Retail relief
Retail relief financial year 2024/25
As per the Autumn Statement the Chancellor announced the introduction of a new business rates relief scheme for retail, hospitality and leisure properties.
The scheme provides 75 percent relief to eligible retail, hospitality and leisure properties, up to a maximum cash cap limit of £110,000 per business. The property must be occupied (i.e. open/trading), and allow reasonable access to visiting members of the public.
To qualify for the relief the business property should be wholly or mainly used for retail purposes.
Please note that the following businesses will no longer qualify for relief from 1 April 2022:
- Employment agencies
- Estate and letting agents
- Betting shops
Under the cash cap, no ratepayer in any circumstances can exceed the £110,000 cash cap across all of their business properties in England. Where a ratepayer has a qualifying connection with another ratepayer (i.e. one is a subsidiary of the other) then those ratepayers should be considered as one ratepayer for the purposes of the cash caps.
The cash cap applies at a group company level (so holding companies and subsidiaries cannot claim up to the cash cap for each company) and also to organisations which, although not a company, have such an interest in a company that they would, if they were a company, result in its being the holding company.
UK subsidy rules
The Retail, Hospitality and Leisure Relief Scheme is subject to the subsidies chapter within the UK-EU Trade and Cooperation Agreement (TCA). The subsidies chapter within the TCA only applies to subsidies over the value of approximately £343,000 per beneficiary over a three year period (consisting of the current financial year and the two previous financial years) (the small amounts of financial assistance limit).
Extended retail discounts granted in 2020/21 or 2021/22 do not count towards the limit. Covid business grants received from local government and any other subsidy claimed under the small amounts of financial assistance limit over the three year period should be counted.
In order to be entitled to Retail, Hospitality and Leisure relief you must not have exceeded either the £110,000 cash cap for 2022/23, or the small amounts of financial assistance limit of £343,000 over three years (including 2022/23).
Please see GOV.UK details of eligible business
Applying for retail relief
To complete the application you will need to provide the following information which can all be found on your business rates bill:
- Your reference
- Details of your property
- The rateable value of the business. You can also find the rateable value of your business on GOV.UK.
What happens next
If successful, the discount will be awarded to your account, and a revised bill or refund will be issued. If your application is unsuccessful, you will be notified in writing with the reasons for refusal. If your circumstances change following any award of a discount, please remember to notify us immediately.
You must adhere to your current payment plan whilst the application is being considered.