Business Rates

Business rates is a local tax paid on all business/non-domestic properties.

Business rates are charged on most business properties such as shops, offices, pubs, warehouses and factories. However, the property does not have to be used for a business – if it is used for purposes which are not domestic it is likely to be rateable. We will send you a business rates bill each year.

Non-domestic rates (business rates) collected by local authorities ensures that anyone who occupies non-domestic property contributes towards the cost of local services.

Under the business rates retention arrangements introduced from 1 April 2013, authorities keep a proportion of the business rates paid locally. This provides a direct financial incentive for authorities to work with local businesses to create a favourable local environment for growth as authorities will benefit from growth in business rates revenues.

Local authority services are funded by business rates, council tax, revenue support grants provided by the Government and some others fees.

Visit Gov.uk for further information about the business rates system, including transitional and other reliefs.

Rates are payable on most occupied and some empty properties. However, there are certain classes of property that don’t have to pay. Please see our exemptions and reliefs page for more information.

In this section you can find out how rates are calculated, how to pay, revaluation and much more.

View business rates explanatory notes for 2026/27 [pdf] 126KB.

Changes announced in the Autumn Budget 2025

The government announced that, from April 2026, new retail, hospitality and leisure (RHL) multipliers would be set 5p below the relevant national multipliers for qualifying properties with rateable values below £500k, funded by a high-value multiplier 2.8p above the national standard multiplier for properties with rateable values of £500,000 and above.
The Non-Domestic Rating Multipliers for 2026/27 will be as follows:

Small business RHL multiplier: 38.2p
Small business non-domestic rating multiplier: 43.2p
Standard RHL multiplier: 43.0p
Standard non-domestic rating multiplier: 48.0p
High-value non-domestic rating multiplier: 50.8p
Transitional Relief – To support ratepayers facing large bill increases at the revaluation the government is introducing a redesigned Transitional Relief scheme worth £3.2 billion.
Transitional Relief Supplement – a 1p supplement to the relevant tax rate for ratepayers who do not receive Transitional Relief or the Supporting Small Business scheme to partially fund Transitional Relief. This will apply for one year from 1 April 2026.
2026 Supporting Small Business Scheme (SSB relief) – bill increases for businesses losing some or all of their small business rates relief or rural rate relief will be capped at the higher of £800 or the relevant transitional relief caps from 1 April 2026. The 2026 SSB relief scheme has been expanded to ratepayers losing their RHL relief. The government has also announced a one-year extension of the 2023 Supporting Small Business scheme from 1 April 2026. This support is applied before changes in other reliefs and local supplements.
100% relief for Eligible Electric Vehicle Charging Points and Electric Vehicle only forecourts (EVCP relief) – a ten-year 100% business rates relief for EVCPs separately assessed by the VOA and Electric Vehicle only forecourts to ensure that they face no business rates liability.
A high-value business rates multiplier for properties with rateable values of £500k and above at 2.8p above the national standard multiplier.
Extending the Small Business Rates Relief (SBRR) grace-period from one to three years, meaning businesses will now remain eligible for SBRR on their first property for three years after expanding into a second property.
Call for Evidence: Business Rates and Investment – A Call for Evidence has been published on the role business rates play in investment and the impact of the Receipts and Expenditure valuation method.

View more information on the Government's 2025 Autumn Budget.

Your revenues service

The aim of our revenues service is to provide the borough's businesses with a reliable and efficient service. We issue business rates bills, process changes, provide advice and recover unpaid debts.

If any of your circumstances change you may need to let us know, please email the business rates team.

Business rates e-billing

You can sign up for future e-billing, so that your invoices are sent by email rather than in the post.

Contact business rates

The administration of business rates for the borough of Ashford is handled by Partnership One as part of a programme for Kent councils to work together.

Contact details:

Telephone: 01227 862316

Email the business rates team.