View our Discretionary Rate Relief policy 2026.
If you pay Business Rates, you may be eligible for Rate Relief to reduce the Rates due.
Pub and music venues: additional business rate relief from April 2026
From April 2026 pubs and live music venues in England will get 15% off the 2026/27 Business Rates bill. This is on top of the support announced at Budget and that bills will be frozen in real terms for a further two years.
Bills have been issued confirming the 2026/27 business rates liability with the new relief where applicable.
If you believe your property is eligible for the new relief, but it hasn’t been applied to your bill, contact us at business.rates@colchester.gov.uk and we will check your eligibility.
Retail, Hospitality and Leisure (RHL) Relief 2025/26
At the Autumn Budget on 30 October 2024 the Chancellor announced that Retail, Hospitality and Leisure (RHL) Relief would be extended into 2025/26 financial year.
The 2024/25 Retail, Hospitality and Leisure Relief scheme provided eligible, occupied, retail, hospitality, and leisure properties with a 75% relief, up to a cash cap limit of £110,000 per business.
For 2025/26 the relief was reduced to 40% for the 2025-26 financial year for eligible businesses, up to a cash cap limit of £110,000 per business.
If you would like more information regarding the relief or believe that you qualify, email us.
Further information regarding Cash caps and subsidy can be found in the Discretionary Rate Relief policy at the top of this page.
From 1 April 2026, the temporary Retail, Hospitality and Leisure (RHL) Relief scheme has been replaced by a permanent system of lower, dedicated Retail, Hospitality and Leisure (RHL) Multipliers.
Small Business Rate Relief
To qualify for Small Business Rate Relief (SBRR), your business must occupy either:
- a single property with a rateable value of less than £15,000
- a main property with additional properties, where the additional properties have a rateable value of less than £2,900 each, and the total rateable value of all properties together is less than £20,000
A percentage rate reduction is available on a sliding scale for properties with a rateable value between £12,001 and £14,999. A straight reduction of 100% is available for properties with a rateable value below £12,001.
Unless your circumstances change, Small Business Rate Relief will continue to be applied.
You must tell us if you are or become the ratepayer of any additional properties in England or Wales, or if the property become empty, as this might affect your eligibility for SBRR.
An application is required by the ratepayer to be considered and can be made at the top of this page.
Empty properties
If a property is empty and unused, you do not have to pay business rates for the first three months from the date the property was first unoccupied. This is extended to six months for certain industrial properties.
After this period, rates are payable at the standard rate, as if the building was occupied.
Some exemptions apply, such as for listed buildings, small properties with rateable values of less than £2,900, or where occupation has been restricted by law. Owners of these properties do not have to pay business rates for as long as the property remains empty.
Evidence may be requested to confirm that the property is empty and unoccupied. An application can be made to be considered, or alternatively an email can be sent to business.rates@colchester.gov.uk with dated photographs confirming the property is empty.
Partly-occupied properties
If a property is partly occupied for a short period of time, we have the discretion to give business rate relief on the part of the property that is unoccupied.
For example, this could apply if your business is moving into or out of a property in stages.
If we grant this type of relief, the rateable value will be recalculated, and, if applicable, empty-property rates will be payable on the unoccupied part and full rates will be payable on the occupied part of the property.
To apply for part-occupied relief contact us with the following information:
- the address of the property
- the name of the current owner or leaseholder
- the date it was or will be empty or partly-occupied
Applications for partly occupied properties also need:
- a plan of the property that identifies the unoccupied area
- reasons for the application
- plan for reoccupation if applicable
If possible, an application should be made in advance of a property becoming part-occupied to facilitate an inspection of the property.
Further information regarding this relief can be found in the Discretionary Rate Relief policy.
Relief for Charity and Community Amateur Sports Clubs
Charity and registered community amateur sports clubs can apply for charitable rate relief, which can reduce the bill by 80%. This is called Mandatory Rate relief.
An application is required by the ratepayer to be considered and can be made at the top of this page.
Discretionary relief for charities and not-for-profit organisations
We have discretion to apply up to an additional 20% on top of mandatory rate relief.
Further information can be found within the Discretionary Rate Relief policy at the top of the page.
An application is required to be considered and can be made at the top of the page.