Below are some illustrative worked examples of the application of various reliefs. Please note that councils collect and administer rates including the award of any reliefs and that it is for them to interpret and apply the legislation. The below are illustrative examples only and are not a substitute for the council’s decisions on how they choose to apply reliefs, they are not statutory and would not have value in any challenge to the council’s application of the legislation.
Small Business Bonus Scheme Worked Examples
Note: These worked examples do not include interactions with transitional relief schemes which are covered in the Transitional Relief Worked Examples.
Example 1
Ratepayer is liable for rates on one property only.
RV in 2026-27 is £10,000. Gross liability in 2026-27: £10,000 x 0.481 = £4,810.
The rateable value is still less than £12,000, and there is only one property so 100% SBBS relief is awarded.
Bill in 2026-27 is £0.
Example 2
Ratepayer is liable for rates on more than one property, but the cumulative rateable value of all the properties does not exceed £12,000.
RV for the individual property in 2026-27 is £10,000.
Gross liability = 10,000 x 0.481 = £4,810.
The cumulative rateable value is less than £12,000, so 100% SBBS relief is awarded.
Bill in 2026-27 is £0.
Example 3
Ratepayer is liable for rates on more than one property, and the cumulative rateable value exceeds £12,000, but does not exceed £35,000.
RV for the individual property in 2025-26 is £14,000 and it remains the same in 2026-27.
Gross liability in 2026-27 is £14,000 x 0.481 = £6,734.00
As the cumulative rateable value is between £12,001 and £35,000 and the individual rateable value does not exceed £15,000, 25% relief is awarded in 202627.
Bill in 2026-27: £6,734.00 x (1-0.25) = £5,050.50.
Example 4
RV in 2025-26 is £20,000 and the property in 2025-26 is not in receipt of a transitional relief, hospitality relief, Small Business Bonus Scheme relief or rural relief.
Bill in 2025-26 is £20,000 x 0.498 = £9,960.00.
Ratepayer in 2026-27 is liable for rates on more than one property, and the cumulative rateable value exceeds £12,000, but does not exceed £35,000.
RV in 2026-27 decreases to £16,000.
Gross liability is £16,000 x 0.481 = £7,696.00
As there is more than one property with an RV no more than £35,000 and the individual property’s rateable value is between £15,001 and £19,999, then the relief percentage is calculated according to the following formula: 25 x (20000RV)/5000
Relief percentage = 25 x (20000 - 16000)/5000
Relief percentage = 25 x 0.8
Relief percentage = 20%
Relief value = £7,696 x (1 – 0.2) = £6,156.80.
Example 5
Ratepayer is liable for rates on more than one property, and the cumulative rateable value is greater than £35,000.
RV in both 2025-26 and 2026-27 is £10,000 and in 2025-26 the property was not in receipt of a transitional relief, hospitality relief, Small Business Bonus Scheme relief or rural relief.
Gross liability in 2025-26: £10,000 x 0.498 = £4,980.
Gross liability in 2026-27: £10,000 x 0.481 = £4,810.
As the cumulative rateable value is greater than £35,000, then no SBBS relief is awarded in either 2025-26 or 2026-27 and the net bill is equal to the gross bill.
Small Business Transitional Relief (SBTR) Worked
Examples
Example 1
Ratepayer is liable for rates on one property only.
Rateable value (RV) from 2022-23 to 2025-26 was £11,900 (no change at the 2023 revaluation).
Annual gross liability in 2022-23 to 2025-26 is £11,900 x 0.498p = £5,926.20.
The rateable value is less than £12,001 and there is only one property so 100% SBBS relief is awarded.
Annual Bill in 2022-23 to 2025-26 is £0.
RV in 2026-27 is £14,000. Gross liability in 2026-27 = £14,000 x 0.481 = £6,734.00. This is 13.63% higher than the gross liability in 2022-23 so the 2026 Revaluation Transitional Relief Cap does not apply (as the cumulative cap for small properties with a rateable value under £20,000 in 2026-27 relative to the gross bill in 2025-26 is 15%).
As there is only one property and the RV in 2026-27 is between £12,001 and £15,000, the SBBS relief percentage is calculated according to the following formula: 100 – (75 x (1(15000 ����) 3000 ))
SBBS Relief percentage = 100 – (75 x (1(15000 14000) 3000 )) = 100 – (75 x (1 –0.33333…))
= 100 – 50 = 50.
