Business rate relief and reductions

Small business rate relief

Ratepayers who occupy a property with a rateable value which does not exceed £50,999 (and who are not entitled to other mandatory relief or are liable for unoccupied property rates) will have their bills calculated using the lower small business non-domestic rating multiplier, rather than the national non-domestic rating multiplier.

Who can apply for small business rate relief?

Eligible businesses with a sole or main property that is shown on the rating list with a value that does not exceed £15,000, will receive a percentage reduction in their rates bill for this property of up to a maximum of 100 percent. For a property with a rateable value of not more than £12,000, they will receive a 100 percent reduction in their rates bill.

Criteria for relief

This percentage reduction (relief) is only available to ratepayers who occupy either:

(a) One property, or

(b) One main property and other additional properties providing those additional properties each have a rateable value, which does not exceed £2,899.

The rateable value of the property mentioned in (a), or the aggregate rateable value of all the properties mentioned in (b), must not exceed £19,999 outside London or £27,999 in London on each day for which relief is being sought. If the rateable value, or aggregate rateable value, increases above those levels, relief will cease from the day of the increase.

Changes to small business rate relief from 1 April 2017

As from 1 April 2017 eligible businesses with a sole or main property that is shown on the rating list with a value that does not exceed £15,000, will receive a percentage reduction in their rates bill for this property of up to a maximum of 100 percent. For a property with a rateable value of not more than £12,000, they will receive a 100 percent reduction in their rates bill.

How to apply

• To apply for small business rate relief from 1 April 2017 use our online small business rate relief application form