{"componentChunkName":"component---src-templates-blog-post-jsx","path":"/blog/business-rate-changes","result":{"data":{"post":{"title":"Business rate changes – what’s the fuss about?","excerpt":"<p>Business rates are being refreshed for the first time in seven years, meaning many businesses will face a sudden hike. Rotaready&#8217;s money and time-saving features bring huge efficiency savings, which can help offset the pressure of higher costs. What are business rates? Similarly to how residents pay council tax, businesses pay business rates to local authorities. [&hellip;]</p>\n","content":"<p>Business rates are being refreshed for the first time in seven years, meaning many businesses will face a sudden hike. Rotaready&#8217;s money and time-saving features bring huge efficiency savings, which can help offset the pressure of higher costs.</p>\n<p><!--more--></p>\n<h2>What are business rates?</h2>\n<p>Similarly to how residents pay council tax, businesses pay business rates to local authorities. Business rates are chargeable on non-domestic or commercial properties like offices, shops, factories, warehouses, pubs, restaurants and so on.</p>\n<p><div id=\"attachment_237\" style=\"width: 310px\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\"><a href=\"/static/4021fc7d69f4fcbfa9543ccc3ea2309a/business-rates-Telegraph.png\"><span class=\"size-medium wp-image-237 inline-gatsby-image-wrapper gatsby-image-wrapper\" style=\"position:relative;overflow:hidden;max-width:100%;width:300px\" data-reactroot=\"\"><span aria-hidden=\"true\" style=\"width:100%;padding-bottom:53.333333333333336%\"></span><img aria-hidden=\"true\" src=\"data:image/png;base64,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\" alt=\"\" style=\"position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;object-fit:cover;object-position:center;opacity:0;transition-delay:500ms\"/><picture><source srcSet=\"/static/4021fc7d69f4fcbfa9543ccc3ea2309a/ca525/business-rates-Telegraph.png 75w,\n/static/4021fc7d69f4fcbfa9543ccc3ea2309a/650b0/business-rates-Telegraph.png 150w,\n/static/4021fc7d69f4fcbfa9543ccc3ea2309a/f2d49/business-rates-Telegraph.png 300w,\n/static/4021fc7d69f4fcbfa9543ccc3ea2309a/7f757/business-rates-Telegraph.png 450w,\n/static/4021fc7d69f4fcbfa9543ccc3ea2309a/56468/business-rates-Telegraph.png 536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\"/><img sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" srcSet=\"/static/4021fc7d69f4fcbfa9543ccc3ea2309a/ca525/business-rates-Telegraph.png 75w,\n/static/4021fc7d69f4fcbfa9543ccc3ea2309a/650b0/business-rates-Telegraph.png 150w,\n/static/4021fc7d69f4fcbfa9543ccc3ea2309a/f2d49/business-rates-Telegraph.png 300w,\n/static/4021fc7d69f4fcbfa9543ccc3ea2309a/7f757/business-rates-Telegraph.png 450w,\n/static/4021fc7d69f4fcbfa9543ccc3ea2309a/56468/business-rates-Telegraph.png 536w\" src=\"/static/4021fc7d69f4fcbfa9543ccc3ea2309a/f2d49/business-rates-Telegraph.png\" alt=\"Business rate revenues (Telegraph)\" loading=\"eager\" style=\"position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;object-fit:cover;object-position:center;opacity:1;transition:opacity 500ms\"/></picture><noscript><picture><source srcset=\"/static/4021fc7d69f4fcbfa9543ccc3ea2309a/ca525/business-rates-Telegraph.png 75w,\n/static/4021fc7d69f4fcbfa9543ccc3ea2309a/650b0/business-rates-Telegraph.png 150w,\n/static/4021fc7d69f4fcbfa9543ccc3ea2309a/f2d49/business-rates-Telegraph.png 300w,\n/static/4021fc7d69f4fcbfa9543ccc3ea2309a/7f757/business-rates-Telegraph.png 450w,\n/static/4021fc7d69f4fcbfa9543ccc3ea2309a/56468/business-rates-Telegraph.png 536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" /><img loading=\"eager\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" srcset=\"/static/4021fc7d69f4fcbfa9543ccc3ea2309a/ca525/business-rates-Telegraph.png 75w,\n/static/4021fc7d69f4fcbfa9543ccc3ea2309a/650b0/business-rates-Telegraph.png 150w,\n/static/4021fc7d69f4fcbfa9543ccc3ea2309a/f2d49/business-rates-Telegraph.png 300w,\n/static/4021fc7d69f4fcbfa9543ccc3ea2309a/7f757/business-rates-Telegraph.png 450w,\n/static/4021fc7d69f4fcbfa9543ccc3ea2309a/56468/business-rates-Telegraph.png 