Last checked 19 October 2026
Quick answer
Each UK nation has a free business support service: the Business Support Service in England, Find Business Support Scotland, Business Wales and Invest Northern Ireland. HMRC offers free guidance, videos, webinars, a digital assistant for Making Tax Digital and an extra support team. For late payment from a larger customer, the Office of the Small Business Commissioner may help. For data protection, the Information Commission (still known as the ICO) has a hub for small organisations.
This is general information, not tax advice. Check GOV.UK or speak to an accountant about your situation. Why we say this.
One of the hardest parts of working for yourself is not having anyone down the corridor to ask. But there’s more free, official help available than most people realise. It’s spread across different organisations, so the trick is knowing which door to knock on.
This guide lists the main free services and what each is good for. Contact details are taken from GOV.UK on the date above. Check the linked pages before you call, as numbers and hours can change.
General business help: start with your nation’s service
GOV.UK’s Get help and support for your business page says you can find local advice and free support on Business.gov.uk, including help with starting, running and growing a business. It also lists a free advice service for each part of the UK:
| Where you are | Service | Phone (from GOV.UK) | Hours (from GOV.UK) |
|---|---|---|---|
| England | Business Support Service | 0800 998 1098 | Monday to Friday, 9am to 6pm |
| Scotland | Find Business Support Scotland | 0300 303 0660 | Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm |
| Wales | Business Wales Helpline | 0300 060 3000 | Monday to Friday, 10am to 4pm |
| Northern Ireland | Invest Northern Ireland, plus NI Business Info | 0800 181 4422 | Monday to Friday, 9:30am to 4:30pm |
GOV.UK says the hours exclude bank holidays. For England, it also lists an email address (enquiries@businesssupportservice.co.uk), webchat and a WhatsApp messaging number, and says you can find free advice and financial help through your local growth hub.
These services are a good first stop for broad questions: how to get started, where to find local schemes, events and training, and who else to talk to. They won’t do your tax return or give you personal legal advice, but they can point you to the right place.
Business.gov.uk also runs a Business Academy with free live events and on-demand videos, which is worth a browse if you want to build skills at your own pace.
Tax help from HMRC
HMRC’s support is free, though it explains rules and processes rather than giving personal advice.
- Self Assessment videos and webinars. HMRC’s email updates, videos and webinars for Self Assessment page links to YouTube playlists on starting Self Assessment, filling in the return if you’re self-employed, and tax bills and penalties. It also offers live and recorded webinars, including one for people new to Self Assessment. You can subscribe to HMRC’s email updates from the same page.
- Making Tax Digital help. HMRC’s MTD help and support guidance points to a digital assistant that can help with who needs to sign up and when, exemptions, choosing software, signing up and using the service. HMRC says it can’t give personalised advice. If you can’t find what you need, it points you to Self Assessment general enquiries.
- Software questions. HMRC says it can’t give advice about specific software products, and that your software provider should have its own guidance. Contact the provider directly for help with how a product works.
- Extra support. GOV.UK’s Get help from HMRC if you need extra support guide says you can get extra support if a health condition or personal circumstances make it difficult to deal with HMRC. Its examples include dyslexia, autism, mobility or sensory disabilities, mental health conditions, financial hardship, domestic abuse and being in hospital. You can ask for this when you call a helpline or through the extra support team’s webchat.
If you’re preparing for Making Tax Digital, our Making Tax Digital hub explains each step in plain English and links to HMRC’s own pages.
If a bigger customer won’t pay
The Office of the Small Business Commissioner says that if you run a small business in the UK and have an unresolved payment dispute with a larger customer, it may be able to help. Its website mentions the self-employed alongside micro businesses and SMEs, and it also has a free interest calculator for invoices paid late.
Our guide to clients who pay late explains your rights and the steps to take before it gets to that point.
Data protection questions
If you keep customer names, phone numbers or addresses, data protection rules apply. The Information Commission (still known as the ICO) has an advice hub for small organisations. It says the hub is for small businesses, start-ups and sole traders, among others, with self-serve tools and short guides.
Employment questions
GOV.UK’s support page says you can contact Acas (the Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service) for confidential advice and help with employment law. That’s useful if you’re thinking about taking someone on for the first time.
If you’re starting out from benefits
GOV.UK says that if you’re unemployed or on benefits, you may be able to get extra help to start a business through your Jobcentre Plus work coach. Its page on starting your own business explains more.
Making the most of free support
- Write your question down first. “How do I register as self-employed?” gets a quicker answer than “Where do I start?”
- Have your details ready. For HMRC calls, keep your Unique Taxpayer Reference and National Insurance number handy.
- Ask what else is local. National helplines often know about local events, training and schemes you won’t find by searching.
- Know where official help stops. For decisions about your own tax, legal position or finances, a qualified professional is the right person. Our guide to choosing an accountant or doing it yourself explains the options.
Be wary of websites or phone numbers that look official but charge for things that are free. GOV.UK warns that some sites imitate government services, and suggests searching on GOV.UK to find the official one. Our guide to registering as self-employed links straight to the official HMRC service.
Frequently asked questions
Is the business support helpline really free?
GOV.UK lists the England and Northern Ireland lines as 0800 numbers. For Scotland and Wales, GOV.UK links to its call charges page, so check that for the cost from your phone.
Can these services check my tax return?
No. Business support services give general guidance and signposting. HMRC explains the rules but doesn’t give personal advice. For a check of your own figures, talk to an accountant or tax adviser.
I’m in England. What’s a growth hub?
GOV.UK says you can find free advice and financial help through your local growth hub. The Business Support Service can tell you which one covers your area.
Where do I start if I haven’t registered yet?
Our Starting out hub walks through the first steps, starting with whether and when you need to register with HMRC.
Sources
All checked on 19 October 2026.
- Get help and support for your business (GOV.UK)
- Business.gov.uk (UK government)
- HMRC email updates, videos and webinars for Self Assessment (GOV.UK, HMRC)
- Making Tax Digital for Income Tax: help and support (GOV.UK, HMRC)
- Get help from HMRC if you need extra support (GOV.UK)
- Moving from benefits to work: starting your own business (GOV.UK)
- Office of the Small Business Commissioner
- Advice for small organisations (Information Commission, still known as the ICO)
- Avoid and report internet scams and phishing (GOV.UK)
Where to check
What changed. : . 21 October 2026: First published.
