Business rates relief

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Pubs and live music venues relief

If you run a pub or live music venue, you might be eligible for pubs and live music venues relief. The property must be occupied to be eligible for the relief.

You can only get pubs and live music venues relief up to the end of the 2026 to 2027 billing year. From 1 April 2026, you may also be eligible for supporting small business relief or transitional relief.

Pubs

You may be able to get relief if your pub does all of the following. It must:

  • be open to the general public
  • allow free entry other than when occasional entertainment is provided
  • allow drinking without requiring food to be consumed
  • permit drinks to be purchased at a bar

Live music venues

Live music venues are properties that are mainly used for the performance of live music to entertain an audience.

It can be used for other activities, but only if those activities:

  • are in addition to the performance of live music, such as selling food and drink
  • do not change the primary use of the premises being for live music, for example if the venue is occasionally used as a polling station

You cannot get pub and live music relief if the property is mainly used as a nightclub or a theatre.

Check the guidance to see if your venue can be considered a live music venue.

What you’ll get

If you’re eligible, you’ll get 15% off your business rates bills for the 2026 to 2027 billing year (1 April 2026 to 31 March 2027).

Your business rates bill will not increase by more than the rate of inflation from 1 April 2027 until 31 March 2029.

There is no limit to the amount of relief you can get.

You can still get this relief if you already get transitional relief or supporting small business relief.

Get an estimate of what your business rates bill may be.

There’s different guidance if you manage business rates relief for a local council.

How to get pubs and live music venues relief

Local councils manage business rates relief in their area.

Contact your local council to:

  • check if you’re eligible

  • find out how to get pubs and live music venues relief

  • check if you can get any other types of business rates relief on top of pubs and live music venues relief

If your circumstances change

Report changes to make sure you’re paying the right amount and do not get a backdated increase in your bill or overpay.

Contact your local council if:

  • your property becomes empty
  • you get another property
  • you make any changes to your property that would increase its value - for example, extending or renovating it
  • the nature of your business changes or it moves to different premises

If the amount of pubs and live music venues relief you’re eligible for changes, you’ll usually need to pay your new rate starting from the day your circumstances changed.

Check which changes in circumstance you need to report to the Valuation Office Agency (VOA).

If you think you should be getting pubs and live music venues relief but are not

Contact your local council if you’re not getting pubs and live music venues relief and you think you’re eligible for it.

If you’re not eligible for pubs and live music venues relief

You may be eligible for another type of business rate relief. For example, if:

Check what other reliefs you may be eligible for.

View a printable version of the whole guide

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