Business guidance
Rules, requirements and how-tos for running your business — organised by topic, with industry-specific guidance on the sector pages.
Guidance for creative industries
Show all guidanceApply for broadcasting licence (TV and radio)
How to obtain Ofcom broadcasting licences for television and radio services in the UK - including TLCS for TV channels, community radio, and commercial radio licensing.
Creative IndustriesApply for creative industry funding and grants
Funding opportunities for creative businesses - Arts Council Project Grants, BFI Film Fund, Screen Scotland, Ffilm Cymru Wales, Northern Ireland Screen, and Innovate UK creative R&D funding.
Creative IndustriesApply for entertainment and alcohol premises licence
Complete guide to applying for a premises licence for entertainment, alcohol sales, or late-night refreshment in England and Wales - including fees, consultation requirements, and licensing objectives.
Creative IndustriesBroadcasting business: compliance checklist
Use this checklist to confirm your broadcasting business meets its obligations. Work through the universal workplace and employment items every broadcasting operation shares, then the Ofcom licensing and content-standards items. If you answer no to any item, follow the linked guide before you proceed.
Creative IndustriesBroadcast licensing and Ofcom regulation
How to obtain broadcast licences from Ofcom for television and radio services in the UK. Includes licence types, application processes, Broadcasting Code compliance, and on-demand service notification requirements.
Creative IndustriesClaim creative industry tax reliefs
Corporation Tax reliefs for creative businesses - film, high-end TV, animation, video games, theatre, orchestras, and museums - including rates, eligibility, BFI cultural test, and application process.
Creative IndustriesCreative arts and entertainment: compliance checklist
Use this checklist to confirm your creative arts and entertainment business meets its obligations before you open to the public. Work through the universal workplace and employment items, then the premises licensing and child performance licensing items. If you answer no to any item, follow the linked guide before you proceed.
Creative IndustriesCultural activities: compliance checklist
Use this checklist to confirm your cultural, heritage or visitor-attraction business meets its obligations. Work through the universal premises and employment items every business shares, then only the zoo and dangerous-wild-animal licensing items if you keep animals. If you answer no to any item that applies to you, follow the linked guide before you proceed.
Creative IndustriesFilm and TV production permissions and insurance
Legal requirements and permissions for film and TV production in the UK - including location permissions, council filming fees, insurance requirements, and drone filming regulations.
Creative IndustriesFilm and TV production tax reliefs and regulation
How to access UK film and television tax reliefs, including Audio-Visual Expenditure Credit (AVEC) rates, BFI cultural test certification, child performance licensing, health and safety requirements, and filming permits. Essential compliance and planning guidance for production companies.
Creative IndustriesFilm, TV and music production compliance checklist
Use this checklist to confirm you have met every regulatory obligation that applies to your film, TV or music production business — from workplace health and safety through to child performance licensing, video classification, cinema licensing, copyright and music rights.
Creative IndustriesGet your broadcasting licences and meet Ofcom duties
If you provide a television, radio or on-demand programme service, or operate transmission equipment, you need the right Ofcom licence or notification and must comply with the Broadcasting Code. This guide takes you through each licence type, the content-standards framework, and the PECR privacy rules that apply to your audience engagement and marketing.
Creative IndustriesMeet your film, TV and music production regulatory duties
If your production works with child performers, supplies classified video works, exhibits films to the public, creates copyright-protected content or licenses music rights, your business carries sector-specific duties on top of the universal workplace foundation. This guide covers each regime and what you need to do.
Creative IndustriesProtect your creative content and clear music rights
Understanding copyright for creative businesses - automatic protection for creative works, copyright duration, music rights clearance for commercial use, and penalties for infringement.
Creative IndustriesSet up and run a safe broadcasting operation
Broadcasting involves studios, control rooms, outside broadcasts and transmission sites. Whatever you broadcast, this is the universal spine. It takes you through your core workplace health and safety duties — including the sector hazards around rigging, electrical equipment, working at height and display screen equipment — fire safety, employers' liability insurance, equality and data protection.
Creative IndustriesSet up and run a safe creative arts and entertainment business
Whether you run a theatre, a live music venue, a dance company or an arts centre, this is the universal spine. It takes you through your core workplace health and safety duties, fire safety, premises licensing under the Licensing Act 2003, child performance licensing, employers' liability insurance, equality and data protection.
Creative IndustriesSet up and run a safe cultural activities operation
Running a library, archive, museum, gallery, historic site, botanical garden, zoo or nature reserve means managing public-facing premises and the people who work in them. This is the universal spine. It takes you through your core workplace health and safety duties, fire safety, employers' liability insurance, equality and data protection, then — if you keep animals — zoo licensing and dangerous-wild-animal licensing.
Creative IndustriesSet up and run a safe film, TV or music production business
Whatever you produce — films, television programmes, videos, sound recordings or music — you must manage the same workplace health and safety, fire safety, insurance, equality and data protection duties before you begin operating. This guide walks you through each one.
Creative IndustriesSet up as a creative freelancer or studio
How to start and run a creative business as a designer, photographer, writer, or other creative professional. Covers business structures, tax registration, contracts, insurance, and protecting your intellectual property.
Creative IndustriesWhich broadcasting regulations apply to your business
Broadcasters — television, radio, community radio, on-demand programme services and transmission providers — carry workplace-safety duties as employers and face a separate layer of Ofcom licensing and content-standards obligations specific to broadcasting.
Creative IndustriesWhich creative arts and entertainment regulations apply to your business
Performing arts companies, theatres, live music venues, dance companies and arts centres share workplace-safety duties, then carry premises licensing and child performance licensing duties that depend on what you stage and who performs.
Creative IndustriesWhich cultural activities regulations apply to your business
Libraries, archives, museums, galleries, historic sites, botanical gardens, zoos and nature reserves share the universal workplace-safety, fire, equality and data-protection duties that apply to any public-facing premises. Zoos and keepers of dangerous wild animals carry additional local-authority licensing on top.
Creative IndustriesWhich film, TV and music production regulations apply to your business
Film and TV production companies, video producers, sound recording studios, music publishers and cinema exhibitors share the same workplace-safety foundation, then the rules diverge by what you do — whether you work with child performers, supply classified video works, exhibit films to the public, create copyright-protected content or license music rights.
General rules
Common requirements shown separately from guidance directly classified to this sector.
Check if you need to register for VAT
Find out if your business must register for VAT based on your taxable turnover. Covers the £90,000 threshold, what counts as taxable turnover, the rolling 12-month test, and when voluntary registration makes sense.
Business StructureMandatory registrations every business must complete
Step-by-step guide to the registrations every business must complete before trading, regardless of sector. Covers HMRC tax registration, ICO data protection fee, mandatory insurance, and pension auto-enrolment.
Premises & OperationsMeet your business waste duty of care
Understand your legal responsibilities when producing, storing, or disposing of business waste. Covers using registered waste carriers, completing waste transfer notes, and the stricter rules for hazardous waste.
Compliance & LegalPre-trading compliance checklist
A concise yes/no checklist to verify you have completed all mandatory pre-trading requirements, including business registration, tax, insurance, licences, premises approvals, and data protection.
Prefer step-by-step?
Guided journeys walk you through milestones like starting up or hiring, one task at a time.