How business rates are calculated and collected is explained below and further information can be found on the government website.
There is also a range of reliefs and discounts your business may be eligible to apply for to reduce your business rates liability, these are detailed on our bill reduction page.
Calculating your business rates bill using a multiplier
Your business rates bill is worked out by multiplying your property’s rateable value by the non-domestic multiplier.
The government sets the multiplier each financial year. From April 2026, the system is changing; there will be five different multipliers, instead of the previous two. These new multipliers will take into account both business type and property value, making the system fairer, more proportionate, and better aligned with current market conditions.
You can find the specific multiplier used to calculate your bill on the front of your 2026/2027 Business Rates bill.
Multipliers explained
Payment of business rate bills is automatically set on a ten-monthly cycle. However, the government has put in place regulations that allow businesses to require their local authority to enable payments to be made through 12 monthly instalments. If you wish to take up this offer, complete our online request form.
Request to pay over 12 monthly instalments
Apart from properties that are exempt from business rates, each non-domestic property has a rateable value which is set by the Valuation Office Agency (VOA), an agency of His Majesty's Revenue and Customs. They compile and maintain a full list of all rateable values, available on the VOA section on the GOV.UK website. The rateable value of your property is shown on the front of your bill. This broadly represents the yearly rent the property could have been let for on the open market on a particular date specified in legislation. For the current rating list, this date was set as 1 April 2024.
Get further details of how the Valuation Office Agency uses the rental comparison method to value properties for business rates.
The Valuation Office Agency may alter the valuation if circumstances change. The ratepayer (and certain others who have an interest in the property) can also check and challenge the valuation shown in the list if they believe it is wrong.
Further information about the grounds on which appeals may be made and the process for doing so can be found on the GOV.UK website.
All non-domestic property rateable values are reassessed at revaluations. This ensures that business rates bills are up-to-date, more accurately reflect current rental values and relative changes in rents. Frequent revaluations ensure the system continues to be responsive to changing economic conditions.
The latest Revaluation 2026 has been published based on rents at a valuation date on 1 April 2024 and is effective from 1 April 2026. The next revaluation of business rates in England and Wales will be in 2029.
The Valuation Office Agency (VOA) may request rental information. If you receive a request please complete and submit your up-to-date details. It is important to provide this information to ensure business rates are fair and accurate. You can find more information on GOV.UK.
What happens at revaluation
Transitional relief supplement
The transitional Relief Supplement is part of the UK government’s measures to support businesses during the 2026 business rates revaluation. It is designed to partially fund the redesigned Transitional Relief scheme, which caps bill increases for businesses losing some or all of their previous reliefs, such as Retail, Hospitality, and Leisure (RHL) relief or Small Business Rates Relief (SBRR).
Key features:
- Duration: Applies for one year only, starting 1 April 2026.
- Rate: A 1p per £ supplement is added to the calculation of all 2026 /2027 Business rates bills.
- Offset: Businesses that qualify for Transitional Relief or Supporting Small Business relief will not pay the supplement, as it is offset within their relief calculation.
The award of a number of discretionary reliefs is considered likely to amount to a subsidy and therefore any award has to comply with current UK Subsidy Control rules.
Please note it is the responsibility of the business, to check that it is eligible, and by the very nature of applying for or accepting a subsidy (such as Retail, Hospitality and Leisure Relief) you are declaring that the business will not exceed the permitted subsidy allowance threshold. If you have any doubt as to your position, you must seek appropriate advice before applying for or accepting the subsidy as the responsibility lies with the business.
Subsidy Allowance explained
Ratepayers do not have to be represented in discussions about their rateable value or their rates bill. However, ratepayers who do wish to be represented should be aware that members of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RCIS) and the Institute of Revenues, Rating and Valuation (IRRV) are qualified and are regulated by rules of professional conduct designed to protect the public from misconduct. Before you employ a rating adviser or company you should check that they have the necessary knowledge and expertise, as well as appropriate indemnity insurance. Take great care and, if necessary, seek further advice before entering into any contract.
Information supplied with demand notices
Information relating to the relevant and previous financial years in regard to the gross expenditure of the local authority is available on our budget page.