Rate relief for small businesses
Summary
Small Business Rate Relief is a scheme designed to help small businesses, which started on 1 April 2005. If your business has a rateable value of less than £5,000 (making it a small business) you could get 50% relief. If your business has a rateable value of between £5,000 and £9,999, this relief would go down at about 1% on a sliding scale for every £100 above the £5,000 limit.
How to apply for Small Business Rate Relief
- Find out if your business is eligible (see 'Further information' below);
- Download and print the application form;
- Complete the application, which asks for:
- details of all the properties you are liable for that qualify;
- Signature:
- where the ratepayer is an individual, they must personally sign the application;
- in any other case a person with authority, for example a director of a limited company, must sign it. - Please note it is a criminal offence for a ratepayer to give false information when making an application for Small Business Rate Relief;
- Return the completed form to the Business Rates Office at the address at the foot of this page (alos included in the form).
Printable forms
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Further information
About Small Business Rate Relief
This scheme is funded by a supplement to the business rates bill of those businesses not eligible for the relief. Businesses that have a rateable value of between £10,000 and £14,999 may be eligible to pay their business rates without this supplement included. This is known as the ‘buffer zone‘ and charges will be based on a reduced multiplier.
Is your business eligible?
To qualify for relief and / or the reduced multiplier, your business must meet the following criteria:
- The ratepayer must occupy one business property in England, or;
- The ratepayer must occupy one main property in England and other additional properties (providing those properties have rateable values of less than £2,200). The total rateable value of all properties occupied will be used to assess Small Business Rate Relief (not more than £14,999 rateable value). Any relief will be awarded against the main property only, and any additional properties will not qualify for Small Business Rate Relief.
- The property must be entered in the Local Rating List on 1 April in any financial year to qualify.
Charity Relief
Any entitlement to a Charity Relief will override entitlement to Small Business Rate Relief. You cannot qualify for more than one type of relief. Find out about Charitable Rate Relief.
Relief is calculated on a daily basis, and if you no longer meet the criteria for Small Business Rate Relief it will end on the day your circumstances change.
Applying for Small Business Rate Relief
You can apply for Small Business Rate Relief up to six months before the start of a new financial year, and up to six months after the end of the financial year. There's two separate forms for each option, so make sure you download the correct application form from 'printable forms' above, and follow the guidance for filling it out.
If a rateable value is changed to a figure below the upper threshold, applications can be accepted for up to six months after the date you were notified of the date of the alteration.
Not eligible?
If you don't qualify for Small Business Rate Relief, there are other rate reductions or exemptions that may apply to your business.
Related pages on this website
External links
Valuation Office Agency: Business Rates
Business Rates homepage of the Valuation Office - includes general information, and the ability to look up the rateable value of your property
Contact us
| contact officer/team: | Business Rates Officer |
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| web: | online enquiry form |
| email: | nndr@s-norfolk.gov.uk |
| freephone: | 0808 178 7142 |
| telephone: | 01508 533885 |
| minicom/textphone: | 01508 533622 |
| address: | South Norfolk Council South Norfolk House Swan Lane Long Stratton Norwich NR15 2XE |
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