Guidance for running a business in the UK
Find what you need to start, run and grow your business. Browse by topic, explore your sector, or follow step-by-step journeys through major milestones.
Featured guidance
Handle statutory adoption leave and pay
Step-by-step employer task guide for processing statutory adoption leave and pay, including UK adoption, overseas adoption, surrogacy intended parents and …
Employment & HRStatutory family leave and pay rates 2026/27 (paternity, adoption, SPL/ShPP)
Quick lookup of statutory paternity, adoption and shared parental leave entitlements and pay rates for the 2026/27 tax year. For …
Employment & HRFair Work First in public procurement
How Fair Work First applies when bidding for Scottish public sector contracts, including the sustainable procurement duty and scored criteria.
Growth & StrategyConsequences of carrying on regulated financial business without FCA authorisation
A strategic explainer of what happens if you breach the FSMA general prohibition. Covers the criminal offence under section 23, …
Sector-SpecificApply for customs warehousing authorisation
Customs warehousing lets you store non-UK goods without paying import duty or import VAT until they leave the warehouse for …
International TradeApply for inward processing authorisation
Inward processing (IP) suspends import duty and import VAT on goods you bring in to process, repair, or alter. This …
International TradeWhat's changing
Delinked payments: 98% reduction from August 2026 as BPS phase-out nears end
The Agriculture (Delinked Payments) (Reductions) (England) Regulations 2025 (SI 2025/568) set a 98% progressive reduction on delinked payments for 2026, …
Ofcom publishes categorisation register for Online Safety Act (July 2026)
Ofcom will publish the categorisation register identifying which regulated services fall into Category 1, Category 2A, and Category 2B under …
Sustainable Farming Incentive 2026: revised scheme reopening from June 2026
Defra has announced the Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) will reopen in 2026 through two application windows. The first window opens …