Pre-transitional relief bill in 2026-27: £6,734 (1 - 0.5) = £3,367.
As this ratepayer was in receipt of SBBS relief on this property on 31 March 2026 and their pre-transitional bill will rise, they are entitled to Small Business Transitional Relief in 2026-27.
The increase in bill between 2025-26 and 2026-27 is capped at 25% of what it otherwise would have been. Therefore the bill in 2026-27 is £0 + (£3,367 x 0.25) = £841.75
Example 2
RV in 2025-26 was £12,000.
Annual gross liability in 2025-26: £12,000 x 0.498 = £5,976.00.
The rateable value is less than £12,001, and there is only one property, so 100% SBBS relief is awarded.
Net bill in 2025-26 is £0.
RV in 2026-27 is £13,000. The gross liability in 2026-27 is £13,000 x 0.481 = £6,253.00.
This is 4.64% higher than the gross liability in 2025-26 so the 2026 Revaluation
Transitional Relief Cap does not apply (as the cumulative cap for small properties with a rateable value under £20,000 in 2026-27 relative to the gross bill in 202526 is 15%).
As there is only one property and the RV in 2026-2027 is between £12,001 and £15,000, the SBBS relief percentage is calculated according to the following formula:
100 – 75 x (115000 ���� 3000 )
75∗(1 0.666…)=100 75∗0.333…=100 25=75%
The net bill before Small Business Transitional Relief is £6,253 x (1 – 0.75) = £1,563.25.
As this ratepayer was in receipt of SBBS relief on this property on 31 March 2026 and their pre-Small Business Transitional Relief bill will rise, they are entitled to Small Business Transitional Relief in 2026-27. The increase in bill between 202526 and 2026-27 is capped at 25% of what it otherwise would have been.
The increase in the net bill is £1,563.25 – 0 = £1,563.25.
The Small Business Transitional Relief transitional limit is 0 + (1,563.25 x 0.25) = £390.81. The final net bill for 2026-27 is £390.81.
Example 3
Ratepayer is liable for rates on one property only.
In 2022-23 the property had an RV of £11,000 and as it was no more than £12,000, was in receipt of 100% Small Business Bonus Scheme with a net bill of £0.
On 1 April 2023 the RV rose to £20,000 and did not change until 1 April 2026 so the property lost all entitlement to SBBS relief and had a gross bill in 2025-26 of £9,960.
The Bill in 2025-26 was however capped by 2023 Small Business Transitional Relief and the net bill was therefore £1,800.
Note the liability in 2025-26 was not capped by 2023 Revaluation Transitional Relief as the cap under that in 2025-26, for properties with a rateable value up to and including £20,000, was 93.3%; and the gross bill increase from 2022-23 to 2025-26 was (20,000 x 0.498)/(11,000 x 49.8) - 1 = 81.8%.
RV in 2026-27 is £21,000.
Gross liability in 2026-27: £21,000 x 0.481 = £10,101. As the rateable value is greater than £20,000, there is no SBBS relief entitlement. This is a £8,301 increase on the 2025-26 net bill of £1,800.
There is no 2026 Revaluation Transitional Relief entitlement either as the gross bill between 31 March 2026 and 1 April 2026 rose by (21,000 x 0.481)/(20,000 x 0.498) - 1 = 1.4%. This is less than the cap for medium properties with an RV on 1 April 2026 between £20,001 and £100,000 which is 30%.
However, as the ratepayer was in receipt of 2023 Small Business Transitional Relief on 31 March 2026, they are entitled to 2026 Small Business Transitional Relief capping increases in net bills at 25% in 2026-27, so the final bill for 2026-27 is: £1,800 + (£8,301 x 0.25) = £3,875.25.
Example 4
The property is a licenced self-catering property and the ratepayer is liable for rates on one property only.
The RV in 2025-26 is £11,000; the property is in receipt of 100% relief through the Small Business Bonus Scheme (SBBS).
The gross bill in 2025-26 is £11,000 x 0.498 = £5,478
The net bill in 2025-26 receives 100% relief and is therefore £0.
RV in 2026-27 of £15,000.
