Business rates
Non-Domestic Rates, or Business Rates, are collected by local authorities for central government. Business rates mean businesses contribute towards the cost of providing local services. Each non-domestic property has a rateable value set by valuation officers of the Valuation Office Agency (VOA).
Small business rate relief
You will be eligible for a discount under the small business rate relief scheme in England if you only occupy one property and it has a rateable value below £12,000.
Until March 2015 you'll get 100% relief (doubled from the usual rate of 50%) for properties with a rateable value of £6,000 or less. This means you will not pay business rates on properties with a rateable value of £6,000 or less.
The rate of relief will gradually decrease from 100% to 0% for properties with a rateable value between £6,001 and £12,000.
If you have more than one business property, the discount is only available if the rateable value of each of the other properties is below £2,600. If this is the case, the rateable values of all the properties will be combined and the relief is applied to the main property based on the total rateable value.
However, if you occupy a property with a rateable value below £18,000 (£25,500 in London) and you are not receiving a different mandatory relief, you will be eligible to have your bill calculated using the small business multiplier, regardless of the number of properties you occupy.
The Government has also simplified the process for claiming the relief by removing the legal requirement for an application form in order to claim the relief. However, if you are not receiving the relief and you think that you are eligible, you should contact your local billing authority.
For more information please visit the Anglia Revenue Partnership Business Rate Reliefs (external link).
