North West · 2025-26
Business Rates in Wigan
Businesses in Wigan paid £86.7m in net business rates during 2025-26, below the average English council's £93.2m.
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Relief granted in Wigan
Share of £28.8m total relief, 2025-26.
Wigan at a glance
Wigan granted £28.8m in relief overall, higher than the national council average of £26.3m. This included £13.2m in Small Business Rate Relief and £4.8m in retail, hospitality and leisure relief.
A further £7.1m went to charity relief and £2.1m to empty property relief, reflecting the mix of ratepayers across the local authority.
Wigan has an estimated 9,155 active businesses, according to the latest ONS Business Counts (2025).
Wigan ranks 78 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 Wigan rose by 27.7% — if this pushed your assessment too high, an appeal may be worth considering.
Frequently asked questions
How much are business rates in Wigan?
Wigan's local authority collected £86.7m 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 Wigan?
Wigan granted £28.8m in business rates relief in 2025-26, including £13.2m in Small Business Rate Relief, £4.8m in retail, hospitality and leisure relief, £7.1m in charity relief, and £2.1m 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.
Wigan compared with the North West and England
- Average rateable value
- £22,499£2,830 below the North West average (£25,329)£11,491 below the England average (£33,990)
- Largest sector by value
- Industrial property, 39.1%8.9 percentage points above its 30.2% share in the North West
- Total rateable value, 2023 to 2026 list
- +19.6%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
Wigan comes 222nd of 296 English councils on average rateable value (£22,499) and 19th of 35 in the North West. The same sector leads on numbers too: 30.8% of Wigan's rateable properties fall in the industrial category.
Retail makes up 29.5% of Wigan's rateable properties and 25.0% of its rateable value, both above the 25.1% and 22.4% across the North West. At March 2026, around 40 of Wigan's rateable properties had a rateable value of £500,000 or more, rising to around 50 on the 2026 list.
Change at the 2026 revaluation
Wigan's +19.6% change in total rateable value at the 2026 revaluation was stronger than in 26 of the 34 other councils in the North West. The sharpest increase in Wigan was in industrial property, where total rateable value rose 27.7% at the 2026 revaluation, compared with +24.7% for industrial property across the North West. No sector fell in Wigan: retail property moved least, up 8.8% at the 2026 revaluation, compared with +6.2% for retail property across the North West.
Reliefs
In 2025-26, relief in Wigan came to 24.3% of gross rates payable, above the 21.2% for England as a whole. Small Business Rate Relief was the largest of the four main reliefs in Wigan, at 45.7% of total relief, above 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 Wigan 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 Wigan's £22,499.
- Business rates in Cumberland£22,613 average rateable value, £114 higher than Wigan
- Business rates in Bolton£22,688 average rateable value, £189 higher than Wigan
- Business rates in Fylde£22,285 average rateable value, £214 lower than Wigan
- Business rates in Wirral£22,714 average rateable value, £215 higher than Wigan
- Business rates in Rochdale£22,068 average rateable value, £431 lower than Wigan
- Business rates in Sefton£23,159 average rateable value, £660 higher than Wigan
Figures from MHCLG National Non-Domestic Rates statistics (2025-26), ONS UK Business Counts (2025), and English Indices of Deprivation (2025).
Updates for Wigan
By email.