Gross bill for 2026-27: £15,000 x 0.481 = £7,215.
The cumulative Revaluation Transitional relief cap for a self catering property is 15%, which is lower than the 31.7% increase in gross bill (£7,215 / £5,478 -1 = 31.7%), and therefore applies in this case.
Revaluation Transitional relief reduces the gross bill by £915.30 from £7,215 to £6,299.70 (£5,478 x 1.15 = £6,299.70).
As the 2026-27 RV is £15,000, the property qualifies for 25% relief through SBBS, and also qualifies for 15% retail, hospitality and leisure relief. Combined, these reduce the bill by 40% to (1-0.25-0.15) x £6,299.70= £3,779.82.
As the ratepayer saw a reduction in SBBS relief between 2025-26 and 2026-27, they are eligible for SBTR. This reduces the increase in the net bill (from zero to £3,779.82) to 25% of what it would have been, leading to a final bill for 2026-27 of 0.25 x £3,779.82 = £944.96.
Revaluation Transitional Reliefs Worked Examples
Example 1
RV in 2025-26 was £20,000; the property was not in receipt of a transitional relief, hospitality relief, Small Business Bonus Scheme relief or rural relief.
Base liability for 2025-26 was £20,000 x 0.498 = £9,960.
RV in 2026-27 of £25,000.
Gross bill for 2026-27: £25,000 x 0.481 = £12,025
The cumulative Revaluation Transitional relief cap for a medium property (with an RV on 1 April 2026 between £20,001 and £100,000) is 30%, which is greater than the 20.73% increase in gross bill (12,025/9,960 - 1 = 20.73%), and therefore does not apply in this case.
Example 2
RV in 2025-26 is £20,000; the property was not in receipt of a transitional relief, hospitality relief, Small Business Bonus Scheme relief or rural relief.
Base liability for 2025-26 was £20,000 x 0.498 = £9,960.
RV in 2026-27 of £35,000.
Gross bill for 2026-27: £35,000 x 0.481 = £16,835.
The cumulative Revaluation Transitional relief cap for a medium property (with an RV on 1 April 2026 between £20,001 and £100,000) is 30%, which is lower than the 69.03% increase in gross bill (£16,835/£9,960 - 1 = 69.03%), and therefore applies in this case.
Revaluation Transitional relief reduces the bill by £3,887 from £16,835 to £12,948 (£9,960 x 1.3 = £12,948).
Example 3
RV in 2025-26 is £55,000; the property was not in receipt of a transitional relief, hospitality relief, Small Business Bonus Scheme relief or rural relief.
Base liability for 2025-26 based on 31 March 2026 was £55,000 x 0.554 = £30,470.
RV in 2026-27 of £110,000.
Gross bill for 2026-27: £110,000 x 0.548 = £60,280.
The cumulative Revaluation Transitional relief cap for a large property (with an RV on 1 April 2026 over £100,000) is 50%, which is lower than the 97.83% increase in gross bill (£60,280/£30,470 - 1 = 97.83%), and therefore applies in this case.
Revaluation Transitional relief reduces the bill by £14,575 from £60,280 to £45,705 (£30,470 x 1.5 = £45,705).
Example 4
The property is a merger of two old entries.
RV in 2025-26 of £30,000 and £40,000; total gross bill for 2025-26 of £34,860.
((£30,000 x 49.8p) + (£40,000 x 49.8p)). Neither property was in receipt of a relief in 2025-26.
RV in 2026-27 of £240,000.
Gross bill for 2026-27 of £131,520 (£240,000 x 0.548p).
The Revaluation Transitional Relief cap to be applied is 50% (large property, with an RV on 1 April 2026 above £100,000), which is lower than the 277.28% increase in gross bills (£131,520/ £34,860 -1 = 277.28%), and therefore applies in this case.
Revaluation Transitional relief reduces the bill by £79,230 from £131,520 to £52,290 (£34,860 x 1.5 = £52,290).
Example 5
RV of a mainland shop where the ratepayer had only on property in 2022-23 was £14,000 and as the RV was no more than £15,000, it was in receipt of 100% Small Business Bonus Scheme with a net bill of £0.
On 1 April 2023 the RV rose to £70,000 and did not change until 1 April 2026. The property lost all entitlement to SBBS relief on 1 April 2023 and was not in receipt of any hospitality relief in 2025-26 as the RV was more than £51,000.
