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The government has confirmed that the functions of the Valuation Office Agency (VOA) will be integrated into HMRC on 1 April 2026. The agency will then cease to exist.
HMRC said the change will not impact the delivery of core or statutory services, and that business rates valuations, Council Tax band challenges, and the work carried out by rent officers will remain unaffected.
It added that existing customers do not need to take any action and that cases will continue to be progressed, but communications after 1 April will come from the VOA within HMRC.
The move was first announced last year as part of government plans to “slash red tape, increase oversight and ministerial accountability and rewire Whitehall to be more productive and agile”.
The VOA’s work supports the collection of over £60bn in council tax and business rates each year, and also provides commercial property valuation services to the public sector.
The government said the integration will improve the experience of taxpayers and businesses by cutting the time spent managing taxes and upgrading the customer experience during the transition to a reformed business rates system.
At the time, exchequer secretary to the Treasury, James Murray, said: “We are determined to reduce the hassle of the tax system for British businesses and taxpayers. Ending the inefficiency and duplication of a standalone VOA will help us drive change faster and improve value for money.
“This government is determined to make public services more productive, helping to deliver our Plan for Change and put more money in peoples’ pockets.”
