Supporting Small Business Scheme

The Supporting Small Business Relief scheme (SSB) helps ratepayers who, as a result of the change in their rateable value at revaluation, are losing some or all of their small business rate relief, and will not see their bill increase by more than £50 per month (£600 per year).

This applies to businesses which:

• received small business rate relief in the 2016/17 financial year; and
• saw an increase in their rateable value from April 2017; and
• had a reduction in their small business rate relief from April 2017; and
• saw their business rates bill increase by more than £600 per year from April 2017

The scheme will be in place between 2017/18 and 2021/22.

Each year increases in business rates bills for eligible businesses will be capped at £600.

The discount will end when your bill reaches the amount you would have paid without the scheme, or the property becomes vacant.

We identified those ratepayers who were eligible to receive this relief and bills have been adjusted accordingly.

Due to a postponement in the planned revaluation to April 2023, the SSB scheme will continue for eligible properties up to 31 March 2023.

The award of such discounts is considered state aid (PDF, 54 KB)(opens new window). However, it will be state aid compliant where it is provided in accordance with the De Minimis Regulations (1407/2013). The De Minimis Regulations allow an undertaking to receive up to £200,000 'de minimis' aid over a rolling three-year period.

If you are receiving, or have received, any 'de minimis' aid granted during the current or two previous financial years (from any source), you should inform the local authority immediately with details of the aid received.