Retail discount

Relief can be awarded to eligible businesses in the Retail, Hospitality and Leisure sectors as of 1 April 2022.

From 1 April 2022 to 31 March 2024, relief will be 50% for the occupied premises, or where the business occupies multiple premises, the combined relief awarded will be capped at £110,000.

From 1 April 2023 to 31 March 2024, relief will be 75% for the occupied premises, or where the business occupies multiple premises, the combined relief awarded will be capped at £110,000.

The discount is subject to State Aid De Minimis limits.

 

How to get the discount

If we have not informed you that you may be entitled to this discount, you can make an application using our application form below.

Retail discount e-form

 

Business rate discount for retail premises

The Government announced in the Budget on 29 October 2018 that it would provide a Business Rates Retail Discount, to apply to occupied retail properties in each of the years 2019-20 and 2020-21.

For 2019/20 the value of discount should be one third of the bill for retail properties with a rateable value of less than £51,000 and is applied after mandatory reliefs and other discretionary reliefs have been applied.

In response to Covid-19, in the Budget on 11 March 2020 and subsequent statements, the Government announced that for 2020/21 it would increase the discount to 100% and extend it to include the leisure and hospitality sectors and some previous ineligible retail business usages and that there will be no rateable value limit on the relief.

At the Budget on 3 March 2021, the Chancellor announced the 100% discount scheme would be extended to also apply in the first three months of 2021/22 from 1 April 2021 to 30 June 2021 and at 66% for the remaining period from 1 July 2021 to 31 March 2022.

There will be no cash cap on the relief received for the period from 1 April 2021 to 30 June 2021. From 1 July 2021 relief will be capped at £2 million per business.

If the business was legally allowed to open during the national lockdown starting 5 January 2021, this cap is £105,000 rather than £2 million.

Main eligibility criteria:

• you are the ratepayer
• usage of the property is mainly retail, leisure, hospitality to visiting members of the public

The discount is subject to State Aid De Minimis limits.

How to get the discount if we have not informed you that you may be entitled to this discount you can make an application using our application form below.

Retail discount e-form

 

Criteria for the business rate discount

To be eligible for this discount, the retail premises must:

• be occupied
• have a rateable value of less than £51,000
• be wholly, or mainly, used as either: shops (including Post Offices), car showrooms, car hire, opticians, petrol stations, restaurants and cafes including takeaways, drinking establishments

 

When the discount will not be applied

Your premises will not get a discount if it’s being used for:

• financial services, such as banks, building societies, cash points: both individual cash points and retail units with only cash points in them, bureaux de change, payday lenders, betting shops, pawn brokers
• other services such as estate agents, letting agents, employment agencies
• medical services such as dentists, doctors, osteopaths, chiropractors and vets
• professional services such as solicitors, accountants, insurance agents, financial advisers, tutors
• Post Office sorting offices

The discount will not be applied if premises are not reasonably accessible to visiting members of the public, such as trade only retailers or retailers that require customers to join clubs or other membership schemes.

The above list is not exhaustive but gives guidance as to how the discount will be applied.