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Commercial rates

Commercial rates are a local property tax on commercial premises. We use the income generated through commercial rates to provide a wide range of general services within County Clare. 

Increased Cost of Business (ICOB) Grant

As part of Budget 2024, the Government signed off on a package of €257m for the Inceased Cost of Business (ICOB) Grant as a vital measure for small and medium sized businesses. Clare County Council, funded through the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment (DETE), will manage the rollout of the grant to qualifying businesses.

Eligible businesses will receive a once-off grant payment. The amount of the grant payable to eligible businesses is based on the value of the Commercial Rates bill be business received in 2023. However, it is not a Commercial Rates waiver and businesses should continue to pay their Commercial Rates bill as normal.

What is the purpose of the grant?

The grant is available to qualifying businesses as a contribution towards the rising costs faced by businesses. The grant is intended to aid businesses but is not intended to directly compensate for all increases in wages, or other costs, for every business.

How much is the grant?

The grant is based on the value of the Commercial Rates bill received by an eligible business in 2023.

  • For qualifying businesses with a 2023 Commercial Rates bill of <€10,000, the ICOB grant will be paid at a rate of 50% of the business's Commercial Rates bill for 2023.
  • For qualifying businesses with a 2023 Commercial Rates bill of between €10,000 and €30,000, the ICOB grant will be €5,000.
  • Businesses with a 2023 Commercial Rates bill >€30,000 are not eligible to receive an ICOB grant.

What businesses are eligible to receive the grant?

The following are the main qualifying criteria:

  • Your business must be a commercially trading business currently operating from a property that is commercially rateable.
  • Your business must have been trading on 1st February 2024 and you must intend to continue trading for at least three months from the date you verify your information.
  • You must provide confirmation of your bank details.
  • Your business must be rates compliant. Businesses in performing payment plans may be deemed to be compliant.
  • Your business must be tax compliant and must possess a valid Tax Registration Number (TRN).

Please note that Clare County Council reserves the right to claw back any grant payment which is later found to be incorrect. This includes any circumstances such as error by the recipient business or the local authority making the payment, or where a business makes a false declaration of eligibility.

How can I register for the grant?

Businesses can use the ICOB portal which is available at mycoco.ie/icob. The portal can also be accessed through www.icob.ie.  Please ensure that you have your Customer Number and PIN which has been issued to all businesses.  If you need assistance in relation to the grant, please contact Clare County Council on 065-6846332 or email us at icob@clarecoco.ie.   

What is the closing date?

The closing date for businesses to confirm eligibility and to uphold verification details will be 1st May 2024.

Where can I find out further information?

Further correspondence and guidance will be issued to commercially rateable businesses in the next few weeks.  In addition, an FAQ will be available online when the grant scheme opens.  You should refer to this guidance and FAQ prior to making your submission.

If you have queries regarding your Commercial Rates account including outstanding balances, contact Clare County Council at 065 6846332 or email us at icob@clarecoco.ie.  Our team are happy to discuss any balances outstanding on your rates and what steps can be taken to ensure compliance with the scheme. See also Increased Cost of Business Grant - Frequently Asked Questions.

What are commercial rates?

Commercial rates are a local property tax on commercial premises. Approximately 40% of Clare County Council’s annual revenue expenditure is raised through commercial rates. Rates are the financial contribution business owners and occupiers make to the upkeep and quality of life of the local community. Income generated through commercial rates is used for the provision of a wide range of general services within County Clare such as:
street cleaning, public lighting, roads and footpath upkeep, fire services, parks and open spaces, environmental protection, libraries, heritage, tourism, public amenities and the arts and community support initiatives.

The Rates unit is responsible for the management and collection of commercial rates payable by businesses in County Clare.

Rateable valuations

The rateable valuation of a property is determined by the commissioner of valuation. This rateable valuation is then used by the local authority to determine the commercial rates payable by each ratepayer. The most recent legislation governing this area is the Valuation Act 2001. This act was designed to simplify, modernise and make the valuation system easier to understand.

