Reliefs and Exemptions

From 1 April 2017 any ratepayer who occupies a single non-domestic property within England, where the rateable value is less than £51,000 will be entitled to the following relief:

Rating Multiplier

The small business non-domestic rate multiplier for 2024-25 is 49.9 pence in the pound

The national non-domestic rate multiplier for 2024-25 is 54.6 pence in the pound

Since 1 April 2017 eligible properties with rateable values between £15,001 and £50,999 automatically have their rates calculated using the lower Small Business Rate multiplier instead of the standard National Non-Domestic multiplier.

Additional properties

Where a ratepayer occupies a main property with a rateable value of less than £15,000 from 1 April 2017 but has additional properties with individual rateable values of less than £2,900 the relief will only be applied to the main property. The additional properties will be disregarded for relief purposes, but will be liable for the full rates bill. If the aggregate total of all the rateable values is more than £19,999 from 1 April 2017, Small Business Rate Relief will not apply, even to the main property.

If a ratepayer is in occupation of more than one property, and the rateable value of both properties is more than £2,899 from 1 April 2017, Small Business Rate Relief will not apply to either property. However, the Government has introduced additional support to small businesses. For those businesses that take on an additional property which would normally have meant the loss of Small Business Rate Relief, the Government has confirmed that they will be allowed to keep the relief for a maximum of 12 months. 

Empty properties

Small Business Rate Relief does not apply to empty properties.

Interactions with other reliefs

If you are in receipt of another mandatory rate relief, for example Charitable or Rural Rate Relief, you will not be entitled to Small Business Rate Relief

Applying for relief

You can apply for Small Business Rate Relief online  here

Alternatively, you can download the form as a PDF  Small Business Rate Relief claim form (PDF, 256 KB)  and return it to the business rates team:

By email to business.rates@torridge.gov.uk  or by post to: Business Rates, Riverbank House, Bideford EX39 2QG

Please be aware that you do not need to pay anyone to apply for the relief on your behalf. Please contact the business rates team in the first instance and we will be happy to advise on entitlement to relief.

Continuity of relief

A single application for Small Business Rate Relief should be made when you first move into non-domestic premises. This application will last throughout the valuation period and possibly beyond. Any changes which may affect your entitlement to relief should be notified to the Council within four weeks. Examples of changes are:

i) Taking over additional premises anywhere in England, or

ii) An increase in the rateable value of a property that you are the ratepayer for, outside of the Torridge District.

iii) A change in the use of the property (i.e. from non-domestic to domestic)

Small business rate relief will be reviewed periodically to ensure that our records are up to date.