 60 days of the commencement of a chargeable development, provided that a valid 'CIL Commencement Notice' (Form 6) is received by the Council at least one day before work commences. If the Council deems work has started before the receipt of a CIL Form 6, then payment of the CIL charge is due in full immediately. Our Instalment Policy for CIL explains which developments may qualify to pay in instalments:

As defined in the Planning Acts, commencement is classed as any material operation that is carried out on the relevant land. This can include erection of a building, demolition of a building, laying of underground pipes or mains, any operations to construct a road / access, digging foundations or any change in the use of the land that is classed as material development. There is nothing in the CIL Regulations which requires the commencement to be intentional.

A demand notice will be issued to all liable parties after receiving a commencement notice, or after the development is deemed to have commenced. The notice will set out precise details of payment arrangements.

In exceptional circumstances, the CIL Regulations allow the Council to accept full or part payment through the provision of land or infrastructure. This is subject to a number of conditions detailed in the Payment in Kind policy:

CIL COVID Guidance

The government put in place a number of financial measures to help businesses during the COVID-19 outbreak. However, it is recognised that smaller developers may need more help.

The guidance document below explains the steps that CIL collecting authorities (including Worthing Borough Council) were able to consider implementing to ease the financial burden on developers.

This guidance came into effect when the Community Infrastructure Levy (Coronavirus) (Amendment) (England) Regulations 2020 came into force (22nd July 2020) and remained in place until 31st July 2021. The measures only apply to CIL payments that were payable on or after the date the instrument comes into force (22nd July 2020) until 31st July 2021.

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Page last updated: 13 September 2022

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