Domestic rates bills debt hits £1m in Northern Ireland

Debt from domestic rates bills increased by more than 50% last year, according to figures from Advice NI. The charity said the bills are an increasing source of financial pressure, with its debt advice service dealing with more than £1m in total rates debts for the first time. Along with business rates, domestic rates pay for public services at Stormont and council level, as well as projects such as events, tourism, and waste management. The average rates bill is now £1,239, having seen a 5% uplift in the regional rate paid by all households in Northern Ireland, alongside an uplift in the district rate set by each council area. In 2025/26 Advice NI saw users with rates debt of a total of £1,066,170, up from £705,558 in 2024/25. Advice NI's head of Money, Debt and Quality, Sinéad Campbell, says that stagnant wages and rising costs are pushing more people into debt. With most users waiting two years before seeking help with mounting debt, Campbell expects that reported rates debt will increase sharply as the cost of living crisis continues to bite. "Our research tells us that more people are having difficulty balancing the cost of running their home alongside other essential outgoing