Yorkshire and The Humber · 2025-26
Business Rates in York UA
Businesses in York UA paid £90.4m in net business rates during 2025-26, below the average English council's £93.2m.
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Relief granted in York UA
Share of £31.1m total relief, 2025-26.
York UA at a glance
York UA granted £31.1m in relief overall, higher than the national council average of £26.3m. This included £6.9m in Small Business Rate Relief and £7.5m in retail, hospitality and leisure relief.
A further £13.0m went to charity relief and £2.7m to empty property relief, reflecting the mix of ratepayers across the local authority.
York UA has an estimated 7,120 active businesses, according to the latest ONS Business Counts (2025).
York UA ranks 251 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 retail property in York UA rose by 14.5% — if this pushed your assessment too high, an appeal may be worth considering.
Frequently asked questions
How much are business rates in York UA?
York UA's local authority collected £90.4m 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 York UA?
York UA granted £31.1m in business rates relief in 2025-26, including £6.9m in Small Business Rate Relief, £7.5m in retail, hospitality and leisure relief, £13.0m in charity relief, and £2.7m 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.
York UA compared with Yorkshire and The Humber, and England
- Average rateable value
- £33,596£8,953 above the Yorkshire and The Humber average (£24,643)£394 below the England average (£33,990)
- Largest sector by value
- Other commercial property, 39.0%7.7 percentage points above its 31.3% share in Yorkshire and The Humber
- Total rateable value, 2023 to 2026 list
- +19.3%Yorkshire and The Humber: +17.8%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, York UA sits 106th among England's 296 councils at £33,596, which is 2nd of 15 in Yorkshire and The Humber. The same sector leads on numbers too: 36.2% of York UA's rateable properties fall in the other commercial category.
Retail accounts for 25.1% of York UA's rateable properties and 32.8% of its rateable value, compared with 24.8% and 21.7% across Yorkshire and The Humber. At March 2026, around 50 of York 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
York UA's +19.3% change in total rateable value at the 2026 revaluation was stronger than in 11 of the 14 other councils in Yorkshire and The Humber. The sharpest increase in York UA was in other commercial property, where total rateable value rose 25.4% at the 2026 revaluation, compared with +20.0% for other commercial property across Yorkshire and The Humber. No sector fell in York UA: office property moved least, up 11.2% at the 2026 revaluation, compared with +15.4% for office property across Yorkshire and The Humber.
Reliefs
In 2025-26, relief in York UA came to 24.2% of gross rates payable, above the 21.2% for England as a whole. Charity relief was the largest of the four main reliefs in York UA, at 41.8% 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 York UA compares with the rest of the region: Business rates in Yorkshire and The Humber, State of Business Rates in England 2026 →
Nearby areas
Compare with other councils in Yorkshire and The Humber
Other Yorkshire and The Humber councils with their average rateable value, listed from the closest to York UA's £33,596.
- Business rates in Wakefield£30,809 average rateable value, £2,787 lower than York UA
- Business rates in Leeds£30,100 average rateable value, £3,496 lower than York UA
- Business rates in Doncaster£29,146 average rateable value, £4,450 lower than York UA
- Business rates in Sheffield£28,709 average rateable value, £4,887 lower than York UA
- Business rates in North Lincolnshire UA£38,630 average rateable value, £5,034 higher than York UA
- Business rates in Rotherham£27,354 average rateable value, £6,242 lower than York UA
Figures from MHCLG National Non-Domestic Rates statistics (2025-26), ONS UK Business Counts (2025), and English Indices of Deprivation (2025).
Updates for York
By email.