East of England · 2025-26
Business Rates in East Suffolk
Businesses in East Suffolk paid £108.2m in net business rates during 2025-26, above the average English council's £93.2m.
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Relief granted in East Suffolk
Share of £30.8m total relief, 2025-26.
East Suffolk at a glance
East Suffolk granted £30.8m in relief overall, higher than the national council average of £26.3m. This included £11.9m in Small Business Rate Relief and £5.1m in retail, hospitality and leisure relief.
A further £6.6m went to charity relief and £4.3m to empty property relief, reflecting the mix of ratepayers across the local authority.
East Suffolk has an estimated 9,295 active businesses, according to the latest ONS Business Counts (2025).
East Suffolk ranks 131 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 Suffolk rose by 17.1% — if this pushed your assessment too high, an appeal may be worth considering.
Frequently asked questions
How much are business rates in East Suffolk?
East Suffolk's local authority collected £108.2m 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 Suffolk?
East Suffolk granted £30.8m in business rates relief in 2025-26, including £11.9m in Small Business Rate Relief, £5.1m in retail, hospitality and leisure relief, £6.6m in charity relief, and £4.3m 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 Suffolk compared with the East of England and England
- Average rateable value
- £20,161£11,974 below the East of England average (£32,135)£13,829 below the England average (£33,990)
- Largest sector by value
- Other commercial property, 46.8%13.9 percentage points above its 32.9% share in the East of England
- Total rateable value, 2023 to 2026 list
- +23.5%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 £20,161, East Suffolk's average rateable value ranks 246th of 296 councils in England and 38th of 45 in the East of England. The same sector leads on numbers too: 52.1% of East Suffolk's rateable properties fall in the other commercial category.
Retail makes up 17.1% of East Suffolk's rateable properties and 17.0% of its rateable value, both below the 20.6% and 18.7% across the East of England. At March 2026, around 40 of East Suffolk's rateable properties had a rateable value of £500,000 or more, rising to around 50 on the 2026 list.
Change at the 2026 revaluation
East Suffolk's +23.5% change in total rateable value at the 2026 revaluation was stronger than in 41 of the 44 other councils in the East of England. The sharpest increase in East Suffolk was in other commercial property, where total rateable value rose 34.7% at the 2026 revaluation, compared with +22.9% for other commercial property across the East of England. No sector fell in East Suffolk: retail property moved least, up 8.5% at the 2026 revaluation, compared with +9.8% for retail property across the East of England.
Reliefs
In 2025-26, relief in East Suffolk came to 21.7% of gross rates payable, close to the 21.2% for England as a whole. Small Business Rate Relief was the largest of the four main reliefs in East Suffolk, at 38.6% 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 East Suffolk 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 Suffolk's £20,161.
- Business rates in South Norfolk£20,192 average rateable value, £31 higher than East Suffolk
- Business rates in Rochford£19,899 average rateable value, £262 lower than East Suffolk
- Business rates in Babergh£19,797 average rateable value, £364 lower than East Suffolk
- Business rates in Southend-on-Sea UA£21,697 average rateable value, £1,536 higher than East Suffolk
- Business rates in North Norfolk£11,418 average rateable value, £8,743 lower than East Suffolk
- Business rates in Tendring£10,992 average rateable value, £9,169 lower than East Suffolk
Figures from MHCLG National Non-Domestic Rates statistics (2025-26), ONS UK Business Counts (2025), and English Indices of Deprivation (2025).
Updates for East Suffolk
By email.