Find out if you’re exempt from paying business rates or if you can get a discount, called a ‘relief’.
There are different discounts and exemptions for business rates:
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Discounts for small businesses
If you occupy a building with a rateable value under £15,000 you can get a discount on business rates, called small business rate relief.
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Supporting Small Business Relief 2026 Scheme
Supporting Small Business Relief 2026 is a new scheme to support ratepayers who lost Small Business Rate Relief or Retail, Hospitality and Leisure relief due to the 2026 business rates revaluation, and is separate from the 2023 scheme.
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Supporting Small Business Relief 2023 Scheme
Support for ratepayers who’ve lost some or all of their Small Business, Rural Rate Relief or 2017 Supporting Small Business Relief (SSBR) scheme.
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Business rate discount: retail, hospitality and leisure
If you have a retail premises, live music venue or cinema, you may be eligible for a business rate discount.
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Business rate discount: pubs and live music venues
If you have a pub or live music venue, you may be eligible for a business rate relief discount.
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Improvement relief
If you make certain improvements to your property, you may get relief from higher business rates bills.
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Exemptions for empty buildings
What type of empty properties are exempt from business rates, how long exemptions last for, apply for for an empty property exemption.
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Discounts if part of your building is empty
You may be able to get temporary relief.
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Discounts for charities or local non-profit organisations
You may be able to get relief of up to 100%.
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Business rates discretionary hardship relief
What the business rates discretionary hardship relief fund is, the eligibility criteria, and how to apply.
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Transitional relief for business rates
What transactional relief is, who is eligible, how it's calculated and the transitional relief supplement