536w\" src=\"/static/4021fc7d69f4fcbfa9543ccc3ea2309a/f2d49/business-rates-Telegraph.png\" alt=\"Business rate revenues (Telegraph)\" style=\"position:absolute;top:0;left:0;opacity:1;width:100%;height:100%;object-fit:cover;object-position:center\"/></picture></noscript></span></a><p id=\"caption-attachment-237\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Business rate revenues (Telegraph)</p></div></p>\n<p>Rates are based on the property&#8217;s &#8216;rateable value&#8217;, which is the estimated annual rental income the property would command. Valuations are usually refreshed every five years to reflect the changing property market. Changes to rates are controversial as they&#8217;re typically outside the business&#8217; control, and don&#8217;t take into account the profitability of the business &#8211; only the value of its premises.</p>\n<h2>Why are business rates in the news right now?</h2>\n<p>The government delayed the latest valuation by two years to avoid a clash with the general election &#8211; changes will take effect from 1 April 2017.</p>\n<p><div id=\"attachment_239\" style=\"width: 310px\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\"><a href=\"/static/2e4e3e4a06155443d1926c1628006d1d/1.jpg\"><span class=\"size-medium wp-image-239 inline-gatsby-image-wrapper gatsby-image-wrapper\" style=\"position:relative;overflow:hidden;max-width:100%;width:300px\" data-reactroot=\"\"><span aria-hidden=\"true\" style=\"width:100%;padding-bottom:56%\"></span><img aria-hidden=\"true\" src=\"data:image/jpeg;base64,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\" alt=\"\" style=\"position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;object-fit:cover;object-position:center;opacity:0;transition-delay:500ms\"/><picture><source srcSet=\"/static/2e4e3e4a06155443d1926c1628006d1d/ab49a/1.jpg 75w,\n/static/2e4e3e4a06155443d1926c1628006d1d/4934c/1.jpg 150w,\n/static/2e4e3e4a06155443d1926c1628006d1d/37e03/1.jpg 300w,\n/static/2e4e3e4a06155443d1926c1628006d1d/12ba2/1.jpg 450w,\n/static/2e4e3e4a06155443d1926c1628006d1d/2a8be/1.jpg 600w,\n/static/2e4e3e4a06155443d1926c1628006d1d/0ae95/1.jpg 852w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\"/><img sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" srcSet=\"/static/2e4e3e4a06155443d1926c1628006d1d/ab49a/1.jpg 75w,\n/static/2e4e3e4a06155443d1926c1628006d1d/4934c/1.jpg 150w,\n/static/2e4e3e4a06155443d1926c1628006d1d/37e03/1.jpg 300w,\n/static/2e4e3e4a06155443d1926c1628006d1d/12ba2/1.jpg 450w,\n/static/2e4e3e4a06155443d1926c1628006d1d/2a8be/1.jpg 600w,\n/static/2e4e3e4a06155443d1926c1628006d1d/0ae95/1.jpg 852w\" src=\"/static/2e4e3e4a06155443d1926c1628006d1d/37e03/1.jpg\" alt=\"Rate rises will threaten the viability of some businesses\" loading=\"eager\" style=\"position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;object-fit:cover;object-position:center;opacity:1;transition:opacity 500ms\"/></picture><noscript><picture><source srcset=\"/static/2e4e3e4a06155443d1926c1628006d1d/ab49a/1.jpg 75w,\n/static/2e4e3e4a06155443d1926c1628006d1d/4934c/1.jpg 150w,\n/static/2e4e3e4a06155443d1926c1628006d1d/37e03/1.jpg 300w,\n/static/2e4e3e4a06155443d1926c1628006d1d/12ba2/1.jpg 450w,\n/static/2e4e3e4a06155443d1926c1628006d1d/2a8be/1.jpg 600w,\n/static/2e4e3e4a06155443d1926c1628006d1d/0ae95/1.jpg 852w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" /><img loading=\"eager\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" srcset=\"/static/2e4e3e4a06155443d1926c1628006d1d/ab49a/1.jpg 75w,\n/static/2e4e3e4a06155443d1926c1628006d1d/4934c/1.jpg 150w,\n/static/2e4e3e4a06155443d1926c1628006d1d/37e03/1.jpg 300w,\n/static/2e4e3e4a06155443d1926c1628006d1d/12ba2/1.jpg 450w,\n/static/2e4e3e4a06155443d1926c1628006d1d/2a8be/1.jpg 600w,\n/static/2e4e3e4a06155443d1926c1628006d1d/0ae95/1.jpg 852w\" src=\"/static/2e4e3e4a06155443d1926c1628006d1d/37e03/1.jpg\" alt=\"Rate rises will threaten the viability of some businesses\" style=\"position:absolute;top:0;left:0;opacity:1;width:100%;height:100%;object-fit:cover;object-position:center\"/></picture></noscript></span></a><p id=\"caption-attachment-239\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Rate rises will threaten the viability of some businesses</p></div></p>\n<p>This means that the prospect of increasing rates has been stored up for seven years, and in some cases may cause swings as high as 100%. To ease sudden increases, the changes are being phased in &#8211; the maximum increase in April is 42% &#8211; still an enormous rise. It&#8217;s feared that this will have a big impact on the high street, particularly with small, independent businesses in areas with high property values.