How Business Rates are Calculated
From April 1 2026, there will be significant changes to how Business Rates are calculated. These changes may affect the amount you pay. Find out more about what changes are coming in in 2026.
What rateable value means
The Valuation office carries out revaluations every 3 years and the next revaluation will come into effect from 1st April 2023, for further information please visit the Valuation Office Agency website. The rateable value is an estimate of how much yearly rent the property could have earned on a particular date. Currently the date is 1st April 2021 for the current revaluation and that took place on 1st April 2023.
Rateable values aren't set by the council but by the Valuation Office Agency, who are part of HM Revenues and Customs.
The next revaluation will come into effect on 1 April 2026. Find out more, including advice on how to get ready.
Ratepayers in England can also now use the business rates valuation service to get an estimate of what their business rates bill might be from 1 April 2026. This is only intended to give an indication of what their bill may be and may not take into account all reliefs that a ratepayer may be eligible for.
Rateable values aren't set by the council but by the Valuation Office Agency, who are part of HM Revenues and Customs.
The multiplier
Each year on 1 April the multiplier is changed by the government depending on the level of inflation.
In 2024/25 the multiplier is 0.546, so if your rateable value was £100,000 we would multiply this by 0.546p and your bill would be £54,600.
Changes to the rateable value
The rateable value may change if any physical changes are made to your property, for example building or demolishing an extension. Please ensure that you tell us about any changes as soon as possible.
Appeal about your rateable value
You have the right to appeal to the Valuation Office Agency about your rateable value if you think it's too high, even if there haven't been any changes to the property or your business.
You can find out more about grounds for an appeal and how the process works on the Gov.uk - Business Rates Appeals page.
Contact us
Tel: 01279 655261 Ext 7223
Write to:
Business Rates Section
East Herts Council
Wallfields
Pegs Lane
Hertford
Herts
SG13 8EQ