Hackney Council
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About business rates

Get advice about business rates, setting up a payment arrangement or requesting a refund.

Who needs to pay business rates

Business rates are charged on most non-domestic properties, like:

  • shops
  • offices
  • pubs
  • warehouses
  • factories
  • holiday rental homes or guest houses

You’ll probably have to pay business rates if you're the occupier of a building or part of a building for non-domestic purposes.

How we calculate your bill

Business rates are worked out based on your property’s ‘rateable value’ (RV).

This is its open market rental value on 1 April 2024, based on an estimate by the Valuation Office Agency (VOA).

You can estimate your business rates by multiplying the rateable value by the correct ‘multiplier’ (an amount set by central government).

Multipliers for 2026 to 2027

The 5 multipliers for 2026 to 2027 are listed below.

Type of multiplier Who it’s for Multiplier value
Small business RHL multiplier Retail, hospitality and leisure (RHL) businesses with RV below £51,000 38.2p
Small business non-RHL multiplier Non-RHL businesses with RV below £51,000 43.2p
Standard RHL multiplier RHL businesses with RV between £51,000 and £499,999 43.0p
Standard non-RHL multiplier Non-RHL businesses with RV between £51,000 and £499,999 48.0p
Large property multiplier For all properties with RV of £500,000 and above 50.8p

Previous multipliers

From 1 April 2020 to 31 March 2021 the small business multiplier was 49.9p and the standard multiplier 51.2p.

From 1 April 2021 to 31 March 2022 the small business multiplier was 49.9p and the standard multiplier 51.2p.

From 1 April 2022 to 31 March 2023 the small business multiplier was 49.9p and the standard multiplier 51.2p.

From 1 April 2023 to 31 March 2024 the small business multiplier was 49.9p and the standard multiplier 51.2p.

From 1 April 2024 to 31 March 2025 the small business multiplier was 49.9p and the standard multiplier 54.6p.

From 1 April 2025 to 31 March 2026 the small business multiplier is 49.9p and the standard multiplier 55.50p.

Businesses in London with a rateable value over £92,000 also pay the Business Rate Supplement. This is charged by the Greater London Authority in relation to the Crossrail project.

You can find further information on the Mayor of London’s website.

What's changed and why it matters

From 1 April 2026, there are 5 business rates multipliers instead of 2, and they reflect both business type and the value of the property. This change is designed to support local businesses. The new RHL multipliers will replace the annual RHL relief, which will give eligible businesses more long-term certainty.

It’ll also make sure larger organisations make fair contributions. A higher multiplier for large properties will mean that major distribution centres and online retailers contribute proportionately.

Transitional relief scheme

A transitional relief scheme will also be in place from 1 April 2026, which will limit the increase in bills.

Find out more about these changes, including how much your bill could increase by, on GOV.UK.

How we’re preparing

We’re reviewing our property database to decide which multiplier applies to each business.

We may contact you for more information about your business.

How you can prepare

Get ready for the new system by:

Revaluation of rateable values for 2026

Every 3 years, the Valuation Office Agency updates the rateable values of commercial properties in England and Wales. This process is called a revaluation.

The next revaluation will come into effect on 1 April 2026.

To find out more about revaluation and check your rates, visit Revaluation 2026 – everything you need to know on GOV.UK.

Contents

Advice

What to pay and when

We’ll send you a business rates bill in February or March each year unless you take ownership of your property during the tax year.

This bill is for the following tax year. 

Estimate your business rates bill on GOV.UK.

If you’re billed before the following tax year, you can pay in 10 monthly instalments. We can extend this to 12 if you need us to. 

If you’re billed within the financial year, you can pay in as many monthly instalments as possible up to February. We can extend these to March.

Your bill shows how much you should pay and when.

You can get help with business rates from:

Your business rates are due on the 1st day of the month.

If you pay by direct debit, you can choose to pay on the 14th of the month instead.
 

How to pay your business rates

Pay your business rates

What happens if I do not pay?

If you get into payment difficulties and you cannot afford to pay your instalments, and if you’ve received a reminder notice, final notice or a court summons, you can make an arrangement to pay.

Make an arrangement to pay

We do not promise to be able to help everyone but the sooner you contact us, the better our chances of being able to help.

Find out more about what happens if I do not pay.

Appeal rateable value

Find out how to challenge your business rates valuation on GOV.UK.

You can get professional advice about rateable value from a qualified rating surveyor. 

The following professional bodies can provide qualified rating surveyors or give advice as to who you should contact:

You can call the RICS enquiry line for advice: 024 7686 8555.

The first 30 minutes are free.

Find out about call charges on GOV.UK.

Request a refund

Request a refund

If your premises are affected by local disruption

If there’s severe and long term local disruption to your premises, you may be eligible to pay lower business rates temporarily.

This sort of disruption includes building, flooding or roadworks that directly affect your business.

Find out how to report local disruption on GOV.UK.

Which agency does what

The Valuation Office Agency sets the rateable value on which your rates are based.

The government sets the multiplier and makes national rules about business rates.

The council collects business rates on behalf of central government.