Reduce your business rates

Ratepayers who are not entitled to another mandatory relief or are liable for unoccupied property rates and occupy a property with a rateable value which does not exceed £15,000 will have their bill calculated using the lower small business non-domestic rating multiplier, rather than the national non-domestic rating multiplier.

In addition, if the sole or main property is shown on the rating list with a rateable value which does not exceed £15,000, the ratepayer will receive a percentage reduction in their rates bill for this property of up to a maximum of 100% for a property with a rateable value of not more than £12,000.

Eligibility

This percentage reduction (relief) is only available to ratepayers who occupy either:

• one property, or

• one main property and other additional properties providing those additional properties each have a rateable value which does not exceed £2,899

The rateable value or aggregate rateable value of the property must not exceed £20,000 on each day for which relief is being sought. If the rateable value, or aggregate rateable value, increases above those levels, relief will cease from the day of the increase.

How to apply

An application for small business rate relief is required. Where a ratepayer meets the eligibility criteria please complete the online form.

What you will need

To complete and submit the online request, you will need to have the following details:

• Details of the liable party, such as business address and contact details
• Your business rates reference number
• Start date of reduction

Apply for small business rate relief

Provided the ratepayer continues to satisfy the conditions for relief which apply at the relevant time as regards the property and the ratepayer, they will automatically continue to receive relief in each new valuation period. The entitlement to the relief will however be periodically reviewed.

If you do not qualify

If you are a small business and your property in England has a rateable value below £51,000, your bill will be calculated using the small business multiplier, which is lower than the standard one. This is the case even if you do not get small business rate.

The small business multiplier is 49.9p and the standard multiplier is 51.2p from 1 April 2023 to 31 March 2024.

Changes in circumstances

Certain changes in circumstances will need to be notified to us by a ratepayer who is in receipt of relief (other changes will be picked up by us). The changes which must be notified are:

• the ratepayer taking up occupation of an additional property, and

• an increase in the rateable value of a property occupied by the ratepayer in an area other than the area of the council which granted the relief.

Please email rates@newcastle-staffs.gov.uk with your business rates reference number.

Supporting small business (SSB) relief 

At the 2022 Autumn Statement the Chancellor announced that the 2023 Supporting Small Business (SSB) scheme will cap bill increases at £600 per year for any business losing eligibility for some or all Small Business Rate Relief or Rural Rate Relief at the 2023 revaluation. SSB was first introduced at the 2017 revaluation to support ratepayers facing bill increases greater than the Transitional Relief caps due to loss of Small Business Rate Relief or Rural Rate Relief.  

Charities and Community Amateur Sport Clubs are already entitled to mandatory 80% relief. As such they are not eligible for 2023 Supporting Small Business Relief. 

More information about SSB is on GOV.UK.

There is no need for you to apply for this relief, it will be automatically applied to eligible businesses. However, if you think you’re eligible for either relief and it’s not showing on your bill, please email rates@newcastle-staffs.gov.uk.