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If I don’t pay my business rates?

You must pay your business rates in monthly instalments. Your bill details the amounts you must pay and the dates they are due.

If you do not pay an instalment at the correct time, you will receive a reminder. If you don’t pay the amount on the reminder within seven days, you will have to pay the whole amount of business rates that you owe for the year. 

If you do pay the reminder amount but then miss payments again, we will send you a second and final reminder. If you still do not pay, we will not send you another reminder and you will lose your right to pay by instalments. You will then have to pay the full amount that you owe.

If you do not pay the full balance, we will start legal proceedings and apply to the magistrate’s court for a liability order against you. The summons costs for this action will be £83.70.

The liability order allows us to take any one of the following actions:

  1. arrange for bailiffs to sell some of your goods to pay for your debt.
  2. in the case of sole traders and partnerships apply for you to go to prison for up to 90 days (if the bailiffs could not get enough money from selling your  goods).

If you pay what you owe in full at any time during any of these processes, all action and costs will stop at this point. 

If you are not able to pay in full, you should contact us immediately, as we may agree an arrangement for you to pay what you owe.
Telephone: 01327 322190