East Midlands · 2025-26
Business Rates in Lincoln
Businesses in Lincoln paid £41.2m in net business rates during 2025-26, below the average English council's £93.2m.
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Relief granted in Lincoln
Share of £14.2m total relief, 2025-26.
Lincoln at a glance
Lincoln granted £14.2m in relief overall, lower than the national council average of £26.3m. This included £3.8m in Small Business Rate Relief and £2.3m in retail, hospitality and leisure relief.
A further £5.8m went to charity relief and £1.8m to empty property relief, reflecting the mix of ratepayers across the local authority.
Lincoln has an estimated 2,695 active businesses, according to the latest ONS Business Counts (2025).
Lincoln ranks 47 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 retail property in Lincoln rose by 9.0% — if this pushed your assessment too high, an appeal may be worth considering.
Frequently asked questions
How much are business rates in Lincoln?
Lincoln's local authority collected £41.2m 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 Lincoln?
Lincoln granted £14.2m in business rates relief in 2025-26, including £3.8m in Small Business Rate Relief, £2.3m in retail, hospitality and leisure relief, £5.8m in charity relief, and £1.8m 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.
Lincoln compared with the East Midlands and England
- Average rateable value
- £30,058£1,456 above the East Midlands average (£28,602)£3,932 below the England average (£33,990)
- Largest sector by value
- Other commercial property, 36.2%7.3 percentage points above its 28.9% share in the East Midlands
- Total rateable value, 2023 to 2026 list
- +16.1%East Midlands: +16.4%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, Lincoln sits 135th among England's 296 councils at £30,058, which is 9th of 35 in the East Midlands. Retail property makes up the largest share of Lincoln's rateable properties (29.7%), but other commercial property carries the most rateable value (36.2%).
Shops and other retail property account for 29.7% of Lincoln's rateable properties and 34.4% of its value, higher than the 23.3% and 18.5% across the East Midlands. High-value property is limited in Lincoln: around 20 properties were rated at £500,000 or more at March 2026, rising to around 30 on the 2026 list.
Change at the 2026 revaluation
Of the 34 other councils in the East Midlands, 23 saw a weaker change in total rateable value at the 2026 revaluation than Lincoln's +16.1% and 10 saw a stronger one. Other commercial property saw the biggest rise in Lincoln: total rateable value up 23.7% between the 2023 and 2026 lists, against +20.3% for other commercial property across the East Midlands. Even the weakest sector in Lincoln, office property, rose 8.3% in total rateable value at the 2026 revaluation, against +5.9% for office property across the East Midlands.
Reliefs
Total relief granted in Lincoln equalled 24.6% of gross rates payable in 2025-26, above the 21.2% across English councils taken together. Of the four main reliefs, charity relief accounted for the most in Lincoln: 40.6% of the total, above 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 Lincoln compares with the rest of the region: Business rates in East Midlands, State of Business Rates in England 2026 →
Nearby areas
Compare with other councils in the East Midlands
Other East Midlands councils with their average rateable value, listed from the closest to Lincoln's £30,058.
- Business rates in Charnwood£29,970 average rateable value, £88 lower than Lincoln
- Business rates in Derby UA£29,155 average rateable value, £903 lower than Lincoln
- Business rates in Nottingham UA£28,959 average rateable value, £1,099 lower than Lincoln
- Business rates in Bolsover£31,693 average rateable value, £1,635 higher than Lincoln
- Business rates in Ashfield£28,207 average rateable value, £1,851 lower than Lincoln
- Business rates in Rushcliffe£26,732 average rateable value, £3,326 lower than Lincoln
Figures from MHCLG National Non-Domestic Rates statistics (2025-26), ONS UK Business Counts (2025), and English Indices of Deprivation (2025).
Updates for Lincoln
By email.