More than £115m in rates bills went unpaid in Northern Ireland in 2024 according to figures released by the Department of Finance.
The figures for each council area were released by the Finance Minister following a question from the DUP MLA Paul Frew and include both domestic and non-domestic rates.
Rates are a significant source of income in Northern Ireland and one of the few areas of fiscal policy which is devolved to the Assembly with £1.54bn collected in rates by the Land and Property Services (LPS) during the 2023/24 tax year.
As of 31st December, properties in the Belfast City Council area had the highest level of rates debt at more than £35m owed while Antrim and Newtownabbey Borough Council had the least with just £4.8m owed.
Rates are made up of both the regional rate, which pays for services including education, hospitals and roads while the district rate covers council services such as bin collections, environmental health and leisure centres.
Breakdown of unpaid rates by council
| Council | Amount owed at 31st December 2024 |
| Belfast City Council | £35,312,524 |
| Newry, Mourne and Down District Council | £13,674,568 |
| Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon Borough Council | £11,799,077 |
| Derry City and Strabane District Council | £9,335,010 |
| Ards and North Down Borough Council | £7,742,063 |
| Lisburn and Castlereagh City Council | £7,197,651 |
| Mid Ulster District Council | £7,143,280 |
| Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council | £7,026,394 |
| Fermanagh and Omagh District Council | £6,490,035 |
| Mid and East Antrim Borough Council | £5,079,144 |
| Antrim and Newtownabbey Borough Council | £4,808,146 |
A spokesperson for the Department of Finance said: “Land & Property Services (LPS) has robust billing, collection and recovery processes in place to maximise rate collection and reduce rating debt. It is important to highlight that debt figures include balances being paid through extended payment arrangements.
“In 2023/24 £1.54bn was collected in rates to fund essential public services such as health, education, infrastructure and local Councils. When rates are not paid, Land & Property Services (LPS) will pursue the payment of rates by issuing final demands, telephoning ratepayers and issuing pre-court letters. If a ratepayer fails to contact us, LPS will initiate legal proceedings to secure the payment of the debt.
“Ratepayers experiencing financial difficulties are encouraged to contact LPS to discuss payment options which can include restructuring current payment plans or establishing longer term payment arrangements to enable payment of rate arrears. For more information on the range of rate support schemes for domestic ratepayers, visit: www.nidirect.gov.uk/rates-help. For non-domestic ratepayers, the range of support schemes can be found at: www.nibusinessinfo.co.uk/content/help-available-business-rates.”
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