South East · 2025-26
Business Rates in Portsmouth UA
Businesses in Portsmouth UA paid £97.6m in net business rates during 2025-26, above the average English council's £93.2m.
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Relief granted in Portsmouth UA
Share of £26.4m total relief, 2025-26.
Portsmouth UA at a glance
Portsmouth UA granted £26.4m in relief overall, higher than the national council average of £26.3m. This included £7.2m in Small Business Rate Relief and £4.7m in retail, hospitality and leisure relief.
A further £9.9m went to charity relief and £2.7m to empty property relief, reflecting the mix of ratepayers across the local authority.
Portsmouth UA has an estimated 6,020 active businesses, according to the latest ONS Business Counts (2025).
Portsmouth UA ranks 64 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 Portsmouth UA rose by 16.2% — if this pushed your assessment too high, an appeal may be worth considering.
Frequently asked questions
How much are business rates in Portsmouth UA?
Portsmouth UA's local authority collected £97.6m 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 Portsmouth UA?
Portsmouth UA granted £26.4m in business rates relief in 2025-26, including £7.2m in Small Business Rate Relief, £4.7m in retail, hospitality and leisure relief, £9.9m in charity relief, and £2.7m 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.
Portsmouth UA compared with the South East and England
- Average rateable value
- £33,850£1,446 below the South East average (£35,296)£140 below the England average (£33,990)
- Largest sector by value
- Other commercial property, 37.4%4.9 percentage points above its 32.5% share in the South East
- Total rateable value, 2023 to 2026 list
- +15.9%South East: +19.7%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
Portsmouth UA comes 105th of 296 English councils on average rateable value (£33,850) and 32nd of 64 in the South East. The same sector leads on numbers too: 34.9% of Portsmouth UA's rateable properties fall in the other commercial category.
Retail makes up 30.0% of Portsmouth UA's rateable properties and 25.3% of its rateable value, both above the 22.5% and 20.7% across the South East. At March 2026, around 50 of Portsmouth UA's rateable properties had a rateable value of £500,000 or more, rising to around 60 on the 2026 list.
Change at the 2026 revaluation
Portsmouth UA's +15.9% change in total rateable value at the 2026 revaluation sits mid-table in the South East: stronger than in 21 of the 63 other councils and weaker than in 41. The sharpest increase in Portsmouth UA was in other commercial property, where total rateable value rose 21.0% at the 2026 revaluation, compared with +26.7% for other commercial property across the South East. No sector fell in Portsmouth UA: retail property moved least, up 9.2% at the 2026 revaluation, compared with +10.8% for retail property across the South East.
Reliefs
In 2025-26, relief in Portsmouth UA came to 21.3% of gross rates payable, close to the 21.2% for England as a whole. Charity relief was the largest of the four main reliefs in Portsmouth UA, at 37.7% of total relief, above 29.7% 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 Portsmouth UA compares with the rest of the region: Business rates in South East, State of Business Rates in England 2026 →
Nearby areas
Compare with other councils in the South East
Other South East councils with their average rateable value, listed from the closest to Portsmouth UA's £33,850.
- Business rates in Fareham£34,183 average rateable value, £333 higher than Portsmouth UA
- Business rates in Mole Valley£33,505 average rateable value, £345 lower than Portsmouth UA
- Business rates in Tunbridge Wells£34,197 average rateable value, £347 higher than Portsmouth UA
- Business rates in Swale£34,409 average rateable value, £559 higher than Portsmouth UA
- Business rates in Test Valley£34,461 average rateable value, £611 higher than Portsmouth UA
- Business rates in Gravesham£32,572 average rateable value, £1,278 lower than Portsmouth UA
Figures from MHCLG National Non-Domestic Rates statistics (2025-26), ONS UK Business Counts (2025), and English Indices of Deprivation (2025).
Updates for Portsmouth
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