</p>\n<p>Overall, it&#8217;s another pressure on the bottom line.</p>\n<h2>How can Rotaready help?</h2>\n<p>Rotaready is packed with many efficiency-boosting features to save time and money.</p>\n<p><strong>1. Free up management time </strong></p>\n<p>Without using dedicated software, you&#8217;ll spend a huge amount of time performing tasks manually. That&#8217;s definitely not how to make the most of your workforce.</p>\n<p>Rotaready&#8217;s full to the brim with features to help. Our automated<a href=\"https://rotaready.com/rota-scheduling\"> rota scheduling</a> feature is particularly sought-after, and saves hours of management team every week. When you add in our fully integrated time &amp; attendance module which makes it so easy to track clock-ins and outs and our mobile apps which keep staff informed with their upcoming shifts, you&#8217;ll really start to enjoy being able to spend more time on value-adding activities like supporting sales on the shop floor.</p>\n<p><strong>2. Streamline your processes</strong></p>\n<p>Workforce management covers a huge range of processes. Rotaready&#8217;s geared up to give you a boost with them all. Whether that&#8217;s building a timesheet that&#8217;s automatically prepared for <a href=\"https://rotaready.com/payroll\">payroll</a>, tracking staff availability and absence records, or communicating next week&#8217;s rota to your staff, we&#8217;ve got it covered. That means there&#8217;s no need for manual intervention, double-entry of data or the risk of typo. That means less management time wasted and reduced risk of manual errors.</p>\n<p><strong>3. Get visibility on the metrics that matter</strong></p>\n<p><div id=\"attachment_238\" style=\"width: 310px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><a href=\"/static/05dc251ad5a53c6e859fe025be6ae5c7/cost-control.png\"><span class=\"wp-image-238 size-medium inline-gatsby-image-wrapper gatsby-image-wrapper\" style=\"position:relative;overflow:hidden;max-width:100%;width:300px\" data-reactroot=\"\"><span aria-hidden=\"true\" style=\"width:100%;padding-bottom:41.33333333333333%\"></span><img aria-hidden=\"true\" src=\"data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAABQAAAAICAIAAAB2/0i6AAAACXBIWXMAAA7DAAAOwwHHb6hkAAABBklEQVQY011R2XLDIAzk/7+wrRsfSTzNjIMdc4gbujYTN6meBFrtASznXErJ75VSwuWyLM3nx3C+oBfrOgwDGbPdz7zvBiklW+a5+WqU0pWiHPUkJSI0IQbr7AHwwTvnGGnN79xaV6HQfHUQQiAy6IA21qYU6wCb3ns2w0PfXy7ntm27rrduZynFObs+HnCrtQZUG1JaCSXA7kNYpSZjmRDrNE3Azcuyc6cjNnZgFXTbgnfGGqjVkbFQDozz+/fpNI7X6ziW8ho5KyWFEJoIaLnLggsjHNUm7Bg0f243znl8S5vr2yAzbNfMRDrEv8ywuS0jK5zX7/lXMcb62jFFMhSfGPjH/i/NpdBfhFNzbwAAAABJRU5ErkJggg==\" alt=\"\" style=\"position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;object-fit:cover;object-position:center;opacity:0;transition-delay:500ms\"/><picture><source srcSet=\"/static/05dc251ad5a53c6e859fe025be6ae5c7/ca525/cost-control.png 75w,\n/static/05dc251ad5a53c6e859fe025be6ae5c7/650b0/cost-control.png 150w,\n/static/05dc251ad5a53c6e859fe025be6ae5c7/f2d49/cost-control.png 300w,\n/static/05dc251ad5a53c6e859fe025be6ae5c7/993bf/cost-control.png 422w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\"/><img sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" srcSet=\"/static/05dc251ad5a53c6e859fe025be6ae5c7/ca525/cost-control.png 75w,\n/static/05dc251ad5a53c6e859fe025be6ae5c7/650b0/cost-control.png 150w,\n/static/05dc251ad5a53c6e859fe025be6ae5c7/f2d49/cost-control.png 300w,\n/static/05dc251ad5a53c6e859fe025be6ae5c7/993bf/cost-control.png 422w\" src=\"/static/05dc251ad5a53c6e859fe025be6ae5c7/f2d49/cost-control.png\" alt=\"Rotaready projects