The Government has introduced a new scheme to lighten the load of your business rates bill.

The new deferral scheme offers the chance to postpone payment of some of your rates bill for this financial year only.


2009/10 Business Rates Deferral Scheme

You may be able to spread the payment of the increase in your 2009/10 business rates bills over a three year period. The Help with Business Rates Bills leaflet provides details of the scheme, which is only available for this financial year. If you wish to opt into the scheme, please print a Business Rates Deferral Scheme Application Form, sign and return it to the address given. The form simply asks for your name, the address of the property and its reference number (which can be found on your business rates bill). You do not need to pay anyone to do this for you.

If your bill has increased as a result of the end of the current transitional relief period, you may be able to defer 60% of this increase in your bill. If you don’t qualify for transitional relief, you can still defer 3% of your total 2009/10 bill.

You can apply at any time until 31 March 2010 provided you have some of your bill left to pay. We would encourage you to apply early. If you have less than 3% left to pay, you can defer your remaining balance.

The reduction in your payments should be reflected in either your next instalment or, at the latest, in the one following that, depending on when your application is made. The amount you can defer will not change in either case. 


More information about Small Business Rates Relief
 

Further information about Small Business Rates Relief, including the different levels of SBRR, and other rate reliefs is available at:
www.businesslink.gov.uk


Other Help

You can find further details of help available to businesses during the recession at the Real Help Now website