What changed
At the Autumn Budget on 28 October 2026 the Chancellor set the business rates package for England from 1 April 2027. The multipliers were published the same day and then updated in MHCLG Business Rates Information Letter 8/2026 so that the retail, hospitality and leisure multipliers sit 5.2p below the small business and standard multipliers. The letter is dated 28 October 2026 and was updated on 30 October 2026. It does not restate the figures it replaced. The rates below are the ones it now sets out. The same five rates are in Annex A of the Budget 2026 Overview of Tax Legislation and Rates.
The 2026/27 multipliers stay in force until 31 March 2027. Nothing in this Budget changes a bill for the year already under way. The Office for Budget Responsibility’s October 2026 Economic and fiscal outlook describes the same support package. It does not set the pence rates. Those come from the information letter and Annex A.
The information letter says the operational detail will be in regulations and guidance, and that the letter should not be used in place of those once they are published.
The 2027/28 multipliers
England, before reliefs and supplements. The 2026/27 column is from MHCLG notification 2/2026.
| Multiplier | Who it applies to | 2026/27 | 2027/28 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Small business | Not retail, hospitality or leisure. Rateable value under £51,000. | 43.2p | 44.7p | +1.5p |
| Standard | Not retail, hospitality or leisure. Rateable value £51,000 to £499,999. | 48.0p | 49.7p | +1.7p |
| Small business RHL | Qualifying retail, hospitality or leisure. Rateable value under £51,000. | 38.2p | 39.5p | +1.3p |
| Standard RHL | Qualifying retail, hospitality or leisure. Rateable value £51,000 to £499,999. | 43.0p | 44.5p | +1.5p |
| High-value | All property types. Rateable value £500,000 or above. | 50.8p | 52.5p | +1.7p |
39.5p is 5.2p below 44.7p. 44.5p is 5.2p below 49.7p. 52.5p is 2.8p above 49.7p. In 2026/27 the retail, hospitality and leisure rates were 5p below the matching national multipliers, and the high-value rate was 2.8p above the standard multiplier (50.8p against 48.0p).
The same multipliers are set out on the UBR 2027/28 page. The year still in force is on the UBR 2026/27 page. The calculator estimates a 2026/27 bill. It does not apply the 2027/28 rates.
Who it affects
Small business multiplier — under £51,000, not retail, hospitality or leisure
From 1 April 2027 the multiplier is 44.7p. A property at a rateable value of £50,000 pays £50,000 × 0.432 = £21,600 in 2026/27 and £50,000 × 0.447 = £22,350 in 2027/28, before reliefs and supplements. That is £750 more from the multiplier alone.
Small Business Rate Relief for property that is not qualifying retail, hospitality or leisure stays at 100% up to £12,000, tapering to nil at £15,000. The Budget did not raise those two thresholds.
Standard multiplier — £51,000 to £499,999, not retail, hospitality or leisure
From 1 April 2027 the multiplier is 49.7p. This is the rate for most offices and industrial or warehouse property in this band. An office at £120,000 pays £120,000 × 0.480 = £57,600 in 2026/27 and £120,000 × 0.497 = £59,640 in 2027/28, before reliefs and supplements. A warehouse at £250,000 pays £250,000 × 0.480 = £120,000 in 2026/27 and £250,000 × 0.497 = £124,250 in 2027/28, on the same basis.
These properties do not use the retail, hospitality and leisure multipliers, and they are not in the real-terms bill cap described below. The 1p Transitional Relief Supplement is extended for 2027/28 and 2028/29. Budget 2026 says it is paid by properties whose bill increase would otherwise sit below the Transitional Relief and Supporting Small Business caps. It is not added to the sums on this page.
Retail, hospitality and leisure
Qualifying property under £500,000 uses 39.5p (rateable value under £51,000) or 44.5p (£51,000 to £499,999) from 1 April 2027. The local council decides whether a property qualifies. The definition is in the GOV.UK guidance on qualifying retail, hospitality or leisure, as amended for the exclusions below.
For qualifying retail, hospitality and leisure property, Small Business Rate Relief thresholds rise from 1 April 2027 to 100% at a rateable value of £18,000 or below, then taper evenly to nil at £21,000. That lasts until 31 March 2029 and will be reviewed at the 2029 revaluation. A qualifying property at £15,000 is above the 2026/27 taper, so it gets no Small Business Rate Relief this year. From 1 April 2027 it can receive 100% relief if the other Small Business Rate Relief conditions are met. The Budget says the higher thresholds take around 70,000 more high street businesses out of business rates.
