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Small Business Rate Relief

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Small Business Rate Relief (SBBR)

Further one-year increase in SBRR announced in the Budget

In his Budget speech on 23 March 2011 the Chancellor of the Exchequer announced that the current temporary increase in SBRR, which was due to end on 30 September 2011, will continue for a further year.

The increased levels of relief will now be available to 30 September 2012 for eligible businesses. Follow this link for more about the temporary increase in the level of SBRR.

Who qualifies for SBRR?

SBRR was introduced by the Government in April 2005 and applies to a lot of business ratepayers in the Suffolk Coastal area.

Under the scheme ratepayers who occupy only one rated property in England, where the rateable value is £12,000 or less, will receive a reduction in their rate liability.

You can also qualify for this relief if you as the ratepayer occupy one main property and other additional properties in England providing the additional properties do not have rateable values of £2,600 or more and the combined rateable values of all the properties is under £18,000. In these cases only the main property will get the relief.

SBRR is financed by a supplement on the rate bills of other businesses where they do not meet the above criteria. Premises with a rateable value of between £12,000 and £18,000 are not entitled to relief but are not subject to the supplement, if it is the ratepayer’s only premises.

From 1 April 2009 the restriction that requires properties to be in the rating list on 1 April in order to qualify for SBRR was lifted. Ratepayers of new properties or those brought into the valuation list as a result of a split, merger or reorganisation of a property by the Valuation Office Agency are entitled to apply for SBRR throughout the first year of occupation.

If you have any enquiries about SBRR please contact the Business Rates team using the contact details at the bottom of the page.

How much relief will I get?

All eligible properties will have their bills calculated using a reduced multiplier, the Small Business Non-Domestic Rating Multiplier, rather than the standard multiplier:

  • 1 April 2011 to 31 March 2012 - 42.6p instead of 43.3p.

  • 1 April 2010 to 31 March 2011 - 40.7p instead of 41.4p.

  • 1 April 2009 to 31 March 2010 - 48.1p instead of 48.5p.

  • 1 April 2008 to 31 March 2009 - 45.8p instead of 46.2p.

  • 1 April 2007 to 31 March 2008 - 44.1p instead of 44.4p.

For the valuation period 1 April 2010 to 31 March 2015 - eligible properties with:

  • Please note: a temporary increase in SBRR levels applies from 1 October 2010 to 30 September 2012.

  • A rateable value of £6,000 or less will get 100% rate relief (reverts to 50% from 1 October 2012).

  • Rateable values between £6,000 and £12,000 will get relief on a sliding scale from 100% to 0% (reverts to 50% to 0% from 1 October 2012).

  • Rateable values between £12,000 and £18,000 will have their bill calculated using the Small Business Non-Domestic Rating Multiplier (see list of multipliers above).

For the valuation period 1 April 2005 to 31 March 2010 - eligible properties with:

  • A rateable value of £5,000 or less will get 50% rate relief.

  • Rateable values between £5,000 and £10,000 will get relief on a sliding scale from 50% to 0%.

  • Rateable values between £10,000 and £15,000 have their bill calculated using the Small Business Non-Domestic Rating Multiplier (see list of multipliers above).

How do I apply for SBRR?

Since 1 April 2007 ratepayers have only been required to apply for SBRR once between each revaluation period, provided certain defined circumstances do not change (see changes in circumstances below).

From 1 April 2010 the Government removed the requirement to reapply for SBRR. However, to be eligible for SBRR from 1 April 2010 businesses must meet the conditions of the scheme at that date. The requirement for businesses to notify the Council if they are no longer eligible for the relief continues to apply.

To apply for SBRR you must complete and sign the application form below and return it to the Business Rates team:

You have until 30 September 2016 to apply for SBRR for the financial years commencing 1 April 2010 - 1 April 2015.

Please note that applications for the financial years 2005/2006, 2006/2007, 2007/2008, 2008/2009 and 2009/10 can no longer be submitted unless the rateable value of your property has been altered to below the prescribed limits or it is a new entry in the Valuation List from 1 April 2005 onwards.

In these situations the application forms below must be submitted for each of the applicable financial years within six months of the date that the Valuation Office issued the schedules containing the altered/new entry.

Changes in circumstances

You must notify the Council of any of these changes in circumstances:

  • If you, as the ratepayer, take up occupation of a property you did not occupy at time of making your application for relief.

  • If there is an increase in the rateable value of a property occupied by yourself in an area outside Suffolk Coastal.

You should complete a change in circumstances form (new window PDF 14KB) and return it to the Business Rates team at the address below within four weeks of the day after the day the change happened. Failure to notify the Council during this time frame will mean you will lose your relief with effect from the day the changed happened.

Further information

If you have any questions or would like further information about SBRR contact the Business Rates team on 01394 444544 or email businessrates@suffolkcoastal.gov.uk.

Business Rates Team,
Suffolk Coastal District Council,
Melton Hill,
Woodbridge IP12 1AU.

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