Get Money off your Business Rates
Some businesses are eligible for a reduction in their Business Rates Bill. This is called ‘Business Rates Relief.’
Small Business Rate Relief
You can get small business rate relief if:
- Your property’s rateable value is less than £15,000
- Your business only uses one property – you may still be able to get relief if you use more
How much small business rate relief you get depends on your property’s rateable value.
You will not pay Business Rates on a property with a rateable value of £12,000 or less, if that’s the only property your business uses.
For properties with a rateable value of £12,001 to £15,000, the rate of relief will go down gradually from 100% to 0%.
Example
If your rateable value is £13,500, you’ll get 50% off your bill. If your rateable value is £14,000, you’ll get 33% off.
If you use more than one property
When you get a second property, you’ll keep getting any existing relief on your main property for 12 months.
You can still get small business rate relief on your main property after this if both the following apply:
- none of your other properties have a rateable value above £2,899
- the total rateable value of all your properties is less than £20,000
Retail, Hospitality and Leisure Relief
You could qualify for retail, hospitality and leisure relief if your business is mainly being used as a:
- shop
- restaurant, café, bar or pub
- cinema or music venue
- hospitality or leisure business - for example, a gym, a spa or a hotel
If you’re eligible, you could get 75% off your Business Rates bills for the 2024 to 2025 billing year (1 April 2024 to 31 March 2025).
The most you can get in relief each billing year is £110,000 per business.
Rural Rate Relief
You could get rural rate relief if your business is in an eligible rural area with a population below 3,000. Your business must also be:
- the only village general store, food shop or post office, with a rateable value of up to £8,500
- the only public house or petrol station, with a rateable value of up to £12,500
If there’s more than one business in the area, both businesses can still apply if they are different types of business - for example, a public house and a food shop.
The property must be occupied.
You will not pay business rates if your business is eligible for rural rate relief.
Charitable Rate Relief
You could get charitable rate relief if your property is mainly used for charitable purposes.
To be eligible, the property must be used by either:
- a charity, or the trustees of a charity
- a community amateur sports club (CASC)
If the property is used by a community amateur sports club, your organisation must be registered with HM Revenues and Customs.
You may still be able to get money off your bill if you’re a non-profit or voluntary organisation.
Empty Property Relief
If you get empty property relief, you do not have to pay business rates on your empty property for 3 months. The relief starts from when the property becomes empty. After this time, most businesses must pay full business rates.
The following properties can get extended empty property relief:
- industrial premises (for example warehouses) are exempt for a further 3 months
- listed buildings - until they’re reoccupied
- buildings with a rateable value under £2,900 - until they’re reoccupied
- properties owned by charities - only if the property’s next use will be mostly for charitable purposes
- community amateur sports clubs buildings - only if the next use will be mostly as a sports club
Transitional Relief
Transitional relief limits how much your bill can change each year as a result of Business Rates revaluation. The next revaluation will come into effect on 1 April 2026.
This means changes to your bill are phased in gradually if you’re eligible.
Supporting Small Business Relief
This relief helps those ratepayers who are losing some or all of their:
- Small Business Rate Relief
or - Rural Rate Relief
As a result of this they are facing large increases in their bills. This is due to the change in their rateable value at the revaluation.
Hardship Relief
We have the discretion to award up to 100% relief to businesses who are experiencing hardship.
To give you this relief we must agree that both:
- you would be in financial difficulties without it
- giving hardship relief to you is in the interests of local people
We will ask for proof of your financial situation and or how your business benefits the local community.
Local Newspaper Relief
From 1 April 2020 to 31 March 2025, local newspapers who occupy office space will receive a discount of £1,500.
Heat Networks Relief
You can get heat networks relief if your property is only used or mainly used as a ‘heat network.’
A heat network supplies heating or cooling to other properties from a central source. To be eligible, the heat network must:
- take its energy from a low carbon source
- supply heating and cooling to other properties - for example, homes, shops, public buildings, hospitals and offices
The heat network must not supply heat or cooling for industrial use - for example, to create products in factories.
Improvement Relief
The Improvement Relief will support businesses wishing to invest in their property. It will ensure that no ratepayer will face higher bills for 12 months, as a result of qualifying improvements to a property they occupy.
This scheme will run from 1 April 2024 to 1 April 2029.
You do not need to apply for the Improvement Relief. The Valuation Office Agency will consider this relief when they are notified of property changes.
Public Lavatory Relief
You will get 100% business rates relief for separately assessed public toilets.
Enterprise Zones
If you occupy a property within an Enterprise Zone you may be entitled to 100% relief.
How to apply
Call us on 0300 1234 105 (option 1) or email revenues@scilly.gov.uk if you would like to apply for any of the above reliefs.
If your circumstances change
Please report any changes to us by calling 0300 1234 105 (option 1) or email revenues@scilly.gov.uk to make sure you’re paying the right amount and do not get a backdated increase in your bill or overpay.