Checked against the rating list and the rules in force as at 2026-08-23.
Supporting Small Business relief 2026 is for ratepayers who lost some or all of their small business rate relief, or rural rate relief, because their rateable value rose at the April 2026 revaluation. It caps the increase in the bill at £800 a year, or the transitional relief percentage if that is higher. Your council applies it automatically. On the 2026 list, 9,390 London retail, hospitality and leisure premises moved from £12,000 or below to above it, and those are the premises it is aimed at.
You had small business rate relief or rural rate relief on 31 March 2026, and the new rateable value took some or all of it away. That includes moving from the full band into the tapered band, and moving out of the tapered band altogether.
It also covers ratepayers who lost retail, hospitality and leisure relief or 2023 supporting small business relief at the revaluation, on the terms your council publishes.
The bill can rise by no more than £800 a year, or by the transitional relief percentage for the band if that is a larger amount. The scheme runs from 2026/27 to 2028/29. Anyone who was still on the 2023 scheme on 31 March 2026 gets the 2026 scheme for one year only, to 31 March 2027.
It is applied by your council without an application. It shows as its own line on the bill.
We compared the 2023 and 2026 rateable values of every London retail, hospitality and leisure premises. 9,390, or 8.6%, were at £12,000 or below on the 2023 list and are above it on the 2026 list. In Sutton it is 20.9% of premises, in Bromley 15.4%, in Barking and Dagenham 14.9%. In the City of London it is 0.5%, in Westminster 1.4%.
These are premises whose value crossed the line. Whether the occupier held the relief before, and so qualifies for the cap now, is on the bill and not in the public data.
| Borough | Crossed £12,000 at the revaluation | Share of premises |
|---|---|---|
| Sutton | 399 | 20.9% |
| Bromley | 514 | 15.4% |
| Barking and Dagenham | 238 | 14.9% |
| Havering | 363 | 14.6% |
| Croydon | 542 | 14.1% |
| Waltham Forest | 462 | 13.6% |
| Merton | 238 | 13.2% |
| Hackney | 457 | 12.9% |
| Enfield | 348 | 11.3% |
| Haringey | 363 | 11.0% |
| Lewisham | 316 | 10.7% |
| Redbridge | 317 | 10.6% |
| Barnet | 414 | 10.3% |
| Lambeth | 374 | 10.1% |
| Harrow | 228 | 9.9% |
| Hillingdon | 275 | 9.9% |
| Kingston upon Thames | 172 | 9.8% |
| Ealing | 390 | 9.4% |
| Islington | 330 | 8.6% |
| Wandsworth | 279 | 7.9% |
| Bexley | 166 | 7.6% |
| Newham | 310 | 7.6% |
| Tower Hamlets | 320 | 7.4% |
| Hounslow | 176 | 7.3% |
| Greenwich | 175 | 6.9% |
| Brent | 247 | 6.7% |
| Hammersmith and Fulham | 226 | 6.6% |
| Southwark | 231 | 5.8% |
| Richmond upon Thames | 138 | 5.6% |
| Camden | 169 | 3.3% |
| Kensington and Chelsea | 74 | 1.9% |
| Westminster | 130 | 1.4% |
| City of London | 9 | 0.5% |
Automatic means the council’s system applies it when the account is flagged correctly. If your value crossed the line and the bill has gone up by more than £800 with no supporting small business relief line, ask the council why. If you would rather we did, send the bill.
Every retail and hospitality premises in London has been checked against the official rating list. Enter your address to see yours. No sign-up, no phone number.
Public data only. We do not ask for your rates bill, and there is nothing to upload.
If there's nothing to save, we say so.
Send your address, or a photo of your bill, and we’ll tell you within one working day whether there is anything worth looking at. WhatsApp 07594 933857.
If there's nothing to save, we say so. James replies personally within one working day, usually sooner. We reply by WhatsApp, text or email, never a cold call. No mailing lists.
Sources: Supporting small business relief (GOV.UK) · 2026 Supporting Small Business Relief: local authority guidance (GOV.UK)
Each borough page carries the spread of rateable values and the value per square metre, by type of premises. It also ranks the most expensive streets in the borough. Those aggregations are ours.
We checked 109,537 London retail and hospitality premises against the 2026 rating list — seeing your street’s figures is free, no sign-up.