East of England · 2025-26
Business Rates in East Hertfordshire
Businesses in East Hertfordshire paid £53.3m in net business rates during 2025-26, below the average English council's £93.2m.
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Relief granted in East Hertfordshire
Share of £19.0m total relief, 2025-26.
East Hertfordshire at a glance
East Hertfordshire granted £19.0m in relief overall, lower than the national council average of £26.3m. This included £5.9m in Small Business Rate Relief and £3.6m in retail, hospitality and leisure relief.
A further £5.5m went to charity relief and £1.9m to empty property relief, reflecting the mix of ratepayers across the local authority.
East Hertfordshire has an estimated 7,930 active businesses, according to the latest ONS Business Counts (2025).
East Hertfordshire ranks 277 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 East Hertfordshire rose by 24.6% — if this pushed your assessment too high, an appeal may be worth considering.
Frequently asked questions
How much are business rates in East Hertfordshire?
East Hertfordshire's local authority collected £53.3m 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 East Hertfordshire?
East Hertfordshire granted £19.0m in business rates relief in 2025-26, including £5.9m in Small Business Rate Relief, £3.6m in retail, hospitality and leisure relief, £5.5m in charity relief, and £1.9m 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.
East Hertfordshire compared with the East of England and England
- Average rateable value
- £27,244£4,891 below the East of England average (£32,135)£6,746 below the England average (£33,990)
- Largest sector by value
- Other commercial property, 36.0%3.1 percentage points above its 32.9% share in the East of England
- Total rateable value, 2023 to 2026 list
- +18.1%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
At £27,244, East Hertfordshire's average rateable value ranks 160th of 296 councils in England and 25th of 45 in the East of England. Industrial property makes up the largest share of East Hertfordshire's rateable properties (32.3%), but other commercial property carries the most rateable value (36.0%).
In East Hertfordshire, retail is 19.5% of rateable properties and 19.8% of rateable value; across the East of England the figures are 20.6% and 18.7%. High-value property is limited in East Hertfordshire: around 30 properties were rated at £500,000 or more at March 2026, unchanged at around 30 on the 2026 list.
Change at the 2026 revaluation
Of the 44 other councils in the East of England, 30 saw a weaker change in total rateable value at the 2026 revaluation than East Hertfordshire's +18.1% and 14 saw a stronger one. Industrial property saw the biggest rise in East Hertfordshire: total rateable value up 24.6% between the 2023 and 2026 lists, against +20.2% for industrial property across the East of England. Even the weakest sector in East Hertfordshire, retail property, rose 9.7% in total rateable value at the 2026 revaluation, in line with the +9.8% across the East of England.
Reliefs
Total relief granted in East Hertfordshire equalled 25.6% of gross rates payable in 2025-26, above the 21.2% across English councils taken together. Of the four main reliefs, Small Business Rate Relief accounted for the most in East Hertfordshire: 31.0% of the total, above the England figure of 28.0%.
Source: HM Revenue & Customs, using Valuation Office Agency data, and MHCLG relief returns. Open Government Licence v3.0. Method and rounding: /methodology.
See how East Hertfordshire 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 East Hertfordshire's £27,244.
- Business rates in Norwich£27,092 average rateable value, £152 lower than East Hertfordshire
- Business rates in East Cambridgeshire£26,894 average rateable value, £350 lower than East Hertfordshire
- Business rates in Braintree£26,598 average rateable value, £646 lower than East Hertfordshire
- Business rates in Mid Suffolk£26,226 average rateable value, £1,018 lower than East Hertfordshire
- Business rates in Colchester£28,342 average rateable value, £1,098 higher than East Hertfordshire
- Business rates in Brentwood£29,002 average rateable value, £1,758 higher than East Hertfordshire
Figures from MHCLG National Non-Domestic Rates statistics (2025-26), ONS UK Business Counts (2025), and English Indices of Deprivation (2025).
Updates for East Hertfordshire
By email.