Business rates relief
You could be paying less than you think, and some businesses pay nothing at all. We check every relief and discount you are entitled to, and help you claim them, so your bill is only ever what it should be.
- Every relief checked
- We handle the council
- Free eligibility check
Small business rate relief
AT A GLANCEMany small businesses pay nothing
If your rateable value is £12,000 or under, your bill could be zero.
Thresholds for England. The first two are small business rate relief, which you usually claim. Under £51,000, the lower small business multiplier also applies automatically, whether or not you get the relief. We check both.
- RICS regulated surveyors
- IRRV members
- 30 years reducing business rates
- Every relief checked
Discounts that come straight off your bill
Business rates relief is money off, applied by your council. Miss one and you simply pay too much.
Relief is different from appealing your rateable value. An appeal corrects the figure your bill is built on, while relief is a set of discounts your local council applies on top, for things like being a small business, a charity, or in a rural area.
Some reliefs are added automatically. Others you have to claim, and plenty of businesses never do. We check every relief you could be entitled to, make sure the automatic ones have actually been applied, and handle the paperwork with your council.
What you might be entitled to
The figures below are for England. Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland run their own schemes, and we know the differences.
Small business rate relief
100% off if your rateable value is £12,000 or less, so many small firms pay nothing, with tapered relief up to £15,000.
Retail, hospitality & leisure
Shops, cafés, pubs, gyms and hotels get a lower multiplier built into the bill from April 2026, replacing the old discount.
Charitable & non-profit
80% off for registered charities and community amateur sports clubs, which councils can top up to 100% at their discretion.
Empty property relief
No rates for the first three months a property is empty, or six months for industrial premises, with some longer exemptions.
Rural rate relief
100% off for the only shop, post office, pub or petrol station in a small rural settlement, within set value limits.
Improvement relief
Made qualifying improvements? The rise in your bill from the higher rateable value can be held off for twelve months.
Transitional relief
After the 2026 revaluation, large increases are phased in gradually rather than landing all at once. Applied for you.
And several more
Hardship relief, an extra 15% for pubs and live music venues, EV charging relief and enterprise zones. We check the lot.
The 2026 changes worth knowing
- Retail, hospitality and leisure relief has gone. The old discount ended on 31 March 2026 and became a permanently lower multiplier. It now shows up as a lower rate on your bill, not a discount you claim, so check the right multiplier has been used.
- Transitional relief softens the revaluation. Big increases are capped and phased in to 2029, but a small supplement is added to some bills, so it is worth checking yours has been worked out correctly.
- Small business relief is easier to keep. The thresholds did not change, but if you take on a second property you now keep the relief on your first for three years, not one.
We find the relief you are owed, and claim it for you
Councils will not chase you to take a discount. With 30 years spent on business rates, we know which reliefs apply to which businesses, and how to get them applied.
You get one small, dedicated team and a named contact, with pricing agreed clearly before we begin. No hard sales, no free pens.
- We check every relief and discount you could be entitled to
- We handle the application to your council and the paperwork
- We check the automatic reliefs have actually landed on your bill
- Where we can, we backdate relief you were owed but never claimed
- We check your rateable value too, so the whole bill is right
What checking your reliefs can mean
A few examples of what we have helped businesses claim.
Bill removed
A holiday let owner, unsure the rules even applied to them, had their property assessed and made exempt, taking the bill to nothing.
EXEMPTION SECURED
Never claimed
A small business that qualified for small business rate relief but had never claimed it had the relief applied and backdated.
SMALL BUSINESS RELIEF
80% to 100%
A charity already on the mandatory 80% relief had its council top the discount up to a full 100%.
CHARITABLE RELIEF
Illustrative outcomes. Read verified customer reviews.
What our clients say
Relief is only half of it
The lowest bill needs the right reliefs and the right rateable value. See our business rates appeal service.
Business rates relief questions, answered
Who qualifies for small business rate relief?
In England, you qualify if you occupy one main property with a rateable value under £15,000. You get 100% relief, so pay nothing, if the rateable value is £12,000 or less, and tapered relief between £12,001 and £15,000. You can still qualify if any additional properties each have a rateable value under £2,900.
Do I have to apply for relief, or is it automatic?
It depends on the relief. Transitional relief, empty property relief and the lower retail, hospitality and leisure multiplier are applied automatically. Small business, charitable and rural relief usually have to be claimed. It is also worth checking the automatic ones actually landed on your bill, because they are not always applied correctly.
Can I get relief on more than one property?
Small business rate relief is normally for your main property, but additional properties each under £2,900 in rateable value may not stop you qualifying. You now also keep the relief on your first property for three years after you take on a second, up from one year.
What happened to retail, hospitality and leisure relief?
The temporary discount ended on 31 March 2026. From 1 April 2026 it was replaced by permanently lower multipliers for qualifying retail, hospitality and leisure properties, built into the bill. There is no separate claim to make and no cash cap.
Can relief be backdated?
Often yes. If you were eligible for small business rate relief but did not claim it, you can ask your council to backdate it, usually up to six years from the date you apply, as long as you met the qualifying criteria throughout.
Can I claim relief and appeal my rateable value?
Yes, and you often should do both. Relief reduces the bill, while a successful appeal lowers the rateable value the bill is built on. Together they give you the lowest fair figure, and we handle both.
Find out what you can claim
A free check takes minutes and could take a chunk off your bill, or clear it. No obligation, no pressure.