Business rates relief

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Rural rate relief

You could get rural rate relief if your business is in an eligible rural area with a population below 3,000. Your business must also be:

  • the only village general store, food shop or post office, with a rateable value of up to £8,500

  • the only public house or petrol station, with a rateable value of up to £12,500

If there’s more than one business in the area, both businesses can still apply if they are different types of business - for example, a public house and a food shop.

The property must be occupied.

What you’ll get

You will not pay business rates if your business is eligible for rural rate relief.

How to get rural rate relief

Local councils manage business rates relief in their area.

Contact your local council to:

  • check if you’re in an eligible rural area - the council will have a list of eligible areas and maps of those areas

  • check if your type of business is eligible for rural rate relief

  • find out how to get rural rate 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:

  • your property becomes empty

  • you get another property

  • you make any changes to your property that would increase its value - for example, extending or renovating it
  • the nature of your business changes or it moves to different premises

If you stop being eligible for rural rate relief, you’ll usually need to pay your business rates bill starting from the day your circumstances changed.

Check which changes in circumstance you need to report to the Valuation Office Agency (VOA).

If you think you should be getting rural rate relief but are not

Contact your local council if you’re not getting rural rate relief and you think you’re eligible for it.

If you think your rateable value is wrong

You can challenge your property’s rateable value with the VOA. Use your business rates valuation account to do this.

If you stopped getting rural rate relief after 1 April 2023

You may be eligible for the supporting small business relief scheme if you stopped getting rural rate relief because of the last revaluation on 1 April 2023.

Find out more about the supporting small business relief scheme.

If you’re not eligible for rural rate relief

You may be eligible for another type of business rate relief. For example, if:

You may also be exempt from paying business rates on agricultural land and buildings.

Check what other reliefs you may be eligible for.

View a printable version of the whole guide

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