your wage costs and percentages\" loading=\"eager\" style=\"position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;object-fit:cover;object-position:center;opacity:1;transition:opacity 500ms\"/></picture><noscript><picture><source srcset=\"/static/05dc251ad5a53c6e859fe025be6ae5c7/ca525/cost-control.png 75w,\n/static/05dc251ad5a53c6e859fe025be6ae5c7/650b0/cost-control.png 150w,\n/static/05dc251ad5a53c6e859fe025be6ae5c7/f2d49/cost-control.png 300w,\n/static/05dc251ad5a53c6e859fe025be6ae5c7/993bf/cost-control.png 422w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" /><img loading=\"eager\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" srcset=\"/static/05dc251ad5a53c6e859fe025be6ae5c7/ca525/cost-control.png 75w,\n/static/05dc251ad5a53c6e859fe025be6ae5c7/650b0/cost-control.png 150w,\n/static/05dc251ad5a53c6e859fe025be6ae5c7/f2d49/cost-control.png 300w,\n/static/05dc251ad5a53c6e859fe025be6ae5c7/993bf/cost-control.png 422w\" src=\"/static/05dc251ad5a53c6e859fe025be6ae5c7/f2d49/cost-control.png\" alt=\"Rotaready projects your wage costs and percentages\" style=\"position:absolute;top:0;left:0;opacity:1;width:100%;height:100%;object-fit:cover;object-position:center\"/></picture></noscript></span></a><p id=\"caption-attachment-238\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Rotaready projects your wage costs and percentages</p></div></p>\n<p>Our clients love being able to review their anticipated wage spend in advance, rather than having to wait until after a <a href=\"https://rotaready.com/payroll\">payroll</a> run. This visibility allows you to respond proactively to scenarios like higher costs or time periods when sales are expected to be lower. You&#8217;ll always have the comfort of staying in budget.</p>\n<p>How will you be affected by the changes in business rates? Drop us a comment in the section below.</p>\n","slug":"business-rate-changes","date":"26 February 2017","author":{"node":{"name":"Jamie Harvey","avatar":{"url":"http://2.gravatar.com/avatar/5a7094755acbd89eb2d68c28a3b06537?s=96&d=mm&r=g"},"description":"Founder"}},"categories":{"nodes":[{"name":"Announcements","id":"dGVybTox","slug":"announcements"},{"name":"Economy","id":"dGVybTo0","slug":"economy"}]},"rotaready":{"readingTime":3,"metaDescription":null,"featureImage":null}},"prevPost":{"id":"cG9zdDoyNDU=","title":"Learn about the new Rotaready sign-in page","excerpt":"<p>Over the coming weeks, we&#8217;ll be migrating accounts to the new Rotaready sign-in page. There&#8217;s nothing you need to do. It will look a little different, but still works in the same way. What&#8217;s the same The steps to sign-in haven&#8217;t changed. You enter the same information as usual, such as your username or email [&hellip;]</p>\n","slug":"learn-about-new-sign-in-experience","date":"25 July 2018","categories":{"nodes":[{"name":"Announcements","id":"dGVybTox","slug":"announcements"}]},"rotaready":{"featureImage":null}},"nextPost":{"id":"cG9zdDoyMTU=","title":"The clocks go back, Rotaready marches forward","excerpt":"<p>Next week will mark a century&nbsp;since Daylight Savings Time (specifically British Summer Time, BST) was introduced&nbsp;in the UK. The clocks changing every March and October actually mark a shift in&nbsp;timezone. In fact, timezones are&nbsp;one of a number of factors&nbsp;in what we call a &#8216;locale&#8217; in Rotaready &#8211; and a locale defines the configuration of a [&hellip;]</p>\n","slug":"locales","date":"23 October 2016","categories":{"nodes":[{"name":"Announcements","id":"dGVybTox","slug":"announcements"},{"name":"Technology","id":"dGVybToz","slug":"tech"}]},"rotaready":{"featureImage":null}}},"pageContext":{"pageId":"cG9zdDoyMzE=","previousPagePath":"/blog/learn-about-new-sign-in-experience","previousItem":{"node":{"id":"cG9zdDoyNDU=","slug":"learn-about-new-sign-in-experience","categories":{"nodes":[{"id":"dGVybTox"}]}}},"previousPageId":"cG9zdDoyNDU=","nextPagePath":"/blog/locales","nextItem":{"node":{"id":"cG9zdDoyMTU=","slug":"locales","categories":{"nodes":[{"id":"dGVybTox"},{"id":"dGVybToz"}]}}},"nextPageId":"cG9zdDoyMTU="}},"staticQueryHashes":["1246401369","3649515864"]}