Enterprises that pay business rates are being encouraged to check their current property valuation and make sure the details held by the Valuation Office Agency (VOA) are correct.
If you believe your valuation is wrong, you have until 31 March 2026 to request any changes to your current valuation.
After that, a new rating list comes into effect on 1 April, and you will only be able to request changes to your new 2026 valuation from that date.
To request any changes, you need a business rates valuation account. If you haven’t used yours recently, it’s worth checking that you can still log in. The verification process to claim a property can take up to 15 working days, so it’s sensible not to leave this until the last minute.
You will need a Government Gateway user ID or a One Login account to sign in to your account.
Support is available on GOV.UK for anyone needing help with registration.
See: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/deadline-for-challenging-your-business-rates-valuation
HMRC have proposed a new criminal offence for making reckless, untrue statements or declarations about what's known as 'direct taxes' - Income Tax, National Insurance and the like. For Customs and Excise and VAT ('indirect taxes'), it is already possible to prosecute individuals who make untrue statements or submit incorrect documents either knowingly or recklessly, without the need to prove dishonesty. The penalties for such offences can be severe, including substantial fines and imprisonment. The direct tax regime does not currently contain an equivalent offence.
A new Freedom of Information (FOI) request has discovered that health and safety violations cost British employers over £44 million per year. The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) revealed that serious breaches have resulted in an increasing number of prosecutions between 2023 and 2025.
.png)