Apply for a business rate reduction

There are a number of ways to reduce how much you pay for your business rates. You can apply for hardship, discretionary, unoccupied property and small business rate reductions.

Small business rates reduction

If you occupy a property with a rateable value under £51,000, you'll automatically have your bill calculated using the lower small business rate multiplier. This won't apply however if you're entitled to another type of reduction.

This reduction is not available on empty properties.

Current rates of relief: 

  • rateable value up to £12,000 – no rates payable
  • rateable value between £12,001 and £15,000 – tapered relief between 100% and 0%

Eligibility

To be eligible for relief, you must occupy either:

  • one property with a rateable value under £15,000 in England or
  • one main property plus other additional properties, providing none of the other properties have a rateable value above £2,899. The total rateable value of all the occupied properties must be under £28,000.

You must apply to the local council where the main eligible property is situated.

How to apply

Download a small business rates relief application form (Word, 36KB)

Please email your completed form to: croynndr@croydon.gov.uk

Notify changes

If you receive small business relief, you must notify the local council if:

  • you take up occupation of an additional property
  • any of your additional properties rateable value is increased
  • you vacate a property

You're entitled to keep an existing award of small business rate relief for 12 months if you occupy of an additional eligible property.

You must notify the Business Rates team within 4 weeks of any change in circumstances which could affect your entitlement. Failure to meet this requirement will end the relief and any new relief will only be awarded from the receipt of a new claim.

Calculation of the bill and changes through the year

The relief will be applied to the main eligible property only.

The bill will be calculated for each chargeable day that the property remains eligible. As soon as you fail to meet the criteria above (for example, property is vacated, change of owner or additional property occupied by same customer), you'll no longer qualify for the relief.

Interaction with other reliefs

If you are eligible for charity relief or rural rate relief, you will receive that rather than small business rate relief.

Transitional relief is applied before the small business rate relief is applied.

Contact the Business Rates team

Telephone: 020 8726 7000, option 4.

Email: croynndr@croydon.gov.uk

Business Rates team
Croydon Council
5th floor, Bernard Weatherill House
8 Mint Walk
Croydon CR0 1EA