South West · 2025-26
Business Rates in Dorset UA
Businesses in Dorset UA paid £112.4m in net business rates during 2025-26, above the average English council's £93.2m.
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Relief granted in Dorset UA
Share of £53.7m total relief, 2025-26.
Dorset UA at a glance
Dorset UA granted £53.7m in relief overall, higher than the national council average of £26.3m. This included £22.8m in Small Business Rate Relief and £11.3m in retail, hospitality and leisure relief.
A further £11.2m went to charity relief and £3.6m to empty property relief, reflecting the mix of ratepayers across the local authority.
Dorset UA has an estimated 17,945 active businesses, according to the latest ONS Business Counts (2025).
Dorset UA ranks 180 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 Dorset UA rose by 19.5% — if this pushed your assessment too high, an appeal may be worth considering.
Frequently asked questions
How much are business rates in Dorset UA?
Dorset UA's local authority collected £112.4m 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 Dorset UA?
Dorset UA granted £53.7m in business rates relief in 2025-26, including £22.8m in Small Business Rate Relief, £11.3m in retail, hospitality and leisure relief, £11.2m in charity relief, and £3.6m 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.
Dorset UA compared with the South West and England
- Average rateable value
- £17,498£6,446 below the South West average (£23,944)£16,492 below the England average (£33,990)
- Largest sector by value
- Other commercial property, 39.9%5.9 percentage points above its 34.0% share in the South West
- Total rateable value, 2023 to 2026 list
- +16.7%South West: +17.7%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
Dorset UA ranks 271st of 296 English councils for average rateable value, at £17,498, and 17th of 27 in the South West. The same sector leads on numbers too: 41.4% of Dorset UA's rateable properties fall in the other commercial category.
Retail accounts for 17.5% of Dorset UA's rateable properties and 22.1% of its rateable value, compared with 20.1% and 22.7% across the South West. At March 2026, around 50 of Dorset UA's rateable properties had a rateable value of £500,000 or more, rising to around 60 on the 2026 list.
Change at the 2026 revaluation
Dorset UA's +16.7% change in total rateable value at the 2026 revaluation sits mid-table in the South West: stronger than in 10 of the 26 other councils and weaker than in 15. The sharpest increase in Dorset UA was in other commercial property, where total rateable value rose 19.6% at the 2026 revaluation, compared with +23.0% for other commercial property across the South West. No sector fell in Dorset UA: retail property moved least, up 7.5% at the 2026 revaluation, in line with the +7.7% across the South West.
Reliefs
In 2025-26, relief in Dorset UA came to 31.4% of gross rates payable, above the 21.2% for England as a whole. Small Business Rate Relief was the largest of the four main reliefs in Dorset UA, at 42.6% of total relief, above 28.0% across England.
Source: HM Revenue & Customs, using Valuation Office Agency data, and MHCLG relief returns. Open Government Licence v3.0. Method and rounding: /methodology.
See how Dorset UA compares with the rest of the region: Business rates in South West, State of Business Rates in England 2026 →
Nearby areas
Compare with other councils in the South West
Other South West councils with their average rateable value, listed from the closest to Dorset UA's £17,498.
- Business rates in Teignbridge£17,045 average rateable value, £453 lower than Dorset UA
- Business rates in Torbay UA£18,051 average rateable value, £553 higher than Dorset UA
- Business rates in East Devon£16,334 average rateable value, £1,164 lower than Dorset UA
- Business rates in Cotswold£18,839 average rateable value, £1,341 higher than Dorset UA
- Business rates in Mid Devon£15,311 average rateable value, £2,187 lower than Dorset UA
- Business rates in North Devon£15,284 average rateable value, £2,214 lower than Dorset UA
Figures from MHCLG National Non-Domestic Rates statistics (2025-26), ONS UK Business Counts (2025), and English Indices of Deprivation (2025).
Updates for Dorset
By email.