2026/27 Pubs & Live Music Venues Business Rates Relief

2026/27 Pubs & Live Music Venues Business Rates Relief – Summary

The Government announced on 27 January 2026 a new Business Rates relief scheme to support eligible pubs and live music venues in England for the 2026–27 financial year. 

What the Relief Provides

• 15% Business Rates Relief for eligible pubs and live music venues in 2026–27, applied on top of any other reliefs the business already receives. 

Who Qualifies?

Eligible pubs must:

• Be open to the general public
• Allow free entry except when occasional entertainment is provided
• Allow customers to drink without requiring food
• Permit drinks to be purchased at a bar

Not included (not considered pubs for this relief):

Restaurants, cafés, nightclubs, snack bars, hotels, guesthouses, boarding houses, sporting venues, festival sites, theatres, cinemas, museums, exhibition halls, and casinos. 

Live Music Venues Criteria

A property qualifies if it is:

• Wholly or mainly used for live music performances to entertain an audience
• Other activities must be ancillary or incidental, such as selling food or drink, or occasional non‑music uses that do not change the primary purpose of the venue