South East · 2025-26
Business Rates in Tonbridge & Malling
Businesses in Tonbridge & Malling paid £75.3m in net business rates during 2025-26, below the average English council's £93.2m.
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Relief granted in Tonbridge & Malling
Share of £17.8m total relief, 2025-26.
Tonbridge & Malling at a glance
Tonbridge & Malling granted £17.8m in relief overall, lower than the national council average of £26.3m. This included £3.3m in Small Business Rate Relief and £3.1m in retail, hospitality and leisure relief.
A further £5.8m went to charity relief and £4.8m to empty property relief, reflecting the mix of ratepayers across the local authority.
Tonbridge & Malling has an estimated 6,080 active businesses, according to the latest ONS Business Counts (2025).
Tonbridge & Malling ranks 233 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 Tonbridge & Malling rose by 14.6% — if this pushed your assessment too high, an appeal may be worth considering.
Frequently asked questions
How much are business rates in Tonbridge & Malling?
Tonbridge & Malling's local authority collected £75.3m 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 Tonbridge & Malling?
Tonbridge & Malling granted £17.8m in business rates relief in 2025-26, including £3.3m in Small Business Rate Relief, £3.1m in retail, hospitality and leisure relief, £5.8m in charity relief, and £4.8m 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.
Tonbridge & Malling compared with the South East and England
- Average rateable value
- £46,025£10,729 above the South East average (£35,296)£12,035 above the England average (£33,990)
- Largest sector by value
- Industrial property, 44.6%14.6 percentage points above its 30.0% share in the South East
- Total rateable value, 2023 to 2026 list
- +13.2%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
On average rateable value, Tonbridge & Malling sits 45th among England's 296 councils at £46,025, which is 16th of 64 in the South East. Other commercial property makes up the largest share of Tonbridge & Malling's rateable properties (29.0%), but industrial property carries the most rateable value (44.6%).
Shops and other retail property account for 16.6% of Tonbridge & Malling's rateable properties and 14.3% of its value, lower than the 22.5% and 20.7% across the South East. High-value property is limited in Tonbridge & Malling: around 50 properties were rated at £500,000 or more at March 2026, rising to around 60 on the 2026 list.
Change at the 2026 revaluation
Only 6 of the 63 other councils in the South East saw a weaker change in total rateable value at the 2026 revaluation than Tonbridge & Malling's +13.2%. Other commercial property saw the biggest rise in Tonbridge & Malling: total rateable value up 17.5% between the 2023 and 2026 lists, against +26.7% for other commercial property across the South East. Even the weakest sector in Tonbridge & Malling, office property, rose 7.6% in total rateable value at the 2026 revaluation, against +16.8% for office property across the South East.
Reliefs
Total relief granted in Tonbridge & Malling equalled 18.9% of gross rates payable in 2025-26, below the 21.2% across English councils taken together. Of the four main reliefs, charity relief accounted for the most in Tonbridge & Malling: 32.3% 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 Tonbridge & Malling 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 Tonbridge & Malling's £46,025.
- Business rates in Wokingham UA£46,445 average rateable value, £420 higher than Tonbridge & Malling
- Business rates in Eastleigh£46,585 average rateable value, £560 higher than Tonbridge & Malling
- Business rates in Woking£44,702 average rateable value, £1,323 lower than Tonbridge & Malling
- Business rates in Guildford£47,383 average rateable value, £1,358 higher than Tonbridge & Malling
- Business rates in Vale of White Horse£48,396 average rateable value, £2,371 higher than Tonbridge & Malling
- Business rates in Basingstoke & Deane£43,429 average rateable value, £2,596 lower than Tonbridge & Malling
Figures from MHCLG National Non-Domestic Rates statistics (2025-26), ONS UK Business Counts (2025), and English Indices of Deprivation (2025).
Updates for Tonbridge & Malling
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