Apply for business rates reduction and relief

You can claim 80% off your business rates bill if your charity occupies a property mainly used for charitable purposes. This is called mandatory rate relief.

Your organisation will normally have to be registered with the Charity Commission. However, some other organisations can also apply for mandatory rate relief. These include:

• scout or girl guide groups
• voluntary-aided schools
• societies registered under the Friendly Societies Act

Apply for mandatory rate relief

You must continue to pay your business rates as usual until we've processed your application for mandatory rate relief.

When a decision is made

If you get mandatory rate relief, we'll send you a new bill and payment instructions.

If you do not qualify for mandatory rate relief, we'll write to you explaining why.

You can also apply for discretionary rate relief, if:

• you run or are a trustee of a charity and the property is wholly or mainly used for charitable purposes, or;
• all of or part of the property must be occupied by one or more institutions, all of which are not established or conducted for profit and each of whose main objectives are philanthropic, religious or concerned with education, social welfare, science, literature or the fine arts
• the property is wholly or mainly used for purposes of recreation, and all or part of it is occupied for the purpose of a club, society or other organisation not established or conducted for profit

If you wish to apply for discretionary relief, you should check that your organisation meets the conditions of the discretionary rate relief policy.

Apply for discretionary rate relief

You must continue to pay your business rates as usual until we've processed your claim.

We may visit the property before we make a decision.

When a decision is made

If we award discretionary rate relief, we'll send you a new bill and payment instructions.

If you don’t qualify for discretionary rate relief, we'll write to you explaining why.