This information on this page is a brief guide to the Small Business Rate Relief Scheme and should not to be considered a full guide to the law.
What small business rate relief is available?
- For a qualifying property with a rateable value of up to £12,000 the rate relief is currently 100%. The percentage then decreases on a sliding scale up to a rateable value of £14,999. The rate bill is also calculated using a lower Small Business Non-Domestic Rating multiplier
- For a qualifying property with a rateable value from £15,000 up to £50,999 the rate bill will be calculated using the Small Business Non-Domestic Rating Multiplier
Which businesses qualify?
Small Business Rate Relief can only be awarded to ratepayers that do not qualify for mandatory charitable relief or mandatory rural rate relief.
Properties with a rateable value under £15,000
Small Business Rate Relief can be awarded if;
The ratepayer occupies;
- only one property, or
- one main property and other properties, where the rateable value of each additional property is less than £2,900 and the total rateable value of all the properties is less than £19,999. Rate relief can only be awarded for the main property.
Properties with a rateable value between £15,000 and £50,999
If the rateable value of the property is between £15,000 and £50,999 the rate bill will automatically be calculated using the small business rate relief multiplier.
Businesses taking on an extra property
When a businesses that take on an additional property that would mean it is no longer entitled to Small Business Rate relief, the existing rate relief continues for 12 months.
Tell us of any changes
Small Business Rate Relief is calculated on a daily basis. If at any time in the year a ratepayer no longer qualifies the bill will be adjusted.
Businesses receiving rate relief must tell the Council if the business occupies another property or there is a change to the rateable value of a property occupied by the ratepayer in an area other than Bedford Borough.
You must tell the Council within 4 weeks of the change happening. If the changes do not affect your entitlement your rate relief will continue. However, if you do not tell the Council within four weeks the relief must be cancelled from the day of the change and can only be awarded again from the day that you tell the Council about the change.
Apply for small business rate relief
Download the Small Business Rate Relief application form (Word, 68KB)
