Business rates from 1 April 2026
Find out about changes to business rates from 1 April 2026 and what they mean for your bill.
We will send business rates bills for 1 April 2026 to 31 March 2027 in late March 2026.
Your 2026 bill will look different because of major national changes.
How your business rates are worked out
Your bill is based on:
- your rateable value (RV)
- the business rates multiplier
- any reliefs or discounts.
The amount you pay is the rateable value multiplied by the business rate multiplier, minus any reliefs and discounts.
Rateable value
The Valuation Office Agency (VOA) sets the RV.
It is based on the market rent of your property on a set date.
Business rate multipliers
The Government sets the multiplier each year.
Reliefs and discounts
Most relief schemes are set by the Government.
They depend on how your property is used and who occupies it.
Changes from 1 April 2026
From 1 April 2026 there will be:
- A national business rates revaluation
- New business rates multipliers to support retail, leisure and hospitality (RHL) businesses
- New and updated relief schemes to help businesses manage bill increases.
Revaluation 2026
RVs are updated regularly to reflect changes in the property market.
The last revaluation was in 2023 (based on rents in April 2022). The 2026 revaluation will be based on rents in April 2025.
Revaluations are expected every three years going forward.
The VOA will set your new rateable value.
Business rate multipliers
From 1 April 2026, instead of being allocated one of two multipliers, there will be five. This will depend on the:
- rateable value of your property
- use of your property.
The new system provides permanent support for RHL properties.
| Multiplier | Rateable value | Business type | Value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Small | Less than £51,000 | All except qualifying RHL | 43.2p |
| Small RHL | Less than £51,000 | Qualifying RHL | 38.2p |
| Standard | From £51,000 to £499,999 | All except qualifying RHL | 48.0p |
| Standard RHL | From £51,000 to £499,999 | Qualifying RHL | 43.0p |
| High value | £500,000 and over | All | 50.8p |
All multipliers used will be shown on your bill.
If you believe we should be using the RHL multiplier but this is not shown on your bill, we will provide a form on this website for you to tell us.
Transitional relief
If your bill increases because of these changes, transitional relief may limit how much it can go up each year.
The scheme compares your gross bill (before reliefs) and caps yearly increases.
There are different caps for different rateable values.
| Rateable value | Capped increase in 2026-2027 | Capped increase in 2027-2028 | Capped increase in 2028-2029 |
|---|---|---|---|
| £20,000 or less | 5 per cent | 10 per cent plus inflation | 25 per cent plus inflation |
| £20,001 to £100,000 | 15 per cent | 25 per cent plus inflation | 40 per cent plus inflation |
| More than £100,000 | 30 per cent | 25 per cent plus inflation | 25 per cent plus inflation |
Transitional relief supplement
To help fund the scheme in 2026-2027, a 1.0p supplement will be added to each multiplier. This will appear as a separate line on your bill.
If you receive transitional relief or supporting small business relief (see below), you will not pay more overall because of the supplement.
You do not have to apply for transitional relief. It's calculated automatically.
Supporting small business relief 2026
The transitional scheme does not cover increases caused by the loss of other reliefs.
The Government has introduced supporting small business relief (2026) for businesses losing:
- RHL relief
- Small business rate relief
- Supporting small business relief (2023)
This scheme caps bill increases to the higher of:
- £800, or
- the percentage cap shown in the table above
You do not have to apply for supporting small business relief. It's calculated automatically.
Pub and live music venues relief
From April 2026, all pubs and live music venues will benefit from:
- a 15 per cent reduction in the 2026-2027 bill (applied after other reliefs)
- capped increases in 2027-2028 and 2028-2029 at inflation only.
To qualify, the property must:
- be currently in use (not empty)
- be open to the general public
- allow free entry (except for occasional entertainment)
- sell drinks from a bar without requiring food to be purchased.
The following premises are not eligible:
- restaurants
- hotels
- sporting venues
- nightclubs
- theatres.
If you think your business qualifies for this relief but it doesn't appear on your 2026-2027 bill, we will provide a form on this website for you to tell us.
Page Last Updated: Monday, 02 March 2026 at 02:07 PM