Problems paying your bill
If you are having difficulties in paying your Business Rates, please contact us using our online enquiry form as soon as possible so that we can discuss payment options with you.
If you delay contacting us, things are likely to get worse and we can normally help to overcome temporary difficulties.
If your business needs further help or support, please visit these websites:
What we can do to help you
- we can look to spread future years over 12 months from April to March. Or discuss a payment arrangement with more suitable payment dates and frequency
- we can check your bill is correct and that you are receiving all relevant reliefs and exemptions
- we can consider a temporary hold on our recovery actions or those of our Enforcement Agents
What happens if Business Rates bills are not paid
Reminder or Final Notice
Your business rate bill has specified amounts and due date(s) that you must pay promptly. Our recovery process is automated, therefore, if you fail to pay on time, you will be automatically sent a reminder or final notice. The law does not require us to send any further reminders if you remain in arrears.
Summons
If you do not keep instalments up to date as detailed on the reminder or pay the amount in full, if you receive a final notice, we will arrange for a summons to be issued.
Upon issue you will immediately incur court costs of £85. These are the costs incurred by us for taking recovery action. If you pay the full balance (including costs) before the date of the court hearing the magistrates will be informed of this. If you do not dispute the debt, a special payment arrangement will automatically be set up giving you instalments. There is no need to attend the court hearing.
If you cannot afford the instalments on the payment arrangement it is important that you contact us as soon as possible to discuss your case. Please contact us using our online enquiry form.
Liability Orders
At the video court hearing the Council will request a Liability Order to be awarded against you. You can contest this in a personal video hearing but you must contact the Council to arrange this. The Council/Magistrates Court would expect you to discuss your cases before the hearing, but you could argue any of the following as a valid defence:
- your property has no rateable value in the Local Rating List
- the demand notice (bill) has not been correctly calculated
- the Council has not followed statutes or regulations
- you can prove your Bill/Reminders and Summons have not been served correctly
- the Council Officer is not duly authorised to carry out the court proceedings
- more than 6 years have elapsed since the original bill was issued
- you are subject to insolvency proceedings
- you can evidence your payment(s) have been allocated elsewhere
- someone else either owned/occupied the premises for the period in question.
It is not a valid court defence if:
- you are applying for or appealing against the assessment or Rateable Value to the Valuation Office Agency
- you say you simply cannot afford to pay or have made a partial payment
- you are holding onto your payment due to a grievance with the Council.
Once granted the Liability Order gives the council additional powers to:
- use external Enforcement Agents (bailiffs) who will charge you a £79 Compliance Fee, should they start recovery action against you.
- If they must visit you, a further Enforcement Fee of £247 will be added to your account.
- If the amount owed is over £1,900 an additional 7.5% will also be charged.
- These amounts are statutory in accordance with the Taking Control of Goods (Miscellaneous Amendments) Regulations 2026 and cannot be refunded once charged.
- instigate bankruptcy/insolvency proceedings
- make an application back to the Magistrates Court for your committal to prison – sole traders only.
