Business rates reductions

Hardship relief

You might be able to get hardship relief if:

  • you would be in financial difficulties without it
  • giving it to you directly benefits the local community

To get the relief, you must show:

  • you are in financial hardship
  • your business provides a local amenity or jobs for the local community
  • your business has a credible future
  • the relief will ensure the business can continue
  • we have enough budget to fund the relief

There is no minimum amount of time you can claim relief for.

The maximum amount of time is 12 months. We do not usually grant relief for this long.

How we decide who gets relief

We decide based on these criteria.

Financial

We will consider:

  • the money you have coming in and the money you have going out
  • your reserves – for example, whether you could use them to stop your financial difficulties
  • other parts of your business – for example, whether there are other areas of your business that could help
  • whether your outgoings are too high – for example, whether you are renting premises that are too large

History and future planning

We will consider:

  • whether there is a specific, one-off reason for the hardship
  • whether you have an improvement plan and the potential for it to be successful
  • whether the relief will be effective, or delay future hardship

Loss of amenity

We will consider:

  • the effect on the local community
  • whether there are other similar local businesses
  • whether large parts of the Birmingham community benefit from your business
  • whether an empty property would be a problem for the local community

Employment implications

We will consider:

  • how many people would be at risk of losing their jobs
  • whether your employees are Birmingham residents
  • whether your employees are family members or job vacancies are open to the public
  • whether jobs are difficult to get in your area

External factors

We will consider:

  • whether regional, national or global events beyond your control have caused the hardship
  • whether central government provides extra funding for these circumstances and UK subsidy control rules

How to apply

You can apply for hardship relief online.

We will issue you a new bill if your application is successful. If your application is not successful, we will write to you to explain why.

How to appeal

This relief is discretionary, so there’s no formal right of appeal.

If you think our decision is wrong, check that you meet the criteria. If you still disagree, contact us within one month of receiving your decision letter.

You should explain why you think you meet the criteria and give us evidence of this. An independent officer will review your application and write to you with the outcome. This is normally within 28 days.

Page last updated: 24 November 2023

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