Please see the links below to take you to the relevant relief:
Relief for Non Profit Making Organisation
Partly Occupied Property Relief
The Government introduced the Small Business Rate Relief (SBRR) scheme on the 1st of April 2005. It is designed to help small businesses reduce their Business Rate bill.
This scheme is still in operation for the 2010 Rating List. If you are currently in receipt of this relief and your circumstances remain unchanged, you will not need to make a further application to receive the relief in 2010/2011. If your circumstances have changed, you should contact us immediately. Relevant changes would include
An increase in the rateable value of a property you occupy which is not in Oldham Council’s billing area
You take up occupation of any property which is not mentioned in your original application for relief.
If you are not currently in receipt of the relief but believe you qualify, you can apply for the relief by contacting the business rates department
As a result of the 2010 Revaluation, the current Small Business Rate Relief rateable value thresholds will increase from 1st April 2010. Ratepayers who occupy only one property in England that has a rateable value of less than £12,000 qualify for the relief.
Ratepayers who have one main property with a rateable value of less than £12,000 and additional properties, providing the additional properties do not have individual RVs of £2600 or more, and the combined RVs of all the properties is less than £18,000 will also qualify for the relief. In calculating relief, your main property will be classed as the property with the higher Rateable Value.
Eligible businesses with rateable values of below £6,000 will receive 50% rate relief on their liability.
This relief will decrease on a sliding scale of 1% for every £120 of rateable value for properties with RVs over £6,000 and up to £11,999.
These charges will be calculated using the lower uniform business rate multiplier
Properties with a rateable value over £12,000 but below £18,000 will not be entitled to relief but are within a designated ‘buffer zone’ and their charge will be calculated using the lower uniform business rate multiplier.
Properties which do not qualify for the relief scheme and are not in the buffer zone will have their charge calculated using the higher uniform business rate multiplier.
If you occupy a main property with a Rateable Value of £ 8,000 and also occupy a second property with a Rateable Value of £1,000, youwill be eligible to claim relief on the main property only.
If you occupy a main property with a Rateable Value of £8,000 and also occupy two more properties,each with a Rateable Value of £1,000, youwill be eligible to claim relief on the main property only.
If you occupy a main property with a Rateable Value of £8,000 and also occupy a second property with a Rateable Value of £4,000, youwillnot be eligible to claim relief because your second property has a Rateable Value greater thanthe £2,600 limit.
If you occupy a main property with a Rateable Value of £14,000 and also occupy two more properties,each with a Rateable Value of £2,250, youwillnot be eligible to claim relief because the sum of the Rateable Values of your properties is greater than £18,000.
Small Business rate Relief cannot be granted for empty properties.
To apply for relief, complete and return the application form.
The council is able to grant reductions in business rates to some organisations.
Registered charities and registered community amateur sports clubs (CASCs) are entitled to an 80% reduction on their business rates bill.
We have discretion to make a further reduction to the remaining 20% of the bill.
To apply for relief, complete and return the application form
Non-profit making organisations have no automatic entitlement to rate relief but the Council can decide to grant discretionary relief to non-profit organisations who are philanthropic or religious in nature, or are concerned with education or social welfare.
To apply for relief, complete and return the application form
The Council has discretion to award rate relief where a business is experiencing hardship. This relief will only be awarded if it is believed to be in the interest of the Oldham Council’s Taxpayers. If your business is suffering hardship that has been caused through exceptional circumstances you may be entitled to relief up to 100%.
To apply for relief, complete and return the application form
Partly-occupied properties are not exempt from paying business rates.
If a property is partly-occupied for a short period of time, we have the discretion to give business rates relief on the part of the property that is unoccupied.
For example, this could apply if your business is moving, due to practical reasons, into or out of a property, in stages.
If discretionary relief is granted, the rateable value will be recalculated. If applicable, empty-property rates will be payable on the unoccupied part and full rates will be payable on the occupied part of the property.
It is not intended that all properties which temporarily become partly occupied should have their liability reduced.
If you want to apply for relief for partly-occupied property,contact the business rates department with the following information:
the address of the property
the name of the current owner or leaseholder
the date from when it was or will be partly-occupied
a plan of the property which identifies the unoccupied area (if available)
reasons for the application
Rural Rate Relief for Village Shops and Post Offices, Pubs and Petrol Filling Stations
Since April 1998 help has been available to certain occupied village shops and post offices.
To qualify for relief, your shop must be within a defined settlement in a designated rural area and this settlement must have a population of less than 3,000 people.
For Oldham, the settlements are currently;
Austerlands, Delph, Denshaw, Diggle, Dobcross, Freizland, Grasscroft, Greenfield, Grotton, Scouthead, Uppermill, Woodhouses
Where there is only one village general store, food shop or post office in a defined settlement with a rateable value of up to £7,000 (£8,500 from 1st April 2010) it will be eligible for 50% relief. Sole village pubs or petrol filling stations with a rateable value of up to £10,500 (£12,500 from 1st April 2010) also qualify for 50% relief.
In addition, ratepayers of these premises can also apply for relief for the remaining 50% of their bill.
Any other businesses in the qualifying rural areas, which have a rateable value of up to £14,000 (£16,500 from 1st April 2010), can apply for relief. However, the Council has sole discretion whether to award the relief or not.
To apply for relief, contact the business rates department