East of England · 2025-26
Business Rates in Chelmsford
Businesses in Chelmsford paid £80.3m in net business rates during 2025-26, below the average English council's £93.2m.
Are you paying too much in Chelmsford?
Check your rateable value and relief eligibility in about 60 seconds. Free, no sign-up.
Relief granted in Chelmsford
Share of £23.9m total relief, 2025-26.
Chelmsford at a glance
Chelmsford granted £23.9m in relief overall, lower than the national council average of £26.3m. This included £6.1m in Small Business Rate Relief and £4.1m in retail, hospitality and leisure relief.
A further £7.2m went to charity relief and £4.7m to empty property relief, reflecting the mix of ratepayers across the local authority.
Chelmsford has an estimated 8,180 active businesses, according to the latest ONS Business Counts (2025).
Chelmsford ranks 230 out of 296 local authorities in England on the 2025 Index of Multiple Deprivation, where 1 is most deprived and 296 is least deprived.
Following the 2026 revaluation, the total rateable value of industrial property in Chelmsford rose by 16.7% — if this pushed your assessment too high, an appeal may be worth considering.
Frequently asked questions
How much are business rates in Chelmsford?
Chelmsford's local authority collected £80.3m in net business rates income during 2025-26, based on the national multiplier applied to each property's rateable value, less any relief granted.
What reliefs are available in Chelmsford?
Chelmsford granted £23.9m in business rates relief in 2025-26, including £6.1m in Small Business Rate Relief, £4.1m in retail, hospitality and leisure relief, £7.2m in charity relief, and £4.7m in empty property relief.
How do I know if I'm overpaying?
If your rateable value looks high compared to similar properties nearby, or you're not currently receiving relief you may be entitled to, it's worth checking your assessment. Use our free checker to compare your rateable value and see if you may be eligible for a reduction or backdated refund.
Chelmsford compared with the East of England and England
- Average rateable value
- £39,030£6,895 above the East of England average (£32,135)£5,040 above the England average (£33,990)
- Largest sector by value
- Other commercial property, 33.1%in line with its 32.9% share in the East of England
- Total rateable value, 2023 to 2026 list
- +13.8%East of England: +18.3%England: +19.6%
Counts and rateable values are from the stock of properties at March 2026, on the 2023 rating list. Changes are from the 2026 revaluation, comparing the 2023 rating list with the 2026 rating list.
Property mix
On average rateable value, Chelmsford sits 73rd among England's 296 councils at £39,030, which is 16th of 45 in the East of England. Industrial property makes up the largest share of Chelmsford's rateable properties (30.7%), but other commercial property carries the most rateable value (33.1%).
In Chelmsford, retail is 21.5% of rateable properties and 24.4% of rateable value; across the East of England the figures are 20.6% and 18.7%. High-value property is limited in Chelmsford: around 50 properties were rated at £500,000 or more at March 2026, unchanged at around 50 on the 2026 list.
Change at the 2026 revaluation
Only 6 of the 44 other councils in the East of England saw a weaker change in total rateable value at the 2026 revaluation than Chelmsford's +13.8%. Other commercial property saw the biggest rise in Chelmsford: total rateable value up 17.1% between the 2023 and 2026 lists, against +22.9% for other commercial property across the East of England. Even the weakest sector in Chelmsford, office property, rose 7.8% in total rateable value at the 2026 revaluation, against +13.2% for office property across the East of England.
Reliefs
Total relief granted in Chelmsford equalled 21.7% of gross rates payable in 2025-26, close to the 21.2% across English councils taken together. Of the four main reliefs, charity relief accounted for the most in Chelmsford: 30.0% of the total, close to the England figure of 29.7%.
Source: HM Revenue & Customs, using Valuation Office Agency data, and MHCLG relief returns. Open Government Licence v3.0. Method and rounding: /methodology.
See how Chelmsford compares with the rest of the region: Business rates in East of England, State of Business Rates in England 2026 →
Nearby areas
Compare with other councils in the East of England
Other East of England councils with their average rateable value, listed from the closest to Chelmsford's £39,030.
- Business rates in Bedford UA£37,938 average rateable value, £1,092 lower than Chelmsford
- Business rates in Basildon£41,477 average rateable value, £2,447 higher than Chelmsford
- Business rates in Uttlesford£36,258 average rateable value, £2,772 lower than Chelmsford
- Business rates in Central Bedfordshire UA£41,853 average rateable value, £2,823 higher than Chelmsford
- Business rates in Broxbourne£44,397 average rateable value, £5,367 higher than Chelmsford
- Business rates in Luton UA£33,300 average rateable value, £5,730 lower than Chelmsford
Figures from MHCLG National Non-Domestic Rates statistics (2025-26), ONS UK Business Counts (2025), and English Indices of Deprivation (2025).
Updates for Chelmsford
By email.