Markets
Start an online business in the United Kingdom
The steps the government of the United Kingdom sets for a new business that sells online, each linked to the official page that runs it, then the steps to open your store. Read from the official sources on October 14, 2026.
Set up your business in the United Kingdom
The steps in the order most new sellers take them. Each is read from the official page linked under it.
1. Choose a legal form
GOV.UK names the sole trader, the limited company and the business partnership.
2. Register the business
Sole traders register for Self Assessment with HMRC, and limited companies register with Companies House before they start trading.
3. Get your tax number
HMRC issues a 10-digit Unique Taxpayer Reference (UTR) on registering for Self Assessment or setting up a limited company.
4. Check when you must register for VAT
Registration is required when taxable turnover for the last 12 months goes over £90,000, the threshold that applies from 1 April 2024.
5. Follow the rules for selling online
GOV.UK guidance "Online and distance selling for businesses" covers required information and consumer rights for distance sales.
Open your store in the United Kingdom
What Tanqory sets up for a store based in the United Kingdom. You change any of it in Settings.
- Tax
Your store starts with a VAT entry for the United Kingdom, pre-filled at 20%, with collecting off until you switch it on.
VAT in the United Kingdom- Card payments
Through your own Stripe account, which Stripe opens for businesses in the United Kingdom. Tanqory adds no transaction fee; Stripe charges its own rate.
- Shipping labels
DHL Express and Easyship, bought in your admin, with the customs declaration sent with each label for parcels that cross a border.
What stays with you
- Registering the business and choosing its legal form. Tanqory does not register a business for you.
- Registering for VAT, filing returns and paying the tax authority.
- Licences or permits your products need in the United Kingdom.
- Legal or tax advice. This page points to the official sources; an adviser in the United Kingdom can apply them to your business.
Questions about starting a business in the United Kingdom
Which legal form should I choose in the United Kingdom?
The official page in step 1 lists the forms a business in the United Kingdom can take. Your choice decides how you register, how you are taxed and whether your own money is kept apart from the business, so an adviser in the United Kingdom is worth asking before you decide.
What does Tanqory set up for a store in the United Kingdom?
A tax entry for the United Kingdom with collecting off, card payments through your own Stripe account, and DHL Express and Easyship labels you buy in your admin. You change any of it in Settings.
Does Tanqory file my VAT return?
No. Your store works out and charges VAT at checkout and keeps a record of every order. You register, file and pay the tax authority yourself, or through your accountant.
What do I have to tell buyers when I sell online in the United Kingdom?
The official page in step 5 lists the information and rights a buyer in the United Kingdom must get before and after they order. Put that information on your store before your first sale.
How current are these steps?
Each was read from its official page on October 14, 2026. Rules change; the official page is the authority, so open it before you act.
How we checked
Each step on this page was read from its official page on October 14, 2026. The store facts come from Tanqory's tax settings, payments and shipping setup.
- Tanqory's tax settings, payments and shipping setup
- www.gov.uk
- www.gov.uk
- www.gov.uk
- www.gov.uk
Open your store in the United Kingdom today
Build your store while you set up your business, and switch on tax collecting when your registration is in place.