Who Pays Business Rates

Business Rates are charged on most non-domestic premises, including most commercial properties such as shops, offices, pubs, warehouses and factories.

If you use a building or part of a building for business, you will probably have to pay Business Rates. Any Business Rate inclusive rental agreements made are not binding, and the occupier is legally responsible for paying all Business Rates.

If a property is empty the person entitled to possession, for example, the keyholder, leaseholder, owner, administrator or executor will have to pay the Empty Property Rate.

Please see the Reliefs and Exemptions page for more information on the Empty Property Rate and other exemptions that may be available.

2023 Revaluation

The Valuation Office Agency (VOA) regularly updates the rateable values of all business and other non-domestic properties (properties that are not just private homes) in England and Wales. This is called a revaluation. The last revaluation came into effect on 1 April 2023.

Rateable values are based on the amount of rent a property could have been let for on a set valuation date. For the 2023 revaluation, that date was 1 April 2021. 

We use these rateable values to calculate business rate bills. 

Revaluations are carried out to reflect changes in the property market, which means that business rate bills are based on more up-to-date information. 

Contacting the Valuation Office

We are responsible for anything to do with your business rate bill. The VOA is responsible for the valuation of your property. You will therefore need to contact the VOA for all queries about your rateable value. Links to the VOA can be found at the bottom of this page.

Your property details need changing 

To tell the VOA about changes to your property (details such as floor area sizes and parking) you need a business rate valuation account, please use the Business Rate Valuation Account link at the bottom of this page. The VOA may accept your changes and update current and future valuations. 

You think your rateable value is too high 

From 1 April 2023, you will need to use a Business Rate Valuation Account to tell the VOA if you think your rateable value is too high. You must continue to pay your business rates as normal until a decision has been made.

To sign in or register for a Business Rate Valuation Account please use the link at the bottom of this page. 

How Coronavirus (COVID-19) affected future rateable values 

The VOA bases most rateable values on an estimate of what it would cost to rent a property for a year, starting on a certain date. 

For the 2023 valuation, that date was 1 April 2021. This was during the pandemic and the rent information the VOA used reflected this. 

Change in Circumstances

You must tell us about changes that might affect your business rates, including if you:

• Change your contact address - tell us where and when you moved
• Change your business address - tell us where and when you moved
• Have ceased trading and when
• If you have vacated your current property - tell us where and when you moved

Any changes not reported may result in you paying more than you should. Please contact us if you need advice on any changes.

Charges and Billing

Business Rates are automatically charged over 10 monthly instalments. The option to pay over 12 months is available following a written request.

Your premises will be given a 'rateable value' by the Valuation Office Agency. This is used to calculate how much you should pay. This value is multiplied by a figure set annually by Central Government (known as the multiplier) to calculate your rates payable.

There are two multipliers to calculate the rateable value for 2024/25:

• The standard non-domestic rating multiplier is 54.6p in the pound (calculated on businesses with a rateable value over £51,000)
• The small business non-domestic rating multiplier is 49.9p in the pound (calculated on businesses with a rateable value under £51,000)

The Valuation Officer may change the rateable value if they believe the use of the property has been modified. Examples include an extension to a building, or if the property has been split or merged.

Other interested parties, including the ratepayer or the billing authority, can also ask for a review of the property's rates. If an agreement on proposed rateable value changes cannot be reached, the matter will be referred to the Leicestershire Valuation Tribunal

If you appeal against your rateable value, you must still pay the rates shown on your rates bill until the result of your appeal is determined.