News
Business rates cut for pubs and live music venues
The Government has announced a 15% business rates cut for the struggling pub and music venue sectors in England.
First published 30 Jan 2026
By Helen Wood, CA 1 min read
Following the business rate changes announced in the Budget in November, the Government has set out further changes, with a new relief focused on pubs and music venues to begin in April 2026
Pub and Live Music Venues Relief is a 15% relief and can be applied on top of existing rates reliefs already announced, such as Transitional Relief or Supporting Small Business Relief.
A rates estimate tool including the new relief is available here.
Business rates apply to England only, but the announcement may affect any support which the Scots, Welsh and Northern Irish administrations decide to offer the pub and live music sectors.
Are there any qualifying criteria?
Yes, there are. The full list for pubs is available here and for music venues here but the key factors are:
Pubs
- Open to the public
- Free entry (occasional paying events allowed)
- Drinks available without having to also buy food
- Drinks can be bought at the bar
- Not a restaurant, café, nightclub, hotel, boarding house, sports venue, theatre, cinema, museum or casino
Live music venues
- Wholly/mainly for live music performances
- If used for other activities, they’re incidental to live music
- Not wholly/mainly a nightclub or theatre
First published 30 Jan 2026
Helen Wood, CA
Helen is a qualified chartered accountant (CA) and joined TaxAssist in 2025 following three years as a freelance content writer for clients in the tax and accounting publishing sector. Prior to this, She spent 17 years at Big Four and Top 10 accountancy firms. Helen writes clear and helpful articles on tax and accounting for businesses and individuals.
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