The average business energy bill in 2026, by usage not size
There is no single average business energy bill, and no price cap for firms. What UK SMEs pay in 2026 by usage, from about £4,300 for a micro business.
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Browse all 10 tools → Calculators that do the maths for you
Test the numbers before you commit. Ten free calculators, including:
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Cashflow & Finance
Growth Guarantee Scheme Accredited Lenders List (2026)
Every accredited Growth Guarantee Scheme lender at a glance, including HSBC, Barclays, NatWest, Lloyds and Santander: who lends what, typical terms, and how to choose. Checked 3 July 2026.
Operations
Do I need employers' liability insurance? Usually, the day you hire
Most UK businesses must hold employers' liability from the day they hire, or risk up to £2,500 a day. Who triggers it, who is exempt and what it costs.
Cashflow & Finance
Growth Guarantee Scheme Explained: Eligibility, Lenders and How to Apply (2026)
The Growth Guarantee Scheme backs facilities of up to £2 million with a 70% government guarantee to the lender. What it really costs, who qualifies, which banks offer it and how to apply.
Operations
First Employee Cost UK: £28k Really Costs £28,650+ (2026)
How much more does an employee cost than their salary? In 2026/27, 2.3% to 15% more. A £28,000 first hire really costs £28,650 with the Employment Allowance, or £32,100 without it.
Marketing & Growth
Google Business Profile: the three changes that actually get a local firm called
Primary category, a complete profile and recent reviews you reply to: the three Google Business Profile changes with a documented mechanism behind them.
Cashflow & Finance
What the late-payment rules actually let a small firm charge
A £2,400 invoice paid 60 days late earns you £116.20: statutory interest at 11.75% plus a fixed £70, no contract or court needed. Rate holds until 1 July.
Marketing & Growth
Local SEO location pages: when UK SMEs should build them, and when they should not
Location pages can be a strong local-SEO asset or a thin mess. When a UK SME should build them, what a useful page needs, and how to avoid doorway pages.
Operations
Making Tax Digital is live: what sole traders must do now
MTD for Income Tax is live: sole traders with over £50,000 of self-employment and property turnover, not profit, are in. £30,000 and £20,000 waves follow.
Trades & Services
Materials prices are moving: how long should your quote stay open?
Building materials rose 3.2% in the year to April 2026. An undated quote hands you that risk. Set a validity window, add a materials clause and re-quote.
Marketing & Growth
SEO for UK SMEs: the 90-minute audit before you spend a pound
Before paying for SEO, run this 90-minute audit: search like a customer, fix titles and service pages, sort your Google Business Profile, measure enquiries.
Cashflow & Finance
The £90,000 VAT cliff: what crossing the threshold really costs
Cross £90,000 rolling turnover and a consumer-facing firm faces a 20% price rise or a VAT bill near 12.5% of sales, plus the schemes that soften the blow.
Trades & Services
Price the job, not the day rate
Day rates cap what you earn and hide if a job pays. Build a price from materials, the hours you can really bill, overhead and a margin that survives tax.
Cashflow & Finance
How much should a sole trader set aside for tax?
Sole traders, set aside about 20% of profit for tax in 2026/27, rising to 25% above £50,000, and brace for the first 31 January bill that lands at 150%.
Data & Reports
UK SME Service Demand Index - May 2026
Our monthly read on where UK small-business service demand is heading, drawn from live enquiry data across drainage, waste, cleaning and trades.
Trades & Services
Quoting jobs: why your win rate has less to do with price than you think
Fast, clear quotes win more work than cheap ones. A practical look at what actually moves quote-to-job conversion for UK service firms.
Marketing & Growth
The local SEO basics most UK small firms still get wrong
A no-nonsense checklist for getting found in local search - the handful of things that actually move the needle for small UK businesses.