Struggling to pay your Business Rates?

We understand that running a business can be challenging, and sometimes keeping up with payments isn’t easy.

If you're having difficulty paying your business rates, please don’t wait - get in touch with us as soon as possible.

By contacting us early, we can check whether you're receiving all the discounts or reliefs you may be entitled to, and explore ways we might be able to help.

What happens if you don’t pay?

• If you miss a payment, we’ll send you a reminder. You’ll have 7 days to catch up.
• If you fall behind again, we’ll send you a second reminder.
• If you still don’t pay you’ll lose the right to pay by instalments and the full year’s bill becomes due.

Court summons

If you continue to miss your payments, we will apply to the local magistrates court for a court summons to be issued and court costs of £70 will be added to your account. 

You don’t need to attend court, but you can if you have a valid reason.

At this point you can follow the repayment plan on the back of the summons or make a new payment offer.

Liability order 

If you do not pay the balance shown on the summons before the court hearing, a liability order will be issued by the court.

A liability order gives us powers to collect your debt using different methods such as: 

• Instructing enforcement agents to visit you with the intention of obtaining payment. If your account is passed to enforcement agents, please be aware that their fees are set by law under The Taking Control of Goods (Fees) Regulations 2014. These fees are fixed and cannot be reduced or waived.
• Starting bankruptcy or liquidation proceedings.
• Applying for a charging order.
• Applying for committal to prison. 
   

Please remember: the sooner you reach out, the more options we’ll have to support you.

Get in touch

Email us: revenues@norwich.gov.uk

Call us: 0344 980 3333