The Expanded Retail Discount (ERD) was introduced to support the retail, hospitality and leisure sectors through a period of economic challenge. While it has provided valuable relief to many organisations, changes over time have made it difficult to track when and how it applies.
Because ERD is applied by local authorities, businesses often assume it will be added automatically. In practice, small errors or timing gaps can mean some properties do not receive the full benefit.
ERD provides a percentage reduction on business rates for premises used mainly for retail, hospitality or leisure purposes. It has evolved from the original Retail Discount introduced in 2019, with varying levels of support across financial years.
Recent years have seen discounts ranging from 50% to 75%, capped at £110,000 per business. Each update has required councils to revise their systems, sometimes leading to missed or delayed applications.
Reliefs such as ERD can usually be corrected retrospectively, but only within set time limits under the Limitation Act. If a missed application is not identified in time, the opportunity to claim the discount may be lost. For organisations managing multiple properties, even one missed year can make a significant difference.
As part of every historic audit, Inform checks whether reliefs including ERD have been applied correctly. Our team reviews billing history and eligibility to confirm that clients have received the full level of support available. Where reliefs were missed, we help secure the appropriate corrections.
Even if you’ve previously tried to claim this discount without success, we’ve achieved positive outcomes in many similar cases. By combining our specialist analysts, advanced software, and access to stronger comparable data, we’re often able to secure results where others haven’t.
An independent review provides clarity and reassurance that all possible savings have been identified.
If you would like to confirm that ERD has been correctly applied to your properties, please contact Inform on 0161 669 8161 for a no-obligation review.
