North West · 2025-26
Business Rates in Wirral
Businesses in Wirral paid £76.0m in net business rates during 2025-26, below the average English council's £93.2m.
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Relief granted in Wirral
Share of £27.0m total relief, 2025-26.
Wirral at a glance
Wirral granted £27.0m in relief overall, higher than the national council average of £26.3m. This included £11.4m in Small Business Rate Relief and £3.2m in retail, hospitality and leisure relief.
A further £7.1m went to charity relief and £3.0m to empty property relief, reflecting the mix of ratepayers across the local authority.
Wirral has an estimated 8,525 active businesses, according to the latest ONS Business Counts (2025).
Wirral ranks 58 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 Wirral rose by 22.0% — if this pushed your assessment too high, an appeal may be worth considering.
Frequently asked questions
How much are business rates in Wirral?
Wirral's local authority collected £76.0m 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 Wirral?
Wirral granted £27.0m in business rates relief in 2025-26, including £11.4m in Small Business Rate Relief, £3.2m in retail, hospitality and leisure relief, £7.1m in charity relief, and £3.0m 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.
Wirral compared with the North West and England
- Average rateable value
- £22,714£2,615 below the North West average (£25,329)£11,276 below the England average (£33,990)
- Largest sector by value
- Other commercial property, 33.2%in line with its 32.5% share in the North West
- Total rateable value, 2023 to 2026 list
- +15.2%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, Wirral sits 219th among England's 296 councils at £22,714, which is 16th of 35 in the North West. Retail property makes up the largest share of Wirral's rateable properties (38.4%), but other commercial property carries the most rateable value (33.2%).
Shops and other retail property account for 38.4% of Wirral's rateable properties and 30.1% of its value, higher than the 25.1% and 22.4% across the North West. High-value property is limited in Wirral: 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 3 of the 34 other councils in the North West saw a weaker change in total rateable value at the 2026 revaluation than Wirral's +15.2%. Industrial property saw the biggest rise in Wirral: total rateable value up 22.0% between the 2023 and 2026 lists, against +24.7% for industrial property across the North West. Even the weakest sector in Wirral, office property, rose 2.9% in total rateable value at the 2026 revaluation, against +14.6% for office property across the North West.
Reliefs
Total relief granted in Wirral equalled 25.9% of gross rates payable in 2025-26, above the 21.2% across English councils taken together. Of the four main reliefs, Small Business Rate Relief accounted for the most in Wirral: 42.4% of the total, above the England figure of 28.0%.
Source: HM Revenue & Customs, using Valuation Office Agency data, and MHCLG relief returns. Open Government Licence v3.0. Method and rounding: /methodology.
See how Wirral 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 Wirral's £22,714.
- Business rates in Bolton£22,688 average rateable value, £26 lower than Wirral
- Business rates in Cumberland£22,613 average rateable value, £101 lower than Wirral
- Business rates in Wigan£22,499 average rateable value, £215 lower than Wirral
- Business rates in Fylde£22,285 average rateable value, £429 lower than Wirral
- Business rates in Salford£24,727 average rateable value, £2,013 higher than Wirral
- Business rates in Cheshire East UA£25,164 average rateable value, £2,450 higher than Wirral
Figures from MHCLG National Non-Domestic Rates statistics (2025-26), ONS UK Business Counts (2025), and English Indices of Deprivation (2025).
Updates for Wirral
By email.