Tailte Éireann is an independent state body. Should you wish to seek further information about the rateable valuation of your property or wish to apply for a revision of valuation, details and contact numbers are available on their website www.tailte.ie.

What is annual rate of valuation and how is it calculated?

NOTE: See Tailte Éireann's Reval 2023 Indicative Rates Calculator for the new ARV calculation from 1st January 2024.

The Annual Rate on Valuation (ARV) is the figure used to calculate the annual Commercial Rates payable by the Occupier of a rateable property each year.

This figure is determined by the elected members of the Council at the Annual Budget Meeting each year based on the deficit between Council income and expenditure for the forthcoming year.

For 2024, the Annual Rate on Valuation for County Clare is 0.239. Rates are calculated by multiplying the Valuation amount of the premises as determined by the Commissioner of Valuation by the ARV.

FOR EXAMPLE:

If your property has been valued at €20,000 by The Valuation Division then your Commercial Rates bill for 2024 will be:

€20,000 x 0.239 (ARV for 2024) = €4,780.

Disclaimer:

The Rates Calculation provided above gives you a sample rates liability for 2024.

When are commercial rates due?

Rates are payable annually, the first demand issuing in late February/early March with reminders thereafter.

Where a customer wishes to put in place an alternative acceptable payment plan, they should contact their Account Manager for your area.

Where the Account Manager is unable to obtain payment, legal proceedings may be taken to recover the outstanding amount with any legal costs being payable by the person prosecuted.

Following a court hearing, an instalment order may be sought, or a judgment mortgage may be obtained and registered against the property. The sheriff also has the power to seize goods to cover the value of the amount outstanding.

Payment methods

You can pay commercial rates by the following methods:

Direct Debit

Direct Debits assist customers in planning their cash flow and are a low cost method of payment.

By paying your commercial rates by direct debit, monies will be deducted on the 10th day of each month.

Please note that it takes 14 days to set up a direct debit.

Please see below for the Direct Debit Form. Direct Debit forms can be emailed to: rates@clarecoco.ie

Pay online MyCoCo

Find out about paying commercial rates online - before you begin etc.

Central cash office

Payment can be made at the central cash office, which is open from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., Monday to Friday and is located at Áras Contae an Chláir, New Road, Ennis, Co. Clare. You can contact the cash office by phone at (065) 6846208.

Municipal District/Area Offices

You can pay at any of the following offices:

  • Ennistymon Office, Ennis Road, Ennistymon – (065) 7071017
  • Kilrush Office, Town Hall, The Square, Kilrush - (065) 9051047
  • Scariff Office, Mountshannon Road, Scariff – (061) 640815
  • Shannon Office, Town Hall, Shannon – (061) 362319

Laser or credit card

You can pay by laser or credit card. Contact the central cash office by phone on (065) 6846208 and provide your account number and details about what the payment is for.

Electronic Fund Transfer (EFT)

The following are the bank details for making payments. You should use the commercial rate account number as the reference.

  • Account Name: Clare County Council
  • Bank: A.I.B., Bank Place, Ennis, Co. Clare
  • Sort Code: 93 53 87
  • Account Number: 29632048
  • IBAN:IE32AIBK93 53 8729632048
  • BIC:AIBKIE2D

Ratepayers in difficulty

Clare County Council are actively working with customers who have outstanding balances on rates to facilitate payment plans. Ratepayers that are experiencing financial difficulties, should contact their Revenue Collector to agree an acceptable payment plan.

Offset on account

Where a commercial rates customer is also a supplier of goods or services to Clare County Council, under the Local Government (Financial Provisions) (No. 2) Act, 1983 the local authority reserves the right to apply a offset to the commercial rates account. This effectively allows for the payment of rates to be funded by way of amounts owing by the local authority to the rates customer.

Are rates payable on a vacant property?

