East of England · 2025-26
Business Rates in Epping Forest
Businesses in Epping Forest paid £41.1m in net business rates during 2025-26, below the average English council's £93.2m.
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Relief granted in Epping Forest
Share of £16.5m total relief, 2025-26.
Epping Forest at a glance
Epping Forest granted £16.5m in relief overall, lower than the national council average of £26.3m. This included £6.7m in Small Business Rate Relief and £3.2m in retail, hospitality and leisure relief.
A further £4.2m went to charity relief and £1.2m to empty property relief, reflecting the mix of ratepayers across the local authority.
Epping Forest has an estimated 8,535 active businesses, according to the latest ONS Business Counts (2025).
Epping Forest ranks 215 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 Epping Forest rose by 18.9% — if this pushed your assessment too high, an appeal may be worth considering.
Frequently asked questions
How much are business rates in Epping Forest?
Epping Forest's local authority collected £41.1m 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 Epping Forest?
Epping Forest granted £16.5m in business rates relief in 2025-26, including £6.7m in Small Business Rate Relief, £3.2m in retail, hospitality and leisure relief, £4.2m in charity relief, and £1.2m 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.
Epping Forest compared with the East of England and England
- Average rateable value
- £23,858£8,277 below the East of England average (£32,135)£10,132 below the England average (£33,990)
- Largest sector by value
- Industrial property, 35.7%in line with its 34.6% share in the East of England
- Total rateable value, 2023 to 2026 list
- +17.3%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, Epping Forest sits 206th among England's 296 councils at £23,858, which is 32nd of 45 in the East of England. Industrial property also accounts for the most properties in Epping Forest, at 36.1% of its rateable properties.
In Epping Forest, retail is 20.4% of rateable properties and 22.8% of rateable value; across the East of England the figures are 20.6% and 18.7%. High-value property is limited in Epping Forest: around 20 properties were rated at £500,000 or more at March 2026, unchanged at around 20 on the 2026 list.
Change at the 2026 revaluation
Of the 44 other councils in the East of England, 28 saw a weaker change in total rateable value at the 2026 revaluation than Epping Forest's +17.3% and 16 saw a stronger one. Office property saw the biggest rise in Epping Forest: total rateable value up 22.0% between the 2023 and 2026 lists, against +13.2% for office property across the East of England. Even the weakest sector in Epping Forest, retail property, rose 11.2% in total rateable value at the 2026 revaluation, against +9.8% for retail property across the East of England.
Reliefs
Total relief granted in Epping Forest equalled 28.4% 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 Epping Forest: 40.6% 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 Epping Forest 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 Epping Forest's £23,858.
- Business rates in North Hertfordshire£24,403 average rateable value, £545 higher than Epping Forest
- Business rates in Fenland£24,510 average rateable value, £652 higher than Epping Forest
- Business rates in Castle Point£22,902 average rateable value, £956 lower than Epping Forest
- Business rates in Broadland£22,799 average rateable value, £1,059 lower than Epping Forest
- Business rates in Breckland£22,366 average rateable value, £1,492 lower than Epping Forest
- Business rates in Southend-on-Sea UA£21,697 average rateable value, £2,161 lower than Epping Forest
Figures from MHCLG National Non-Domestic Rates statistics (2025-26), ONS UK Business Counts (2025), and English Indices of Deprivation (2025).
Updates for Epping Forest
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