A guide to Government support for small businesses

Following the launch of its new small business strategy, the Government unveiled the Business Growth Service as “a one-stop shop for business advice and practical support”.  

You can access the service here and some of the key schemes, programmes and services are outlined below.  

Help to Grow Management Course 

The Help to Grow Management Course is the Government's susidised leadership training. It provides 50 hours of training over 12 weeks through a mixture of in-person and online sessions. There’s also 10 hours of one-to-one mentoring. The course fee is £750. 

To be eligible for the course, participants need to: 

• work for a small or medium-sized enterprise based in the UK 
• employ between five and 249 employees 
• be a member of the senior leadership team and have direct reports 

The course is delivered across the UK by accredited business schools. 

Help to Grow: Management Essentials 

Help to Grow: Management Essentials is a free online course that explains the key concepts required for business growth.  

The content is split up into 17 videos, each lasting between five and seven minutes, which participants can consume at their own pace.  

Business support helplines 

The UK and devolved governments run telephone helplines that provide advice on starting, running and growing a business: 

England 

Business Support Service 

• Telephone: 0800 998 1098 
• Monday to Friday, 9am to 6pm (except bank holidays) 

Scotland 

Find Business Support Scotland 

• Telephone: 0300 303 0660 
• Textphone: 0800 023 2071 
• Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm (except bank holidays) 

Wales 

Business Wales Helpline 

• Telephone: 0300 060 3000 
• Monday to Friday, 10am to 4pm (except bank holidays) 

Northern Ireland 

Invest Northern Ireland 

• Telephone: 0800 181 4422 
• Monday to Friday, 9:30am to 4:30pm (except bank holidays) 

Funding 

There are various small business funding schemes run by the Government.  

All the Government’s funding support is outlined on the British Business Bank website. Key schemes and organisations include: 

Start Up Loans  

Start Up Loans provide personal loans of between £500 and £25,000 to start or grow a business. The finance has a fixed interest rate of 6% that is repayable over one to five years.  

Applicants need to have started (or plan to start) a UK-based business that is less than three years old. You need to submit a business plan and cashflow forecast as part of your loan application. Successful applicants also receive 12 months of free mentoring. 

For more tips, read our article 'How to start a business'. 

Innovate UK 

Innovation agency Innovate UK provides grants and loans for research and development. 

Growth Guarantee Scheme  

Designed to support access to finance for smaller businesses looking to grow, the Growth Guarantee Scheme covered products are supported by various accredited lenders, including term loans, overdrafts, asset finance, invoice finance and asset-based lending. 

The scheme can support facility sizes of up to £2m and provides the lender with a 70% Government-backed guarantee. 

Nations and Regions Investment Funds 

These schemes provide debt and equity finance to smaller businesses across the UK. There are currently funds in Wales, Northern Ireland, Scotland, Midlands, South West and Northern England. 

More location specific funding  

Schemes providing grants and loans in the four nations of the UK can be found at the following links: 

• England 
• Scotland 
• Wales
• Northern Ireland 

The UK Government also has ‘Find a grant’ service here. 

UK Export Finance 

UK Export Finance provides Government-backed finance and insurance to help businesses export. 

To find our more ways to obtain funding for your business, please read our articles 'How to find and apply for business grants' and 'Eight ways to fund your small business'.

Employment Allowance 

Through the Employment Allowance, eligible employers can reduce their annual National Insurance bill by up to £10,500.  

International trade advice 

The Government provides a wide range of advice and guidance on importing and exporting, including:  

• Country guides 
• Customs, taxes and declarations 
• Trade restrictions, regulations and licensing 

There are also regular events covering international trade topics. 

Digital skills advice 

The Government delivers several events focused on digital advice, including social media, AI and e-commerce.  

For more information, read our article 'How to transform your business with AI'. 

Small Business Commissioner 

The Office of the Small Business Commissioner (OSBC) was set up in 2016 to help small businesses tackle overdue payments from larger customers.  

The Commissioner can investigate complaints by small businesses with under 50 employees that have a late payment issue with a business that has over 50 employees.  

When the office cannot investigate a complaint, it can provide information and support to help a business owner resolve the dispute themselves or point them to another organisation that can help. 

A major pain point for small businesses is late payments; in this article we explain how you can deal with them. 

National Cyber Security Centre 

The National Cyber Security Centre has several resources to help owners of small and medium-sized businesses protect themselves from cyber threats.  

It includes a cyber action toolkit, check your cyber security tool and Cyber Essentials, the certification scheme designed to prevent the most common internet based cyber security threats. 

Read our guide for ways to protect your business from tech threats.

Intellectual Property Office 

The Intellectual Property Office has tools to help businesses understand how IP works and what can be protected using patents, copyright, trademarks and designs and how to manage and use IP.  

Get support with your business or side hustle    

If you are launching or running a small business or side hustle in the UK, get the advice you need. Contact our team at TaxAssist Accountants today. 

First published 4 Mar 2026

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