Gross bill in 2025-26: £70,000 x 0.554 = £38,780.00.
The Bill in 2025-26 was however capped by 2023 Small Business Transitional Relief as the property was in receipt of SBBS relief on 31 March 2023 and the net bill was therefore £1,800.
RV in 2026-27 of £99,000.
Gross bill for 2026-27: £99,000 x 0.535 = £52,965.00.
The Revaluation Transitional Relief cap to be applied is 30% (large property, with an RV on 1 April 2026 from £51,001 to £100,000), which is lower than the 36.58% increase in gross bills (£52,965/ £38,780 -1 = 36.58%), and therefore applies in this case.
Liability in 2026-27: £38,780.00 x 1.3 = £50,414.00 which is a £2,551.00 reduction in the liability compared to the gross liability for 2026-27.
The property qualifies for 15% hospitality relief in 2026-27 as its RV is no more than £100,000 and this applies to the bill after Revaluation Transitional Relief is applied, so the pre-Small Business Transitional Relief bill is £50,414 x (1 – 0.15) = £42,852.
This is an increase of £42,852 - £1,800 = £41,052 between 2025-26 and 2026-27.
It also qualifies for 2026 Small Business Transitional Relief capping bill increases at 25%, as it was in receipt of 2023 Small Business Transitional Relief on 31 March 2026.
Therefore the net bill in 2026-27 is: £1,800 + (£41,052 x 0.25) = £1,800 + £10,263 = £12,063.
Example 6
The property is a self catering property. The RV in 2025-26 is £110,000; the property was not in receipt of a transitional relief, hospitality relief, Small Business Bonus Scheme relief or rural relief.
Base liability for 2025-26 was £110,000 x 0.568 = £62,480.
RV in 2026-27 of £135,000. Gross bill for 2026-27: £135,000 x 0.548 = £73,980.
The cumulative Revaluation Transitional relief cap for a licenced self-catering property is 15%, which is lower than the 18.4% increase in gross bill (£73,980/£62,480 - 1 = 18.4%), and therefore applies in this case.
Revaluation Transitional relief reduces the bill by £2,128 from £73,980 to £71,852 (£62,480 x 1.15 = £71,852).
Example 7
RV of a mainland hotel where the ratepayer had only on property in 2022-23 was £14,000 and as the RV was no more than £15,000, it was in receipt of 100% Small Business Bonus Scheme with a net bill of £0.
On 1 April 2023 the RV rose to £70,000 and did not change until 1 April 2026. The property lost all entitlement to SBBS relief on 1 April 2023 and was not in receipt of any hospitality relief in 2025-26 as the RV was more than £51,000.
Gross bill in 2025-26: £70,000 x 0.554 = £38,780.00.
The Bill in 2025-26 was however capped by 2023 Small Business Transitional Relief as the property was in receipt of SBBS relief on 31 March 2023 and the net bill was therefore £1,800.
RV in 2026-27 of £99,000.
Gross bill for 2026-27: £99,000 x 0.535 = £52,965.00.
The Revaluation Transitional Relief cap to be applied is 30% (large property, with an RV on 1 April 2026 from £51,001 to £100,000), which is lower than the 36.58% increase in gross bills (£52,965/ £38,780 -1 = 36.58%), and therefore applies in this case.
Liability in 2026-27: £38,780.00 x 1.3 = £50,414.00 which is a £2,551.00 reduction in the liability compared to the gross liability for 2026-27.
The property qualifies for 15% hospitality relief in 2026-27, and for 25% licensed hospitality relief, as its RV is no more than £100,000 and this applies to the bill after Revaluation Transitional Relief is applied, so the pre-Small Business Transitional Relief bill is £50,414 x (1 – 0.15 – 0.25) = £30,248.40.
This is an increase of £30,248.40 - £1,800 = £28,448.40 between 2025-26 and 2026-27.
It also qualifies for 2026 Small Business Transitional Relief capping bill increases at 25%, as it was in receipt of 2023 Small Business Transitional Relief on 31 March 2026.
Therefore the net bill in 2026-27 is: £1,800 + (£28,448.40 x 0.25) = £1,800 + £7,112.10 = £8,912.10.
