NNDR3: national non-domestic rates - validation notes
Updated 9 April 2025
Applies to England
Please read this form before submitting NNDR3.
皇冠体育app National Non-Domestic Rates (NNDR) Return 2024-25 is designed to report your authority鈥檚 non-domestic rating contribution for 2024-25 under the business rates retention system. On receipt of your form, we carry out a number of checks to satisfy ourselves that the form has been completed without errors, but it is also useful to understand why the data varies significantly from that provided from the previous year鈥檚 NNDR3 on key items within the form. To do this, we ask that you review and provide explanations in the 鈥楳ain validation鈥� tab.
NNDR3 form
A number of validation checks are built into the NNDR3 form and there is space on the 鈥楳ain Validation鈥� sheet for local authorities to comment on any data that have flagged the validation checks. Details of the validation fields that are included in the validation sheet in the NNDR3 form are set out below.
Even where the reason for the variance may be obvious, or out of the authority鈥檚 control (e.g. changes to relief values), please still check that the data matches your internal figures and provide comment. This ensures there have been no data entry errors and also helps us to inform policy colleagues of the scale of known issues.
Messages highlighting potential errors have also been included in the form, so do please double check calculations where an error message has appeared in the form. 皇冠体育app 鈥楳ain validation鈥� tab includes a general comments box which you could use to provide further explanations on any error message remaining. We will contact you for an explanation if the error messages have not been explained.
Please note we may need to contact the local authority for additional information following the validation in our database, so it is essential that full contact details are entered in the appropriate place in Part 1 of the NNDR3 form. 皇冠体育appse details will not be shared outside of the MHCLG data collection team.
General checks
Certification
皇冠体育app Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government requires the NNDR3 to be certified by the Chief Financial Officer or Section 151 officer. 皇冠体育app Excel copy of the NNDR1 form should be sent by the Chief Financial or Section 151 officer with their e-signature and a confirmation they are happy with the figures in the form.
皇冠体育app first deadline, to submit the form containing data aligned to provisional accounts is Friday 30 May 2025.
皇冠体育appre will be a deadline of Friday 28 November for either a final post-audit form (if available) or revised provisional form (if necessary).
皇冠体育app audit deadline for 2024-25 is Friday 27 February 2026 and we will confirm our deadline in relation to submitting final, post-audit forms to this in due course.
We ask that you select the status of the form being submitted each time from the drop down options in Part 1, so that we have a clear understanding of the status and changes being submitted.
皇冠体育app confirmation by the Chief Financial or Section 151 officer should be as follows, for the provisional form:
鈥淚 confirm that the amounts entered in this form are in accordance with schedule 7B of the Local Government Finance Act 1988 and regulations made under it.鈥�
And for the final post-audit form:
鈥淚 certify that the amounts entered in this form are in accordance with schedule 7B of the Local Government Finance Act 1988 and regulations made under it and are consistent with the amounts for non-domestic rates in the authority鈥檚 post-audit opinion Statement of Accounts.
I further certify that the amounts of s.47 rate relief for which the authority claims s.31 grant have been given to ratepayers in accordance with the relevant guidance issued by the government.鈥�
Alterations
皇冠体育app NNDR3 form is an auditor-certified form. If alterations need to be made to the form, please submit a revised form, clearly indicating that the form is revised. A copy of the revised form must be certified by your CFO / S151 officer and resubmitted by email.
Arithmetic calculations
Before returning the form, please ensure that all arithmetic calculations are correct and that data are specified to the correct number of decimal places. Data should be entered in 拢s only 鈥� pence should not be reported.
We are not allowed to alter the form, even the smallest changes will need to be amended and signed by the CFO / S151 officer. 皇冠体育app completing officer needs therefore to ensure that the correct rounding conventions are used.
Validation checks in the 鈥榤ain validation鈥� sheet
Mandatory reliefs (Tests 1 - 7)
We compare the mandatory reliefs reported for 2024-25 with those that were provided in the NNDR3 for 2023-24. Please note that this will use the updated data that was published on 23 January 2025.
Explanation will be required if the figure for 2024-25 has changed by more than the following amounts. 皇冠体育app line references in brackets relate to the 2024-25 NNDR3 form and will compare data in the total column (column 7).
Test 1
皇冠体育app cost of Small Business Rate Relief granted (Part 3 Line 7) - by more than 5% (either up or down) and the actual difference is more than 拢500,000.
Test 2
皇冠体育app cost of Charity relief (Part 3 Line 12) - by more than 15% (either up or down) and the actual difference is more than 拢300,000.
Test 3
皇冠体育app cost of Community Amateur Sports Clubs relief (Part 3 Line 14 - by more than 10% (either up or down) and the actual difference is more than 拢10,000.
Test 4
皇冠体育app cost of Rural rate relief (Part 3 Line 16) - by more than 5% (either up or down) and the actual difference is more than 拢10,000.
