Business Rates - Mandatory Charitable Relief

What is Mandatory  Charitable Rate Relief?

Property that is used wholly or mainly for charitable purposes is eligible to receive 80% mandatory charitable relief. To qualify the ratepayer must be a charity registered under the Charities Act 1960 or a charitable organisation that is exempt from registration under another Act.

Applications to register as a charity should be made to the Charity Commission. For more information on charitable registration click on the Other useful websites link..

In the case of charity shops, use of the premises must be wholly or mainly for the sale of goods donated to the charity and the proceeds of sale (after the deduction of expenses) must be applied for the purposes of the charity.

Community Amateur Sports Clubs (CASC's) registered with the Inland Revenue are also now entitled to 80% mandatory relief from rates on any non domestic property that is wholly or mainly used for the purpose of that club, or that club and other such registered clubs.

To obtain an application click on the Application for Relief - Charitable and other organisations link.

The Council can consider granting additional discretionary relief to charitable organisations to top up the relief allowed to 100%. For more information on discretionary relief click on the NDR Discretionary Relief non-profit-making organisations link.

Who is entitled?
To qualify you must be a registered charity, a charity exempt from registration or a registered Community Amateur Sports Club, which occupies the property concerned wholly or mainly for charitable purposes in line with the objectives of the organisation.

If you are not a registered charity but are a club, society or other organisation that is not established or conducted for profit whose main objects are charitable, philanthropic. religious or concerned with education, social welfare, science, literature and the fine arts, you may be entitled to discretionary relief. For more information on discretionary relief, click on NDR Discretionary Relief non-profit-making organisations link or alternatively contact the Rates Office on (01226) 774765.

How do you claim?
To claim relief you must complete and return an Application for Relief - Charitable and Other Organisations to the Rates Office or any Barnsley Connects office along with the required documentation. Please see the 'Opening Times / Locations' section below for more information on these locations.

The documents required are as follows:

• A copy of the memorandum and Articles of Association or rules of the Association;

• Copies of the audited accounts and balance sheets for the last two years (if audited accounts are not available then financial statements prepared by an appropriate officer of the organisation should be provided); and

• A copy of the tenancy agreement (where applicable).

You should note that an application will not be considered without this information.

Enquiries

For more information including:-

• Contact details - for general enquiries and to request application forms

• Viewing your account online

• methods of payment

See Business Rates - Enquiries

Please quote your account number when making an enquiry

Frequently Asked Questions

Q. Can Charities or other similar organisations get a reduction in the amount they have to pay?
A. Charities and registered community amateur sports clubs are entitled to relief from rates on any business property which is wholly or mainly used for charitable purposes.

The Council can also give discretionary rate relief towards all or part of a rate bill for a property occupied by organisations not established or conducted for profit.

Q. Do I have to pay all the bill at once?
No, everyone starts the financial year with the right to pay by 10 monthly instalments, starting in April.

If you don't pay, your right to pay by instalments will be cancelled.

Important information is available on this site about what will happen if you do not pay your rates.

Q. Where can I pay?
A. There is a choice of ways to pay your Business Rates. See the information on how to pay your Business Rates bill.

Q. What can I do if I cannot afford to pay?
A. Many businesses suffer cash flow problems at some stage. If there are exceptional circumstances, which mean that you cannot afford pay, the Council may be able to re-schedule the instalments to make things easier for you. Cases are assessed on individual circumstances and you should contact the Rates Office Helpline on Barnsley (01226) 774765.

Q. Where can I get further advice about my Business Rates?
A. Information about Business Rates is included on this website. If you wish to talk to a member of staff please contact the Rates Office Helpline on Barnsley (01226) 774765.