Government Changes to Business Rates

There is new help available to lighten the load of your business rates bill. 

You may be eligible for two schemes to help you with your bill. The new deferral scheme offers the chance to postpone payment of some of your rates bill for this financial year only, and you may also qualify for the Small Business Rates Relief scheme. Details of both these schemes are below. 

2009/10 Business Rates Deferral Scheme 

You may be able to spread the payment of the increase in your 2009/10 business rates bills over a three year period.  The leaflet available to download provides details of the scheme, which is only available for this financial year. If you wish to opt into the scheme, there is also an application form on our website. The form simply asks for your name, the address of the property and its reference number (which can be found on your business rates bill).  Just complete those details, sign the form and return it to the above address.  You do not need to pay anyone to do this for you. 

If your bill has increased as a result of the end of the current transitional relief period, you may be able to defer 60% of this increase in your bill. If you don't qualify for transitional relief, you can still defer 3% of your total 2009/10 bill.

You can apply at any time until 31 March 2010 provided you have some of your bill left to pay. We would encourage you to apply early.  If you have less than 3% left to pay, you can defer your remaining balance.  

The reduction in your payments should be reflected in either your next instalment or, at the latest, in the one following that, depending on when your application is made.  The amount you can defer will not change in either case. 

Small Business Rate Relief 

If you run a small business, further help may be available to pay your bills, with Small Business Rate Relief (SBRR).  This relief supports small businesses who generally occupy only one property.  The relief is available at 50 per cent for eligible properties up to £5,000 rateable value and relief decreases at the rate of around 1 per cent per £100 of rateable value up to 0 per cent at £10,000.  

In order to qualify for the relief you need to meet the following two criteria:

• Generally you can occupy only one property and it must have a rateable value under the threshold for the relief which is £15,000 (or £21,500 in Greater London); but

if you occupy any additional properties, each of the additional properties must have a rateable value of no more than £2,200, and the total rateable value of all of the properties must be less than £15,000 (£21,500 in Greater London).  

To apply for SBRR for the first time, please contact us for an application form.  Further information on SBRR, including the different levels of SBRR, and other rate reliefs are available at:

http://www.businesslink.gov.uk/businessrates

Other Help

You can find further details of help available to businesses during the recession at the Real Help Now website: 

http://www.gov.uk

If you have any further queries regarding any of the above reliefs, or are unsure if you qualify, please call our Response Centre on 01536 534235.

Last Updated:  19/10/2011