Business rates relief
Hardship relief
Councils can reduce or cancel your business rates bill with hardship relief.
To give you this relief, your local council must agree that both:
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you would be in financial difficulties without it
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giving hardship relief to you is in the interests of local people
You may be asked for proof of your financial situation or how your business benefits the local community.
How to get hardship relief
Local councils manage business rates relief in their area.
Contact your local council and explain your situation to:
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check if you’re eligible and how much you can get
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find out how to get hardship relief
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check if you can get any other types of business rates relief instead or as well as hardship relief
If your circumstances change
Report changes to make sure you’re paying the right amount and do not get a backdated increase in your bill or overpay.
Contact your local council if:
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you’re no longer in financial difficulty
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your financial difficulty is worse and you think you need more hardship relief
If you’re no longer eligible for hardship relief, you’ll usually need to pay your new rate starting from the day your circumstances changed.
If you’re not eligible for hardship relief
You may be eligible for another type of business rate relief. For example, if:
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you have a small business
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you have a retail, hospitality or leisure business