If you can't pay your business rates

If you are experiencing financial difficulties and can't pay your business rates, you should contact us immediately, so that we can help.

Call 01483 523522

What happens if you don't pay

Reminders and payments

If you do not pay an instalment at the correct time, you will receive a reminder. If you don't pay the amount on the reminder within seven days, you will have to pay the whole amount of business rates that you owe for the year.

If you do pay the reminder amount but then miss a payment again, you will have to pay the whole amount of business rates that you owe for the year.

Legal proceedings

If you do not pay the full balance, we will start legal proceedings and apply to the magistrate's court for a liability order against you. The summons costs for this action will be £132.60.  If the court grants the liability order, you will have to pay £3.10 on top of the £132.60.

The liability order allows us to:

1. employ enforcement agents to seize goods to pay for your debt
2. start insolvency proceedings against you
3. make an application for your committal to prison for a maximum of three months (if the enforcement agent is unable to recover the debt).

If you pay what you owe, from the date we receive payment all action and costs will stop.

If you can't pay in full

If you are not able to pay in full, you should contact us immediately on 01483 523522, as we may agree an arrangement for you to pay what you owe.