Rate bills will start to arrive with homes and businesses from the start of next week (3rd April 2023).
The bill will set out the amount due for 2023/24, details of any rate relief which has been applied to your account and also any arrears from previous years that have not been paid.
A wide range of rate reliefs and entitlements are available, including support for those entitled to Universal Credit through the Rate Rebate Scheme and a discount for pensioners who live on their own.
Land & Property Services (LPS) encourages anyone having difficulty paying rates to contact them for advice on the range of support available. Full details can be found at www.nidirect.gov.uk/ratespayment.
There are a number of ways to pay your rate bill. The most convenient ways are:
Direct Debit – this is the easiest and most convenient way to pay and it allows you to spread the cost over 10 monthly instalments ft. You can set up a Direct Debit online.
Pay online by debit or credit card at https://www.nidirect.gov.uk/services/pay-your-rates-online
Pay at any Post Office or PayPoint.
Domestic ratepayers can receive 4% discount if they pay their 2023/24 rates in full on or before 12th May 2023.
Businesses may also be able to access a range of rate schemes. More details can be found at www.nibusinessinfo.co.uk/content/help-available-business-rates.
The rateable values of all non-domestic properties have been reassessed and the new values come into force on 1 April 2023. Business rate bills this April will be based on the values in the new non-domestic valuation list.
More details are available on the LPS Reval2023 website https://valuationservices.finance-ni.gov.uk/services/reval2023-values/Search.
If you think the information on your bill is not correct, or if you have not received a bill, please contact LPS.
There are approximately 837,000 rateable domestic properties and around 75,000 non-domestic properties in Northern Ireland.
The average household rate bill in Northern Ireland is £1,112. Comparisons with average Council Tax bills in England, Scotland and Wales are not straightforward because the two systems are very different. However, most households here pay less in rates than equivalent households in other parts of the UK pay in Council Tax.
Small Business Rate Relief has been extended for the 2023/24 year and will be automatically applied to eligible non-domestic rate accounts. Find out more at www.nibusinessinfo.co.uk/content/small-business-rate-relief