North West · 2025-26
Business Rates in Trafford
Businesses in Trafford paid £160.3m in net business rates during 2025-26, above the average English council's £93.2m.
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Relief granted in Trafford
Share of £32.5m total relief, 2025-26.
Trafford at a glance
Trafford granted £32.5m in relief overall, higher than the national council average of £26.3m. This included £9.4m in Small Business Rate Relief and £7.9m in retail, hospitality and leisure relief.
A further £5.5m went to charity relief and £7.6m to empty property relief, reflecting the mix of ratepayers across the local authority.
Trafford has an estimated 11,485 active businesses, according to the latest ONS Business Counts (2025).
Trafford ranks 201 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 Trafford rose by 35.5% — if this pushed your assessment too high, an appeal may be worth considering.
Frequently asked questions
How much are business rates in Trafford?
Trafford's local authority collected £160.3m 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 Trafford?
Trafford granted £32.5m in business rates relief in 2025-26, including £9.4m in Small Business Rate Relief, £7.9m in retail, hospitality and leisure relief, £5.5m in charity relief, and £7.6m 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.
Trafford compared with the North West and England
- Average rateable value
- £32,698£7,369 above the North West average (£25,329)£1,292 below the England average (£33,990)
- Largest sector by value
- Industrial property, 32.7%2.5 percentage points above its 30.2% share in the North West
- Total rateable value, 2023 to 2026 list
- +23.2%North West: +19.3%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
On average rateable value, Trafford sits 113th among England's 296 councils at £32,698, which is 6th of 35 in the North West. The largest group of Trafford's rateable properties is other commercial property (33.2%), yet industrial property holds the largest share of value (32.7%).
Retail accounts for 20.4% of Trafford's rateable properties and 27.6% of its rateable value, compared with 25.1% and 22.4% across the North West. At March 2026, around 80 of Trafford's rateable properties had a rateable value of £500,000 or more, rising to 110 on the 2026 list.
Change at the 2026 revaluation
Trafford's +23.2% change in total rateable value at the 2026 revaluation was stronger than in 32 of the 34 other councils in the North West. The sharpest increase in Trafford was in industrial property, where total rateable value rose 35.5% at the 2026 revaluation, compared with +24.7% for industrial property across the North West. No sector fell in Trafford: retail property moved least, up 6.1% at the 2026 revaluation, in line with the +6.2% across the North West.
Reliefs
In 2025-26, relief in Trafford came to 16.8% of gross rates payable, below the 21.2% for England as a whole. Small Business Rate Relief was the largest of the four main reliefs in Trafford, at 28.9% of total relief, close to 28.0% 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 Trafford compares with the rest of the region: Business rates in North West, State of Business Rates in England 2026 →
Nearby areas
Compare with other councils in the North West
Other North West councils with their average rateable value, listed from the closest to Trafford's £32,698.
- Business rates in Lancaster£31,654 average rateable value, £1,044 lower than Trafford
- Business rates in South Ribble£31,474 average rateable value, £1,224 lower than Trafford
- Business rates in Manchester£36,591 average rateable value, £3,893 higher than Trafford
- Business rates in Warrington UA£38,215 average rateable value, £5,517 higher than Trafford
- Business rates in Halton UA£39,065 average rateable value, £6,367 higher than Trafford
- Business rates in Knowsley£40,696 average rateable value, £7,998 higher than Trafford
Figures from MHCLG National Non-Domestic Rates statistics (2025-26), ONS UK Business Counts (2025), and English Indices of Deprivation (2025).
Updates for Trafford
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