Independent guidance for UK founders

Starting a business in the UK involves navigating HMRC registrations, Companies House filings, VAT thresholds, insurance requirements and a great deal of official guidance that is accurate but rarely written for first-time founders. UK Startup exists to translate that guidance into plain English, without removing the rigour.

Every article on UK Startup is grounded in official sources — GOV.UK, HMRC, Companies House, the Financial Conduct Authority, the Health and Safety Executive and others. We link directly to those sources so readers can verify what we say and access the most current official position.

We do not provide legal, tax or financial advice. We provide information. Where a decision has material financial or legal consequences, we say so clearly and recommend consulting a qualified professional.

UK Startup covers the practical decisions every UK founder faces: choosing between sole trader and limited company, registering with HMRC, understanding VAT and Making Tax Digital, setting up PAYE, finding funding through Start Up Loans or angel investment, and protecting the business with the right insurance.

We also publish industry-specific guides for trades, freelancers, e-commerce sellers, café owners, childminders and other common business types — because the rules for a sole-trader plumber differ meaningfully from those for a limited-company software consultant.

All guidance on UK Startup applies to England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland unless explicitly stated otherwise. We note where rules differ by nation — for example, Scottish business rates, Welsh development grants or Northern Ireland-specific funding programmes.

Tax rates, thresholds and deadlines are updated at least annually, typically following the Autumn Budget and Spring Statement. Each article carries a last-reviewed date so readers can assess currency.

UK Startup is free to use and carries no subscription or paywall. The site earns revenue through a small number of referral partnerships with UK business service providers — currently Tide (business banking) and Capital on Tap (business credit cards). When a reader uses a referral code from this site, UK Startup receives a fee from the partner. The reader's pricing and offer are not affected.

Referral relationships do not influence editorial content. Comparison and review pages are produced independently of commercial relationships, and we disclose all partnerships clearly. See our advertising and referral disclosure for full details.

All content on UK Startup is written or reviewed by the UK Startup editorial team. For tax, legal and financial topics, we cross-reference HMRC guidance, GOV.UK publications and, where relevant, FCA or Companies House documentation before publication.

We publish a last-reviewed date on every long-form article. When legislation or HMRC guidance changes materially, we update the relevant pages and revise that date. We maintain a corrections policy — if you spot an error, please contact us and we will review and correct promptly.

For a full account of our sourcing, fact-checking and update methodology, see our editorial policy.