Small Business Rate Relief
This relief is only available to ratepayers who apply to their local authority and who occupy either -
(a) one property, or
(b) one main property and other additional properties providing those additional properties each have a rateable value which does not exceed £2,599.
The rateable value of the property mentioned in (a), or the aggregate rateable value of all the properties mentioned in (b), must not exceed £17,999 outside London or £25,499 in London on each day for which relief is being sought. If the rateable value, or aggregate rateable value, increases above these levels, relief will cease from the day of the increase.
Ratepayers who satisfy these conditions will have the bill for their sole or main property calculated using the lower small business non-domestic rating multiplier rather than the national non-domestic rating multiplier that is used to calculate the liability of other businesses.
If an application for relief is granted, provided the ratepayer continues to satisfy the conditions for relief which apply at the relevant time as regards the property and the ratepayer, they will not need to re-apply for relief in each new valuation period.
Certain changes in circumstances will need to be notified to the local authority by the ratepayer. Any other changes will be picked up by North East Lincolnshire Council.
The changes which must be notified are -
(a) the ratepayer taking up occupation of a property they did not occupy at the time of making their application for relief, and
(b) an increase in the rateable value of a property occupied by the ratepayer in an area other than the area of the local authority which granted the relief.
Notification of these changes must be given to the local authority within 4 weeks of the day after the day on which the change happened. If this happens, there will be no interruption to the ratepayer's entitlement to the relief. A notification that the ratepayer has taken up occupation of an additional property must be by way of a fresh application for relief. Notice of an increase in rateable value must be given in writing.
Temporary increase in Small Business Rate Relief
The Chancellor announced at the Budget that the current temporary increase in Small Business Rate Relief, which started on 1 October 2010, will now continue for a further year until 30 September 2012.
The measure doubles the usual rate of relief so that ratepayers with rateable values below £6,000 pay no rates at all for the period, while ratepayers with rateable values between £6,000 and not more than £12,000 receive tapered relief from 100% - 0%. The additional costs arising from the increased relief will be met by the Government. There will be no adjustment to the multiplier.
Full details on the eligibility criteria and on how to apply for this relief are available from North East Lincolnshire Council.