Coronavirus (Covid-19) and rate bills
Domestic rate bills for the 2021 to 2022 rating year began to issue at the end of May 2021.
Most Land and Property Services (LPS) services and phone helplines are available.
Customer Information Centres will remain closed until further notice. You can email rating@lpsni.gov.uk (for queries about your rate bill), valuation@lpsni.gov.uk (for property valuation queries) or CustomerInformation.LandRegistration@finance-ni.gov.uk (for land registry queries).
The Ordnance Survey helpline remains closed, however you can email Mapping.Helpdesk@finance-ni.gov.uk for mapping queries. You can keep up to date with available services at the Department of Finance website.
2021 to 2022 rate bills
Rate bills will assess rates due from 1 April 2021 until 31 March 2022. Domestic ratepayers can choose to pay their bill in monthly instalments between June 2021 and March 2022 or pay in full by 9 July 2021 to receive a four per cent discount. You can find more information on the How to pay your rates bill page.
Recovery action on debt and arrears
Ratepayers are legally responsible for paying their rate bill, and rates debt still needs to be paid. The ways in which Land & Property Services (LPS) recover unpaid rates are under constant review.
You should pay off rates debt as soon as possible, so you can avoid going to court later which could lead to more costs. If you’re having difficulty paying your bill, get in touch with LPS to let them know your circumstances so a solution can be found and agreed.
Help with rates
There are a wide range of rate support schemes in place to help people pay their rates. Over 25 per cent of households in Northern Ireland get some kind of support, with the majority of these paying no rates at all.
These schemes include:
- Housing Benefit for rates, which is for people on not eligible to apply for Universal Credit, living in supported accommodation or have reached the qualifying age for Pension Credit
- Low Income Rate Relief, which supplements Housing Benefit
- The Rate Rebate Scheme for those on Universal Credit. People who are not working or whose income drops because of the COVID-19 crisis may be eligible for this scheme.
- Lone Pensioner Allowance
- Disabled Person’s Allowance
Find out more about how to get help paying your rates.
The Make the Call service can also provide comprehensive advice on the benefits, reliefs and supports that are available in Northern Ireland.
They can be contacted on freephone 0800 232 1271 or at this link:
If you need more information please see our guide to rates.