Qualifying retail, hospitality and leisure bills are capped by CPI inflation in 2027/28 and 2028/29. That is a real-terms freeze, not a freeze in cash, and not a freeze of the multiplier. The cap does not cover a rateable value increase that comes from improvements, or the loss of other reliefs such as improvement relief or hardship relief after 1 April 2026. The information letter says there is no rateable value limit on which qualifying retail, hospitality and leisure property can receive the cap. A property that is unoccupied on 1 April of the year cannot qualify for the cap in that year.
Pubs, social clubs and live music venues get an extra 20 percentage points of relief, taking it from 15% to 35%, in 2027/28 and 2028/29. Live music venues with a rateable value of £1 million or above stay at 15%. They keep the real-terms freeze. The government says the level will be kept under review alongside the 2029 revaluation. The documents used here do not state a cash cap on the 35% relief.
From April 2027, vape shops and adult gaming centres lose the retail, hospitality and leisure multipliers. Vape shops also lose Small Business Rate Relief. Adult gaming centres can still receive Small Business Rate Relief on the £12,000 and £15,000 thresholds. Because the definition of qualifying retail, hospitality and leisure is being amended, the information letter says those exclusions also flow through to the real-terms cap.
High-value property — rateable value £500,000 or above
From 1 April 2027 every property at this level uses 52.5p, including offices, warehouses and retail. The retail, hospitality and leisure multipliers stop at £499,999. A property at £500,000 pays £500,000 × 0.508 = £254,000 in 2026/27 and £500,000 × 0.525 = £262,500 in 2027/28, before reliefs and supplements.
A qualifying retail, hospitality or leisure property at £500,000 or above still pays 52.5p, and it can still be inside the CPI cap if it is occupied on 1 April of the year. There is a worked explanation of the £500,000 line, using the 2026/27 rates, on the high-value multiplier page.
Other changes that affect bills
- Supporting Small Business relief is extended for one further year, from 1 April 2027, for ratepayers who were on the 2023 scheme.
- Transitional Relief Supplement. The 1p supplement runs for two more years, 2027/28 and 2028/29, for properties whose increase would otherwise be below the Transitional Relief and Supporting Small Business caps.
- Second and further properties. The aggregate rateable value threshold used when deciding whether those properties are disregarded for Small Business Rate Relief becomes a single £29,999 for the whole of England until 31 March 2029. It replaces £27,999 in London and £19,999 elsewhere.
- Valuation Tribunal fees. The government will abolish the £150 and £300 fees for non-domestic rating appeals. That covers the 2026 list and later lists, and fees already paid for a 2026-list appeal will be refunded.
- Avoidance. A General Anti-Avoidance Rule for business rates will be introduced after a consultation on its design. From 1 April 2027 the government will reimburse councils’ reasonable external legal costs when they lose a case that tests a point of law. Neither change alters a multiplier.
Plans for mayors and councils to keep a larger share of business rates income change where the money goes. They do not, by themselves, change the multiplier on a bill.
Dates
- 1 April 2024 — rental values used for the 2026 rating list. GOV.UK: business rates revaluation.
- 1 April 2026 — the 2026 list took effect in England and Wales. The 2026/27 multipliers applied from this date.
- 28 October 2026 — Autumn Budget. The multipliers were updated in the information letter published that day and updated on 30 October 2026.
- 31 March 2027 — last day of the 2026/27 multipliers.
- 1 April 2027 — 2027/28 multipliers, the higher retail, hospitality and leisure Small Business Rate Relief thresholds, the 35% relief for pubs, social clubs and most live music venues, the CPI cap, and the extended 1p supplement.
- 31 March 2029 — end of the 2026 list, end of the two-year real-terms cap, and the date until which the higher retail, hospitality and leisure relief thresholds run. The next revaluation is in 2029.
- 2028/29 multipliers — not set in this Budget. The CPI cap is a limit on the bill for qualifying retail, hospitality and leisure property. It is not a published 2028/29 multiplier.
The figures on this page are the England multipliers. The City of London has its own arrangements. A 2027/28 City multiplier is not set out in the Budget documents or the information letter used here. Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland set business rates separately.
What ratepayers should do
- Check the 2026 rateable value. Search the address on Find a business rates valuation, or read the bill. The 2027/28 multiplier is applied to that figure. If the figure is too high, the higher multiplier is applied to the wrong number for the rest of the list.
- Consider Check, Challenge, Appeal. In England you confirm the facts first (Check), then set out why the rateable value is too high (Challenge). An appeal, if it is needed, goes to the Valuation Tribunal. The official steps are on GOV.UK and in the challenge guidance. There is a plain-English account on our Check, Challenge, Appeal page.
- Ask for a free review. Save Business Rates introduces the enquiry to a RICS-regulated specialist. No win, no fee. The form is on the homepage.
