East of England · 2025-26
Business Rates in Ipswich
Businesses in Ipswich paid £61.6m in net business rates during 2025-26, below the average English council's £93.2m.
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Relief granted in Ipswich
Share of £16.4m total relief, 2025-26.
Ipswich at a glance
Ipswich granted £16.4m in relief overall, lower than the national council average of £26.3m. This included £5.0m in Small Business Rate Relief and £2.3m in retail, hospitality and leisure relief.
A further £5.1m went to charity relief and £3.1m to empty property relief, reflecting the mix of ratepayers across the local authority.
Ipswich has an estimated 4,650 active businesses, according to the latest ONS Business Counts (2025).
Ipswich ranks 76 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 Ipswich rose by 17.4% — if this pushed your assessment too high, an appeal may be worth considering.
Frequently asked questions
How much are business rates in Ipswich?
Ipswich's local authority collected £61.6m 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 Ipswich?
Ipswich granted £16.4m in business rates relief in 2025-26, including £5.0m in Small Business Rate Relief, £2.3m in retail, hospitality and leisure relief, £5.1m in charity relief, and £3.1m 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.
Ipswich compared with the East of England and England
- Average rateable value
- £30,559£1,576 below the East of England average (£32,135)£3,431 below the England average (£33,990)
- Largest sector by value
- Other commercial property, 32.7%in line with its 32.9% share in the East of England
- Total rateable value, 2023 to 2026 list
- +12.8%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
Ipswich comes 129th of 296 English councils on average rateable value (£30,559) and 22nd of 45 in the East of England. Other commercial property also accounts for the most properties in Ipswich, at 27.5% of its rateable properties.
Shops and other retail property account for 26.1% of Ipswich's rateable properties and 23.9% of its value, higher than the 20.6% and 18.7% across the East of England. High-value property is limited in Ipswich: around 30 properties were rated at £500,000 or more at March 2026, rising to around 40 on the 2026 list.
Change at the 2026 revaluation
Only 2 of the 44 other councils in the East of England saw a weaker change in total rateable value at the 2026 revaluation than Ipswich's +12.8%. Industrial property saw the biggest rise in Ipswich: total rateable value up 17.4% between the 2023 and 2026 lists, against +20.2% for industrial property across the East of England. Even the weakest sector in Ipswich, retail property, rose 5.8% in total rateable value at the 2026 revaluation, against +9.8% for retail property across the East of England.
Reliefs
Total relief granted in Ipswich equalled 21.0% 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 Ipswich: 31.2% 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 Ipswich 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 Ipswich's £30,559.
- Business rates in Huntingdonshire£30,786 average rateable value, £227 higher than Ipswich
- Business rates in West Suffolk£31,663 average rateable value, £1,104 higher than Ipswich
- Business rates in Brentwood£29,002 average rateable value, £1,557 lower than Ipswich
- Business rates in Colchester£28,342 average rateable value, £2,217 lower than Ipswich
- Business rates in Luton UA£33,300 average rateable value, £2,741 higher than Ipswich
- Business rates in Uttlesford£36,258 average rateable value, £5,699 higher than Ipswich
Figures from MHCLG National Non-Domestic Rates statistics (2025-26), ONS UK Business Counts (2025), and English Indices of Deprivation (2025).
Updates for Ipswich
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