South East · 2025-26
Business Rates in Wokingham UA
Businesses in Wokingham UA paid £78.3m in net business rates during 2025-26, below the average English council's £93.2m.
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Relief granted in Wokingham UA
Share of £27.2m total relief, 2025-26.
Wokingham UA at a glance
Wokingham UA granted £27.2m in relief overall, higher than the national council average of £26.3m. This included £4.0m in Small Business Rate Relief and £3.4m in retail, hospitality and leisure relief.
A further £9.3m went to charity relief and £6.6m to empty property relief, reflecting the mix of ratepayers across the local authority.
Wokingham UA has an estimated 8,410 active businesses, according to the latest ONS Business Counts (2025).
Wokingham UA ranks 295 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 office property in Wokingham UA rose by 19.7% — if this pushed your assessment too high, an appeal may be worth considering.
Frequently asked questions
How much are business rates in Wokingham UA?
Wokingham UA's local authority collected £78.3m 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 Wokingham UA?
Wokingham UA granted £27.2m in business rates relief in 2025-26, including £4.0m in Small Business Rate Relief, £3.4m in retail, hospitality and leisure relief, £9.3m in charity relief, and £6.6m 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.
Wokingham UA compared with the South East and England
- Average rateable value
- £46,445£11,149 above the South East average (£35,296)£12,455 above the England average (£33,990)
- Largest sector by value
- Other commercial property, 35.1%2.6 percentage points above its 32.5% share in the South East
- Total rateable value, 2023 to 2026 list
- +12.6%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
Wokingham UA comes 43rd of 296 English councils on average rateable value (£46,445) and 15th of 64 in the South East. The largest group of Wokingham UA's rateable properties is office property (31.4%), yet other commercial property holds the largest share of value (35.1%).
Retail makes up 13.2% of Wokingham UA's rateable properties and 11.6% of its rateable value, both below the 22.5% and 20.7% across the South East. At March 2026, around 50 of Wokingham UA's rateable properties had a rateable value of £500,000 or more, rising to around 70 on the 2026 list.
Change at the 2026 revaluation
Wokingham UA's +12.6% change in total rateable value at the 2026 revaluation was weaker than in 59 of the 63 other councils in the South East. The sharpest increase in Wokingham UA was in office property, where total rateable value rose 19.7% at the 2026 revaluation, compared with +16.8% for office property across the South East. No sector fell in Wokingham UA: other commercial property moved least, up 4.4% at the 2026 revaluation, compared with +26.7% for other commercial property across the South East.
Reliefs
In 2025-26, relief in Wokingham UA came to 24.7% of gross rates payable, above the 21.2% for England as a whole. Charity relief was the largest of the four main reliefs in Wokingham UA, at 34.3% of total relief, above 29.7% 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 Wokingham UA 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 Wokingham UA's £46,445.
- Business rates in Eastleigh£46,585 average rateable value, £140 higher than Wokingham UA
- Business rates in Tonbridge & Malling£46,025 average rateable value, £420 lower than Wokingham UA
- Business rates in Guildford£47,383 average rateable value, £938 higher than Wokingham UA
- Business rates in Woking£44,702 average rateable value, £1,743 lower than Wokingham UA
- Business rates in Basingstoke & Deane£43,429 average rateable value, £3,016 lower than Wokingham UA
- Business rates in Runnymede£52,461 average rateable value, £6,016 higher than Wokingham UA
Figures from MHCLG National Non-Domestic Rates statistics (2025-26), ONS UK Business Counts (2025), and English Indices of Deprivation (2025).
Updates for Wokingham
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