In cases where a property is vacant, at the making of the rate on the 1st of January 2024, the liability lies with the person entitled to occupy the property at the making of the rate (the leaseholder or if there is no lease - the owner). However, a vacant property may qualify for exemption from rates if the following conditions are met at the making of the rate:

  • The bonafide inability of the landlord to obtain a suitable tenant at a reasonable rent
  • The execution of repairs/alterations
  • Vacant due to demolition or redevelopment

From 2021, properties with a commercial rates value of less than €20,000 will continue to receive a 100% rates refund / vacancy credit for a three-year step in period. The council will, in line with this incentive for rural regeneration, revisit the scheme after that time period. For property values above €20k there is a tiered relief approach as follows:

  • Properties €20k-50k - 75% vacancy relief applicable, 25% rates payable.
  • Properties €50k-100k - 50% vacancy relief applicable, 50% rates payable.
  • Properties €100k - 25% vacancy relief applicable, 75% rates payable.

Should your business meet the above criteria, application form to apply for vacancy relief is downloadable below:

Refund of rates paid

If Rates are paid on a property which was vacant on the date the rate was made, a refund can be sought, for the period of the vacancy, as set out in Section 14 of the Local Government Act, 1946. The form is downloadable here:

Section 32 Declarations

Owners of a rateable property are required to notify the local authority where there is a change in ownership, change in tenancy or where a tenant vacates a property, as per Section 32 of the Local Government Reform Act 2014. Notification must be given within 14 days by completing the form below. Where an owner is selling the property, it is their duty to discharge all rates for which he/she is liable at the date of transfer of the property.

Long Term Vacant Property Incentive Scheme

Clare County Council operates the long term vacant property scheme in order to encourage the use of vacant commercial premises in towns and villages in Clare. 

The scheme seeks to encourage new commercial businesses to occupy long term vacant commercial premises that have been previously occupied for commercial rates purposes. The purpose of the scheme is to give an incentive to business owners by lowering entry costs through supports related to the level of rates payable on the property. The scheme applies to all rated commercial properties in the county that have been previously occupied for commercial rates purposes.

Details of the scheme can be downloaded below:

Clare County Council - Commercial Rates Relief Schemes

Small and Medium Enterprise (SME) Scheme

The Small and Medium Enterprise (SME) Scheme continues with amendments for 2023. Businesses in certain sectors that meet defined criteria have an opportunity to reduce their rates liability, should they meet the terms outlined below.

Business with a commercial rates liability of up to €10,000 can avail of a 5% credit against the subsequent year’s rates liability where they

(A) discharge their rates liability in full by 31st August 2023

or

(B) discharge their rates in full by a Direct Debit payment plan by 31st December 2023

Terms of the Scheme:

  • Ratepayers must ensure that all rates payable on the occupied property, including any arrears from previous years, have been discharged by the 31st August 2023 or be in an agreed Direct Debit Payment Plan to have the rates discharged by the 31st December 2023.
  • There is not a requirement for account holders to apply for the scheme – the credit will automatically be applied to the account if all terms of the scheme are met.
  • This credit will be off set against the rates liability arising for that occupier on that property in the subsequent year.

Exemptions from the SME Scheme:

  • Commercial rates liabilities more than €10,000 per LAID.
  • Pipeline, Mast/Antenna, Generating Station, Advertising Station, Global Valuations & ATM’s.

Hospitality Support Scheme

The Hospitality Scheme is available to businesses in the Hospitality sector where their commercial rates liability per unit is greater than €10,000. This scheme provides a 5% credit against the subsequent year’s commercial rates liability where the customer discharges their rates invoice in full in the year or is in an agreed payment plan to discharge their account balance by 31st December 2023.

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Page last reviewed: 25/03/24

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Contact

Rates unit
Finance department
Clare County Council
Áras Contae an Chláir
New Road
Ennis
Co. Clare
V95 DXP2
(065) 6821616
Opening hours
Monday - Friday: 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Cash office: Monday - Friday: 9:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. NPPR public counter will be by appointment only
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