- Estimate the current year. The 2026/27 calculator uses the multipliers in force until 31 March 2027. Use the table on this page for the rate from 1 April 2027, and remember that reliefs and the CPI cap can change what is actually billed.
Check the 2026 rating before April 2027
The new multipliers apply to the rateable value on the 2026 list. A free check looks at whether that figure is too high. No fee unless the rateable value is reduced.
Frequently asked questions
Will my business rates go up in April 2027?
The 2026/27 multipliers stay in force until 31 March 2027. From 1 April 2027 the England multipliers are higher: small business 44.7p, standard 49.7p, small business retail, hospitality and leisure 39.5p, standard retail, hospitality and leisure 44.5p, and high-value 52.5p. A bill is the rateable value times the multiplier, before reliefs. Qualifying retail, hospitality and leisure properties have a real-terms cap, so the cash increase can be smaller than the change in the multiplier. Offices, industrial property and other property that is not retail, hospitality and leisure do not get that cap. The 2028/29 multipliers have not been set.
What are the business rates multipliers for 2027/28?
In England, from 1 April 2027: small business 44.7p for non-retail, hospitality and leisure property under a rateable value of £51,000; standard 49.7p from £51,000 to £499,999; small business retail, hospitality and leisure 39.5p; standard retail, hospitality and leisure 44.5p; high-value 52.5p at £500,000 or above. The retail, hospitality and leisure multipliers are 5.2p below the small business and standard multipliers. Source: MHCLG Business Rates Information Letter 8/2026 and Budget 2026 Overview of Tax Legislation and Rates, Annex A.
Who pays the 52.5p high-value business rates multiplier?
From 1 April 2027 the high-value multiplier of 52.5p applies to properties in England with a rateable value of £500,000 or above, whatever the use. Retail, hospitality and leisure multipliers are only for qualifying properties below £500,000. A qualifying retail, hospitality and leisure property at £500,000 or above can still be covered by the real-terms bill cap. There is no rateable value limit on that cap. A property that is vacant on 1 April of the year does not qualify for the cap in that year.
How do I check my rateable value?
Use GOV.UK Find a business rates valuation, or read the figure on the business rates bill. The 2026 rating list took effect on 1 April 2026. It is based on rental values at 1 April 2024 and runs until 31 March 2029. The service also shows how the valuation was calculated. The same rateable value is used with the 2026/27 multiplier until 31 March 2027 and with the 2027/28 multiplier from 1 April 2027.
Can I challenge my 2026 revaluation?
Yes. In England the route for the current list is Check, then Challenge, then an appeal to the Valuation Tribunal if it is needed. A Check has to be decided before a Challenge can start. You need a business rates valuation account. Budget 2026 says the government will abolish the £150 and £300 Valuation Tribunal fees for non-domestic rating appeals on the 2026 list and future lists, and refund fees already paid on the 2026 list. A reduction in rateable value changes the figure the multiplier is applied to for the rest of the list. Start with a free check or the Check, Challenge, Appeal guide.
Do the Autumn Budget 2026 business rates changes apply in Scotland and Wales?
The multipliers and the relief package on this page are for England. They are set out in Budget 2026 and in MHCLG Business Rates Information Letter 8/2026, which is addressed to English billing authorities. Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland set business rates separately. Those rates were not set out in the England documents used here.
Sources
- Budget 2026 (HTML), HM Treasury, published 28 October 2026. Section 7.17 sets out the business rates measures. The high-street package, including the “around 70,000” figure, is in the same document.
- 8/2026: Details of the Budget package and the multipliers for 2027/2028, Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, 28 October 2026, updated 30 October 2026. Paragraph 7 sets the five multipliers. The technical annex covers the CPI cap, Small Business Rate Relief thresholds, the 35% relief, vape shops and adult gaming centres, and the £29,999 aggregate threshold.
- Budget 2026: Overview of Tax Legislation and Rates, Annex A. The business rates table gives the same 2026/27 and 2027/28 multipliers and the rateable-value bands.
- 2/2026: Notification of the non-domestic rating multipliers for 2026/27. Source for the 2026/27 column.
- Economic and fiscal outlook, October 2026, Office for Budget Responsibility, 28 October 2026. Paragraph 3.19 describes the business rates package. It does not publish the pence multipliers.
- Business rates: revaluation, GOV.UK. The 2026 list took effect on 1 April 2026 and is based on rents at 1 April 2024.
- Find a business rates valuation, GOV.UK.
- How to challenge your business rates valuation and Challenging your business rates valuation, GOV.UK.
- Business rates multipliers: qualifying retail, hospitality or leisure, GOV.UK.