Your business rates bill

If you have not received a business rate bill before, you may need some help understanding it.

Your business rate bill contains:

• The address of the property
• The usage of the property
• The rateable value of the property
• The multipliers for the year
• The charge for the year and how it is made up
• The amount you have to pay
• The dates and amounts of your instalments for the year

This sample business rates bill below explains the information shown in the bill:

Charge details

This section details the different reliefs, exemptions, adjustments or supplements that may be shown on your bill.

Balance brought forward

If you have a credit or debit brought forward from the previous year it will show here. It will be included in the amount you must pay.

Charge for period

This is the rateable value of your property multiplied by the multiplier for the year. If your property has a rateable value above £51,000, has charitable relief or is empty, the multiplier used is 54.6p in the pound. Occupied properties with a rateable value below £51,000 have their rate bills calculated using the small business multiplier of 49.9p in the pound. For more information see our rateable value page.

Transitional adjustment

The amount that the bill for your property may increase or decrease by each year is set by the Government. If your bill shows a transitional adjustment, the calculation will appear on the annual bill sent to you in March or on your first bill if you become liable for business rates during the year.

Crossrail Business Rate Supplement (BRS)

A 2% supplement is added to business rate bills for properties with a rateable value over £75,000. For further information about this supplement see the Greater London Authority website.

Reliefs

Empty property rate relief

Our records show the property is empty but the property has already benefitted from the three-month empty rate relief. If you are now using the premises contact the business rate team.

Further information about this relief and those listed below can be found on our empty business premises page.

• Empty Industrial Rate Relief
• Three month Void Relief

Occupied property reliefs

If your bill shows any of the reliefs listed below you can find more information about them here:

• Small business relief
• Retail discount
• Charitable relief
• Discretionary relief (see voluntary and community organisations)
• Supporting small business relief