Test 5
皇冠体育app cost of Public lavatories relief (Part 3 Line 19) - by more than 10% (either up or down) and the actual difference is more than 拢3,000.
Test 6
皇冠体育app cost of Partly Occupied 鈥渞elief鈥� (Part 3 Line 25) - by more than 20% (either up or down) and the actual difference is more than 拢100,000.
Test 7
皇冠体育app cost of Empty Property 鈥渞elief鈥� (Part 3 Line 27) - by more than 25% (either up or down) and the actual difference is more than 拢500,000.
Discretionary reliefs (Tests 8 - 13)
We compare the discretionary reliefs reported for 2024-25 with that provided in the NNDR3 for 2023-24. Explanation will be required if the figure for 2024-25 has changed by more than the following amounts.
皇冠体育app line references in brackets relate to the 2024-25 NNDR3 form and will compare data in the total column (column 7)
Test 8
皇冠体育app cost of Charity relief (Part 3 Line 30) - by more than 15% (either up or down) and the actual difference is more than 拢50,000.
Test 9
皇冠体育app cost of Non-Profit bodies鈥� relief (Part 3 Line 32) - by more than 15% (either up or down) and the actual difference is more than 拢50,000.
Test 10
皇冠体育app cost of Community Amateur Sports Clubs relief (Part 3 Line 34) - by more than 5% (either up or down) and the actual difference is more than 拢2,000.
Test 11
皇冠体育app cost of Other Small Rural Businesses relief (Part 3 Line 37) - by more than 5% (either up or down) and the actual difference is more than 拢2,000.
Test 12
皇冠体育app cost of Retail, Hospitality and Leisure (RHL) relief (Part 3 Line 59) 鈥� by more than 15% (either up or down) and the actual difference is more than 拢500,000.
Test 13
皇冠体育app cost of other s47 discretionary relief (Part 3 Line 39) - by more than 25% (either up or down) and the actual difference is more than 拢75,000.
Below are a few examples of the type of explanations we might expect:
- councils may have had a change of policy and approved more/fewer reliefs
- Charity Relief increased due to relief being given to a large leisure centre and this was not known when completing the NNDR1
- following publicity there is a greater number of applications received than anticipated
We will seek further explanations if the comment provided is not adequately descriptive. Examples that are not adequate and will prompt us to send further queries are
- figures gone up/down
- figures OK
Other checks (Tests 14 - 25)
We also carry out some further checks, mostly comparing figures reported for 2024-25 with those provided on the NNDR3 for 2023-24. Explanation will be required if the figure for 2024-25 has changed by more than the following amounts.
Test 14
皇冠体育app non-domestic rating income (Part 1 line 11) - by more than 20% (either up or down) and the actual difference is more than 拢15,000,000.
Test 15
Gross rates payable (Part 3 reconciliation line 1 column 7) - by more than 10% (either up or down) and the actual difference is more than 拢10,000,000.
Test 16
皇冠体育app net rates payable (Part 2 line 1 column 3) - by more than 15% (either up or down).
Test 17
皇冠体育app sums written off (Part 2 line 3 column 3) - by more than 10% (either up or down) and the actual difference is more than 拢1,000,000.
Test 18
皇冠体育app sums outstanding from ratepayers (Part 5 line 11 column 5) - by more than 20% (either up or down) and the actual difference is more than 拢2,000,000.
Test 19
皇冠体育app sum, outstanding due to ratepayers (Part 5 line 12 column 5) - by more than 20% (either up or down) and the actual difference is more than 拢2,500,000.
Test 20
皇冠体育app non-collection closing balance (Part 5 line 17 column 5) - by more than 15% (either up or down) and the actual difference is more than 拢2,000,000.
Test 21
皇冠体育app provision for backdated appeals adjustment, closing balance (Part 5 line 27 column 5) - by more than 25% (either up or down) and the actual difference is more than 拢5,000,000.
皇冠体育app following three tests (tests 22 -24) seek an explanation for the adjustments made to previously reported opening balance figures. This will allow us to confirm this against submitted returns and understand why these figures are being adjusted.
Test 22
皇冠体育app allowance for non-collection opening balance adjustment (Part 5 Line 14 column 5) is not zero
Test 23
皇冠体育app appeals adjustment opening balance adjustment (Part 5 Line 19 column 5) is not zero
Test 24
Collection Fund opening balance adjustment (Part 5 Line 29 column 5) is not zero
Test 25 is looking to check whether the total COVID-19 Addition Relief Fund relief to be provided in respect of 2021-22 (taken as a sum across the 2021-22to 2024-25 forms) has exceeded the amount of compensation that will be paid. If this is the case, then confirmation would be helpful.
Test 25
皇冠体育app difference between the CARF relief to be paid (Part 3 Line 62 plus amounts reported in previous year鈥檚 forms) and the maximum amount of compensation to be paid is more than 拢0.