Business rates 2026:
five checks for your new rateable value

The bill is the end of a chain: rateable value, multiplier, reliefs, supplements and liability dates. Testing only the final number can miss the part of the calculation that is actually wrong.

What changed on 1 April 2026?

The 2026 revaluation introduced new rateable values for non-domestic properties in England and Wales. In England it also introduced five national multipliers, including permanently lower multipliers for qualifying retail, hospitality and leisure properties with rateable values below £500,000 and a higher multiplier for properties with rateable values of £500,000 or more.

For 2026–27, the English multipliers before any applicable supplement are 38.2p for qualifying small retail, hospitality and leisure properties, 43.0p for qualifying standard retail, hospitality and leisure properties, 43.2p for other properties below £51,000, 48.0p for other properties from £51,000 to £499,999, and 50.8p for properties at £500,000 or above.

The multiplier is only one input. A property's rateable value may have moved substantially at revaluation, while transitional relief, supporting-small-business relief, local supplements and occupation changes can alter the amount payable.

Check 1: is the new valuation built on the right property?

Start with the 2026 rating-list entry and the Valuation Office Agency's property details. Check the address, description, floor areas, use, constituent parts and effective date against the premises actually occupied.

Then examine the valuation method. Shops, offices and industrial properties are commonly valued by reference to rental evidence, but the relevant unit of comparison and adjustments differ. A headline rate per square metre taken from another property is not enough without understanding its date, location, physical characteristics, lease terms and valuation treatment.

Obvious factual errors should be documented with reliable evidence. Plans, leases, photographs, measured areas, rent details and occupation dates can matter more than a general assertion that the assessment feels too high.

Check 2: has the correct multiplier been applied?

In England, the applicable multiplier now depends on the rateable value and, below £500,000, whether the property qualifies as retail, hospitality or leisure. Classification should be tested against the statutory scheme and the actual use rather than the business's preferred description.

A one-penny transitional-relief supplement applies during 2026–27 to ratepayers who are not receiving transitional relief or supporting-small-business relief. The bill should make clear which multiplier, supplement and adjustments the billing authority used.

Wales has a separate multiplier and relief framework. Do not apply the English figures to a Welsh property.

Check 3: are reliefs and transitional limits complete?

Transitional relief limits qualifying increases caused by revaluation. For 2026–27 in England, the increase caps are 5% for properties up to £20,000 rateable value—or £28,000 in London—15% for those up to £100,000, and 30% above £100,000. The council applies qualifying transitional relief automatically.

That does not remove the need to check the bill. Small-business, supporting-small-business, charitable, empty-property and other reliefs have their own tests and dates. Changes in occupation, ownership, use or the number of properties occupied can affect entitlement.

A reduction in rateable value may also interact with transitional arrangements. Before forecasting savings, model the billing consequence rather than multiplying a proposed reduction by a headline multiplier.

Check 4: do the list and bill reflect the real occupation?

Business rates attach to the hereditament—the unit of property shown in the rating list—and liability ordinarily follows rateable occupation. Physical changes, subdivisions, mergers, vacant areas, shared occupation and alterations can mean that the list no longer reflects the property as used.

Record who occupied which areas and when. Check leases, licences, plans, handover records and dated photographs. A property may need to be split, merged, removed, added or altered from a particular effective date rather than simply reduced in value.

Property changes and surrounding works can also create a material-change question. The correct route and effective date are evidence-sensitive, so identify the event before selecting a ground of challenge.

Check 5: does the 30 September deadline affect you?

There is no general 30 September 2026 deadline for every challenge to the current 2026 list. The urgent date concerns a narrower route relating to the previous 2023 list.

Current VOA guidance says that where a later court or tribunal rating decision on another property could show that a 2023-list valuation is wrong, a Check case must be raised by 30 September 2026 before a Challenge can follow. The submission must identify the legal decision and explain how it applies to the property.

Other limited routes can still affect the previous list—for example, following a later alteration by the VOA—and have their own time limits. In England, current-list challenges follow the 2026 Check, Challenge and Appeal procedure. The correct deadline depends on the list, ground, event and any earlier decision.

A disciplined review of the 2026 bill.

1. Obtain the full 2026–27 bill and current rating-list entry.
2. Check the VOA's property description, areas and valuation basis.
3. Verify the multiplier, supplement, reliefs and liability dates.
4. Record physical, occupational and surrounding-area changes with dates.
5. Separate any current-list case from a possible previous-list route.
6. Estimate the bill effect before deciding whether the case is proportionate.

A worthwhile review ends with a recommendation: correct the facts, investigate valuation evidence, raise a Check, query the council's bill or take no action. The objective is not simply to file a case; it is to pursue the part of the assessment that can materially change the outcome.