Business rates

Business rates are taxes paid on business properties. Use our online form to register a new business.

Business Rates Tax - Voice messages and Texts

Sometimes the Council will use an automated phone and text service to contact business rates customers about their accounts - outbound calls will come from 01493 236114 or 01493 236128. Find out how the Council is using this technology to improve communication with our customers.

If you sign up to eBilling, your business rates bill will be sent to you by email rather than post, with the following benefits:

• it is easier
• you will receive your annual bill as soon as it is available
• if your circumstances change, you will get your amended bill as soon as it is available
• it saves paper, so is environmentally friendly
• it will help reduce our costs, which in turn will help protect your community's services
• it is free to use

If you have received your bill by email, please read our Business rates explanatory notes 2024/25.

If you would like to sign up for eBilling please read our eBilling terms and conditions and then sign up to eBilling.

Yes you can, using our OPENPortal: My bills and benefits service.

Log in to OPENPortal (opens new window) to access your business rates account with the Council.

If you have not previously used the OPENPortal service, click the Register for an account button and follow the instructions.

Every business property has a rateable value set by the Valuation Office Agency (VOA). The value reflects the annual rent the property would achieve on the open market at a set date.

For the 2023 valuation, which came into effect on the 1 April 2023 the set date was 1 April 2021.

Every year the Government sets the multiplier - or the percentage of the rateable value you have to pay in tax. For the financial year commencing 1 April 2024, this has been set as:

• small business non-domestic multiplier - £0.499 pence for properties with a rateable value of up to £50,999
• standard non-domestic multiplier -  £0.546 pence for properties valued at £51,000 or above

So, if your property has a rateable value of:

• £10,000 you will pay £4,990 in rates (£10,000 multiplied by £0.499 pence)
• £51,000 you will pay £27,846 in rates (£51,000 multiplied by £0.546 pence)

You can find the rateable value of your business via the GOV.UK Find a business rates valuation (opens new window) service.

You can challenge your business rates rateable value for free. You may choose to appoint an agent to carry out this work on your behalf.

If you choose to appoint an agent, you should be aware that there are a number of business rates agents operating around the country. Please see the GOV.UK: Council Tax and business rates scams (opens new window) page for more information.

You can sign up online (opens new window) to pay your business rates by Direct Debit.

Alternatively:

• Pay online (opens new window) 
• pay using our 24-hour automated payment line, telephone 01493 846117

You can also pay by standing order. Our bank details are:

Account name: Great Yarmouth Borough Council General Account
Sort code: 20-99-47
Account number: 13775518
Bank: Barclays Bank plc
Branch: 40-42 Market Place, Great Yarmouth, NR30 1LX

Would you like free debt advice? Visit the Business Debtline (opens new window) website for free advice and resources to help you deal with your business finances and business debts.

You can apply for small business rates relief if:

• Your property's rateable value is less than £15,000 - this changed from £12,000 on 01 April 2017
• Your business only uses one property - however you may still be able to get relief if you get a second property

If you get a second property you can keep getting any existing relief on your main property for 12 months if:

• None of your other properties have a rateable value above £2,899
• The total rateable value of all your properties is less than £20,000 

The following assistance may also be available to you:

• 2024/25 Retail, Hospitality and Leisure Relief Scheme
• Retail discount

You may find the following websites helpful:

• Greater Yarmouth Tourism and Business Improvement Area (GYTABIA) (opens new window)
• Great Yarmouth Town Centre Partnership (opens new window)

If you miss a payment or pay late, we will send you a reminder giving you seven days to pay. If you don't pay the reminder on time, you will be sent a cancellation notice. If you pay, then fall behind again, you will be sent a cancellation notice.

A cancellation notice means that you have lost the right to pay your business rates in instalments and you will have to pay the full outstanding balance within seven days.

If you cannot pay the balance in full, please contact our Customer Services department immediately.

If you fail to pay a cancellation notice, we will issue a summons notice for you to appear in the Magistrates Court. This means you will have to pay any summons costs incurred.

If you don't pay the summons balance in full, the Magistrates Court will issue a Liability Order against you. We will then be able take further recovery which could involve the use of enforcement agents (we use Rundles (opens new window), Rossendales bailiffs (opens new window) and Jacobs (opens new window)), a bankruptcy order or even imprisonment to recover the money. If you contact us after you have been summonsed, we may be able to come to an arrangement.

We often receive Freedom of Information (FOI) requests for information related to business rate accounts.

We now publish spreadsheet data which will be updated at quarterly intervals and covers the most requested information such as:

• property reference
• account name
• property address
• current rateable value
• liability start date
• current valuation description
• relief awarded and start date of this
• gross liability

We have removed accounts relating to individuals and partnerships as this information is exempt under section 40 of the FOIA 2000

Empty property details have been withheld in accordance with Exemption 31(1)(a) of the Freedom of Information Act, as the release of large numbers of empty properties can, and have been attempted to be, used to perpetrate fraud or for other criminal purposes. The public interest in this case is to withhold the information in order to prevent the attempted criminal actions.

Following the Information Commissioner Decision Notice for Wandsworth Borough Council in February 2017 [FS50619844] we do not supply information relating to business rates credits since it is considered that the exemption under Section 31(1)(a) applies  as disclosure of the information would be likely to prejudice the prevention or detection of crime.

Please see our dedicated section about the Business rates revaluation 2023.

Sometimes the Council will use an automated phone and text service to contact business rates customers about their accounts. Find out how the Council is using this technology to improve communication with our customers.

Business Rates contact received by voice message or text

We want to do everything we can to prevent our business rate payers getting into arrears on their business rates and to provide help while we collect what is due.

To improve our communication with business rate payers, the Council is running a telephone call and text campaign to contact those that have fallen behind on their business rate payments.

We may therefore send you a voice message or text to remind you about payments that are due or before we take further recovery action on arrears.

This is a free outbound telephone service which will provide you with the opportunity to request links to our website's payment page or a payment arrangement form.    

Some of the calls we make will give you the option to speak directly to a member of our Business Rates Team so that you can discuss your account with them. The team member will not be able to take payment from you.  

Whilst this service is offered to help prevent business rates payers from falling further into arrears, it should not be relied upon and may not always be available. It remains the responsibility of our business rates payers to make sure that their business rates are paid on time.

Voice Messages

Our business rates outbound calls will come from the following numbers:

• 01493 236114
• 01493 236128

Text Messages

The text messages are sent by Great Yarmouth Borough Council and will show as GYBC. Some of the texts we send will have links to payment or information pages on our website at www.great-yarmouth.gov.uk.

Protecting your data

We will only contact you on a number that we have on file for you and will not ask you to share any personal data when responding to the automated messages.  Any website links we supply by text will be to the website pages of Great Yarmouth Borough Council only.  

If you select an option to speak to a member of the Business Rates Team then this will be answered by one of the Council's own staff who will ask you questions to confirm that you are the account holder.

If you are concerned that contact you have received about your business rates account is not genuine then always make payment by visiting our online payment page or calling our automated payment line on 01493 846117.

Online account access

Manage your Business Rates account online and view your bills, payments made and make payment arrangements by visiting our OPENPortal service.