Rates

How we'll use your rates in 2026/2027:

We receive just over 50% of the money received by Land and Property Services from rates bills issued to citizens in Mid and East Antrim. 

This is used to provide services that will grow the local economy, enhance the area, promote sustainability and offer opportunities to improve your health and wellbeing.

These include:

Recycling	Tourism	Parks
Street Cleansing	Sports Development	Cemeteries
Leisure Centres	Economic Development	Environmental Health
Community Centres	Registration Services	Building Control
Community Events	Policing and Community Safety Partnership	Dog Control

Projects and programmes

There are a number of key projects that have been identified to improve the Borough of Mid and East Antrim, which can be facilitated by your 2026/27 rates.

These include:

Health and wellbeing

• Replacing the community centre at Broughshane to provide a better shared space for the community to meet, undertake classes and reduce social isolation
• Provide funding for the Football Stadia Project, which will help transform the grounds of Ballymena United (Ballymena Showgrounds), Carrick Rangers (Taylor’s Avenue) and Larne F.C (Inver Park).
• Play parks development

Council assets

• Development of Larne Cemetery (Phase 1)
• Procure land and develop a cemetery in Carrickfergus (Troopers Lane)
• Next stage of the Carnfunnock Country Park upgrades to modernise the site and enhance the park’s facilities and accessibility
• Upgrade of Council fleet to meet operational needs
• Mechanical and electrical improvements to Council facilities in Carrickfergus, Larne and Ballymena to improve our sustainability

Capital projects

• Significant refurbishment works at Carrickfergus Harbour
• Progression of our Belfast Regional City Deal projects:
  • Carrickfergus Regeneration
  • i4c Innovation Centre at Saint Patrick’s Barracks regeneration site
  • The Gobbins – Phase 2

More information on these projects can be viewed on our Belfast City Region Deal page.

• Integration of pathways and links for council project sites at St Patrick’s Barracks.

How rates are calculated: (How to calculate your domestic rates bill)

Your rates bill is made up of two elements: Regional and District Rates. 

There is a domestic and non-domestic value for each rate type.

The NI Assembly sets the regional rate, and we set the District Rate.

Your rates bill is based on the capital value of your property, and we receive just over 50% of the total you pay annually to Land and Property Services.

Your household rates bill is the sum of capital value of the home (an estimate of what it would have sold for on 1 January 2005) multiplied by (regional + district rate).

Your business rates bill is the sum of Rateable Net Annual Value of the property multiplied by (non-domestic regional + non-domestic district rate).

You can find out more on what your rates pay using this link to the nidirect website.

Why are the rates increasing from 01 April 2026?

Rates bills normally increase year on year due to inflation and the growing demand on national services.

We always seek to keep both domestic and business rates figures as low as possible for our citizens.

However, there are always requirements such as improving waste collection and leisure services that need money to deliver. 

As the population and housing numbers grow there is an increased demand for public services.

Increases in minimum wage, national insurance contributions, fuel and vehicle costs are incurred by councils as well as citizens.

These increasing operational costs for councils need to be met and there is currently reduced funding from central government, and we want to continue to build our civic pride in Mid and East Antrim.

I have a query about my rates, who do I contact?

Land & Property Services (LPS) handles all domestic and business rating queries, including valuation, payment arrangements, understanding your bill and refunds.

If you are a pensioner, you may be entitled to help with your rates through the Housing Benefit and Rate Relief or Lone Pensioner Allowance schemes.

There are allowances for certain tenants and homeowners.

On the nidirect website you can access a guide to rates, which includes payment options, housing benefits and rates relief.

You can access it on the nidirect website.

Further guidance on how your rates bill is calculated is available on the nidirect website.

If you have a query on your rates or property valuation, please phone Land and Property Services Rate Collection on T: 0300 200 7801.