How much business rates you pay depends on:
- The rateable value (RV) of your premises, which is set by the Valuation Office, part of HMRC
- The business rates multiplier, which is set by central government
- Any business rates reliefs you are eligible for, which are applied by us when your bill is calculated
Calculating your business rates charge
To calculate your annual business rates charge, we multiply the rateable value of your property by the relevant multiplier:
Rateable value × multiplier = annual rates charge (before reliefs)
Any eligible reliefs or discounts are then applied to arrive at your final bill.
2026 Revaluation
The rateable value of your premises is based open market rental value on 1 April 2024. Valuation usually happens every 3 years. The most recent revaluation came into effect in England and Wales on 1 April 2026. You can check your valuation when you estimate your business rates
The 2023 list closed on 31 March 2026. Appeals to rateable values on the 2023 list can no longer be made.
New business rates multipliers (from 1 April 2026)
The current two multiplier system ends on 31 March 2026. It is replaced with five multipliers, based on both property use and Rateable Value
Multipliers for 2026/27
| Multiplier | 2026/2027 | RV band |
|---|---|---|
| Small business RHL multiplier | 38.2p | RHL hereditaments with RVs under £51,000 |
| Standard RHL multiplier | 43p | RHL hereditaments with RVs between £51,000 and £499,999 |
| National small business multiplier | 43.2p | Non-RHL hereditaments with RVs under £51,000 |
| National Standard multiplier | 48p | Non-RHL hereditaments with RVs between £51,000 and £499,999 |
| High value multiplier | 50.8p | All hereditaments with RVs of £500,000 or above |
The multiplier used to calculate the business rates charge depends on both your RV and whether your property qualifies for Retail, Hospitality & Leisure (RHL) status as defined in government guidance.
The multiplier is set for the whole of England and is effective from 1 April each year. It represents the number of pence in each pound of the rateable value that will be payable in business rates before any relief or discounts are applied.
Your bill will be reduced if your property’s eligible for business rates relief. Contact us if you don't think you are getting the relief you think you’re entitled to.
1p Supplement
A temporary 1p supplement will be added to the relevant multiplier for one year, from 1 April 2026, to help fund the redesigned Transitional Relief scheme. This supplement applies only to ratepayers not receiving:
- transitional relief, or
- supporting small business relief
Where relief applies, the supplement is normally offset within the calculation.
If you think your rates are wrong
You can ask for your propperty’s rateable value to be corrected if you think it’s wrong.