West Midlands · 2025-26
Business Rates in Wolverhampton
Businesses in Wolverhampton paid £82.7m in net business rates during 2025-26, below the average English council's £93.2m.
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Relief granted in Wolverhampton
Share of £30.1m total relief, 2025-26.
Wolverhampton at a glance
Wolverhampton granted £30.1m in relief overall, higher than the national council average of £26.3m. This included £11.6m in Small Business Rate Relief and £3.2m in retail, hospitality and leisure relief.
A further £8.1m went to charity relief and £3.8m to empty property relief, reflecting the mix of ratepayers across the local authority.
Wolverhampton has an estimated 8,130 active businesses, according to the latest ONS Business Counts (2025).
Wolverhampton ranks 23 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 Wolverhampton rose by 21.9% — if this pushed your assessment too high, an appeal may be worth considering.
Frequently asked questions
How much are business rates in Wolverhampton?
Wolverhampton's local authority collected £82.7m 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 Wolverhampton?
Wolverhampton granted £30.1m in business rates relief in 2025-26, including £11.6m in Small Business Rate Relief, £3.2m in retail, hospitality and leisure relief, £8.1m in charity relief, and £3.8m 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.
Wolverhampton compared with the West Midlands and England
- Average rateable value
- £24,134£4,088 below the West Midlands average (£28,222)£9,856 below the England average (£33,990)
- Largest sector by value
- Industrial property, 39.5%in line with its 39.7% share in the West Midlands
- Total rateable value, 2023 to 2026 list
- +15.7%West Midlands: +17.4%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
At £24,134, Wolverhampton's average rateable value ranks 201st of 296 councils in England and 23rd of 30 in the West Midlands. The same sector leads on numbers too: 33.3% of Wolverhampton's rateable properties fall in the industrial category.
Retail accounts for 26.9% of Wolverhampton's rateable properties and 20.9% of its rateable value, compared with 24.2% and 20.1% across the West Midlands. At March 2026, around 40 of Wolverhampton'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
Wolverhampton's +15.7% change in total rateable value at the 2026 revaluation was weaker than in 22 of the 29 other councils in the West Midlands. The sharpest increase in Wolverhampton was in industrial property, where total rateable value rose 21.9% at the 2026 revaluation, compared with +20.7% for industrial property across the West Midlands. No sector fell in Wolverhampton: office property moved least, up 7.0% at the 2026 revaluation, compared with +12.4% for office property across the West Midlands.
Reliefs
In 2025-26, relief in Wolverhampton came to 26.0% 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 Wolverhampton, at 38.5% 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 Wolverhampton compares with the rest of the region: Business rates in West Midlands, State of Business Rates in England 2026 →
Nearby areas
Compare with other councils in the West Midlands
Other West Midlands councils with their average rateable value, listed from the closest to Wolverhampton's £24,134.
- Business rates in Walsall£24,158 average rateable value, £24 higher than Wolverhampton
- Business rates in Bromsgrove£23,653 average rateable value, £481 lower than Wolverhampton
- Business rates in Cannock Chase£25,199 average rateable value, £1,065 higher than Wolverhampton
- Business rates in Birmingham£25,806 average rateable value, £1,672 higher than Wolverhampton
- Business rates in Herefordshire UA£17,672 average rateable value, £6,462 lower than Wolverhampton
- Business rates in Malvern Hills£17,384 average rateable value, £6,750 lower than Wolverhampton
Figures from MHCLG National Non-Domestic Rates statistics (2025-26), ONS UK Business Counts (2025), and English Indices of Deprivation (2025).
Updates for Wolverhampton
By email.