Small business rate relief

Your small business could pay less tax if it meets the guidelines for small business rates relief.

These rates and reliefs are set by the government and administered locally by us.

You could get small business rate relief if you:

• Occupy one property with a rateable value of no more than £15,000

• Occupy one main property with an RV below £15,000 and additional smaller properties with RV of less than £2,900 provided the total RV of all properties occupied is less than £20,000

If your properties rateable value of no more than £12,000 you will not be charged for business rates. You will receive a 100% reduction in your bill.

If the rateable value is between £12,001 and £15,000 the relief you receive will slowly reduce as rateable value goes up.

If your main property has a rateable value of more than £15,000 or the total rateable value of all your properties is more than £20,000 you will not be eligible for small business rate relief.

If the rateable value, or total rateable value, increases above these amounts, any relief will stop from the day of the increase.

Additional properties

The Government introduced additional support to small businesses who take on an additional 2nd property. Previously this would have meant the loss of small business rate relief. You will now keep this relief for your main property a period of 12 months.

After 12 months you could still get small business rates relief on your main property if:

• Your other properties have a rateable value less than £2,899 and
• The total rateable value of all your properties is less than £20,000.

Changes you must tell us about

Whether your business is eligible can change along with current circumstances.

If you are receiving small business rate relief then you must tell us if:

• You occupy another property anywhere in England or
• There is a change in the rateable value of any properties you occupy in other areas outside this council.

Tell us about any changes within four weeks. After that time you won't get any money you might have been due from the date of the change up to the date you told us.

Contact our business rates team to tell us about any changes. Our contact details are in the related links at the end of this page.

How to apply

To apply for or cancel small business rates relief please complete and submit our application form

If you meet the guidelines for this relief but do not think it has been applied to your bill please contact our business rates team.

If you still meet the guidelines after a new valuation period, we will continue applying this relief to your bill. You will not need to reapply.

If your small business does not qualify for small business rates relief

If you small business has a rateable value of more than £15,000 but below £51,000 your bill will be calculated using the small business multiplier rather than the standard business rates multiplier. This applies to small businesses that are not entitled to any other types of relief and that are not liable for unoccupied property rates.

Further information

For full details please see the national guidance for small business rates relief at GOV.UK