Having difficulty paying Business Rates?

If you are having difficulty paying your Business Rates, you should let us know as soon as possible. This page will help Business Rates payers understand the recovery process and offer practical advice on what to do at each stage of the recovery process.

We are sympathetic to the circumstances for ratepayers and will work with you to help put in place arrangements to help you manage your business rates.

Contact us about your arrears

Alternative payment arrangements can be discussed at any time. You do not have to wait until you are issued with a reminder notice or Magistrates Court Summons.

If you are experiencing problems paying your Business Rates account please contact the Business Rates Section immediately. All reasonable proposals will be considered, although we may need additional information regarding your financial situation before any arrangement is considered.

You are not legally obliged to provide this information but it will assist in calculating how much you can afford to pay.

Arrangements can be discussed with a member of staff on 01302 734454, option 2 or by completing the Income and Expenditure form below and returning it to us.

Business Rates Income & Expenditure form

Download (59KB)

Check if you should receive relief or an exemption on your Business Rates

Did you know there are a number of types of relief and exemptions available to businesses, including help for small businesses.

Find out more about Business Rates relief

Find out what happens if you don't pay

If you are unable to pay your Council Tax and are worried about what might happen, you can find out more about our recovery process.

Find out what happens if you don't pay

Get independent debt advice

If you need debt advice, there are a range of charities and non-profit organisations who offer free help and advice who may be able to help you.

Citizens Advice

An independent charity providing free, confidential and impartial advice on the issues affecting people’s lives.

www.citizensadvice.org.uk

Tel: Doncaster Borough Advice line number: 0808 278 7955 or National Advice line number: 0800 144 8848

Citizens Advice Doncaster Borough has several local offices located around Doncaster, details of which can be found at www.citizensadvice.org.uk/local/doncaster-borough

National Debt Line

An independent charity offering free, impartial and confidential debt advice.

Tel: 0808 808 4000

www.nationaldebtline.org

StepChange Debt Charity

Offering free debt advice to help you deal with your debts and find a solution.

Tel: 0800 138 1111

www.stepchange.org

Money Helper

Free and impartial help with money, backed by the Government.

www.moneyhelper.org.uk

Other ways we can help you with your Business Rates bill

Do you find it difficult paying on the 1st of each month? We can change your payment date and how often you have to pay.

You can choose to pay on the 1st, 7th, 15th or 25th of each month. You can change your payment date online.

If these dates are not suitable you may still be able to agree a special payment arrangement where you can choose your own date for each payment and the frequency of your payments. These can be weekly, fortnightly or monthly.

Have you considered paying by Direct Debit?

Do you currently pay over 10 months?

Did you know that you can pay over 12 months to March of each financial year? You can change your payment date online.

Your Business Rates charge will remain the same but you will pay slightly less each month by spreading the cost over two extra months (when paying from April).

Are you struggling to pay your Business Rates because you also have arrears payments for previous years?

You may be able to renegotiate the terms of your arrangement on your arrears in order to keep your Business Rates for this year and future years up to date.

Keeping up to date with your current instalments can save you money, as you will avoid the addition of extra court costs and the worry of further recovery action.

If you can't pay, don`t wait until you get a reminder or a Summons. Contact us now.

You can contact the Business Rates team on 01302 734454, option 2. We may be able to agree payment term with you that take into account your financial circumstances.

Please be aware that certain arrangements will be subject to the addition of costs but this will be avoided where possible.

Business Rates staff are trained to deal with customers with financial difficulty and will treat you with courtesy and respect.