East of England · 2025-26
Business Rates in St Albans
Businesses in St Albans paid £65.4m in net business rates during 2025-26, below the average English council's £93.2m.
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Relief granted in St Albans
Share of £20.6m total relief, 2025-26.
St Albans at a glance
St Albans granted £20.6m in relief overall, lower than the national council average of £26.3m. This included £3.2m in Small Business Rate Relief and £5.2m in retail, hospitality and leisure relief.
A further £8.0m went to charity relief and £2.8m to empty property relief, reflecting the mix of ratepayers across the local authority.
St Albans has an estimated 8,200 active businesses, according to the latest ONS Business Counts (2025).
St Albans ranks 289 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 St Albans rose by 31.1% — if this pushed your assessment too high, an appeal may be worth considering.
Frequently asked questions
How much are business rates in St Albans?
St Albans's local authority collected £65.4m 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 St Albans?
St Albans granted £20.6m in business rates relief in 2025-26, including £3.2m in Small Business Rate Relief, £5.2m in retail, hospitality and leisure relief, £8.0m in charity relief, and £2.8m 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.
St Albans compared with the East of England and England
- Average rateable value
- £42,831£10,696 above the East of England average (£32,135)£8,841 above the England average (£33,990)
- Largest sector by value
- Other commercial property, 28.2%4.7 percentage points below its 32.9% share in the East of England
- Total rateable value, 2023 to 2026 list
- +20.1%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
St Albans comes 57th of 296 English councils on average rateable value (£42,831) and 13th of 45 in the East of England. Other commercial property also accounts for the most properties in St Albans, at 29.6% of its rateable properties.
Shops and other retail property account for 24.6% of St Albans's rateable properties and 24.2% of its value, higher than the 20.6% and 18.7% across the East of England. High-value property is limited in St Albans: around 40 properties were rated at £500,000 or more at March 2026, rising to around 50 on the 2026 list.
Change at the 2026 revaluation
Only 7 of the 44 other councils in the East of England saw a stronger change in total rateable value at the 2026 revaluation than St Albans's +20.1%. Industrial property saw the biggest rise in St Albans: total rateable value up 31.1% between the 2023 and 2026 lists, against +20.2% for industrial property across the East of England. Even the weakest sector in St Albans, retail property, rose 9.4% in total rateable value at the 2026 revaluation, in line with the +9.8% across the East of England.
Reliefs
Total relief granted in St Albans equalled 22.4% 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 St Albans: 38.7% 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 St Albans 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 St Albans's £42,831.
- Business rates in Dacorum£43,226 average rateable value, £395 higher than St Albans
- Business rates in Peterborough UA£43,352 average rateable value, £521 higher than St Albans
- Business rates in Basildon£41,477 average rateable value, £1,354 lower than St Albans
- Business rates in Broxbourne£44,397 average rateable value, £1,566 higher than St Albans
- Business rates in Chelmsford£39,030 average rateable value, £3,801 lower than St Albans
- Business rates in Harlow£48,362 average rateable value, £5,531 higher than St Albans
Figures from MHCLG National Non-Domestic Rates statistics (2025-26), ONS UK Business Counts (2025), and English Indices of Deprivation (2025).
Updates for St Albans
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