Pay your business rates
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Pay your business rates
You can pay your business rates online using a debit or credit card. You can also set up a direct debit, pay by phone, or use your own bank systems.
Pay your business rates
We offer 3 payments dates on which your rates can be collected - the 1st, 10th, or 20th of each month. You are billed annually but have the right to pay in monthly instalments. The best way to pay is by direct debit and you can set this up through the form in the related documents section of this page.
To pay online you will need the reference number from your demand notice, as well as a way to pay, and your details. Paying should take under 5 minutes.
Other ways to pay your business rates
If you aren't able to use our online system you can pay by:
- 24 hour automated telephone line: Freephone 0800 090 2223
- setting up a direct debit: download the form from the related documents section and return to us
- your own banking systems - our details are: sort code 20-55-70 and account number 03619389. Use the reference from your demand notice as the payment reference to help us process the payment quickly.
Late payments
We offer 3 payment collection dates on which your business rates can be collected - 1st, 10th or 20th of each month. If an instalment is not paid by the due date we may issue a Reminder Notice.
If you do not make payment within 7 days of a Reminder Notice being issued the right to pay by instalments is lost and the whole balance for the remainder of the year becomes due.
If you bring your account up to date within 7 days of the first reminder notice but you are subsequently late in paying an instalment on a second occasion we are entitled to issue a Final Notice for the remaining balance of the annual charge.
If payment for the whole year has become due and is not paid in full you will receive a summons to Magistrates' Court. There is a charge of £80 once we issue a summons.
If a Liability Order is granted by the court we decide the next stage of enforcement. This may be:
- taking control of goods through an enforcement agent previously known as bailiffs
- committal to prison
- petition to the court for a declaration of bankruptcy
- petition to the court for a winding up order
- application for a charging order on the property.
There are charges for different stages of the enforcement process:
- summons to court - £80
- compliance stage of enforcement - £75
- enforcement stage - £235 + 7.5% of any debt over £1500
- sale or disposal - £110 + 7.5% of any debt over £1500.
There may be further fees if the final stage of sale or disposal stage is reached.