A new survey reveals that 76% of small businesses feel unsupported ahead of Brexit

Brexit impact on business: which industries will be affected?

Staying on top of the headlines and checking for relevant updates will do the

job, and you should use the government’s Brexit

checklist- https://www.gov.uk/transition

Brexit will create big changes for certain businesses, particularly if you:

. Import/Export goods or services to the EU

. Travel to the EU (and/or work there)

. Are from the EU but living/working in the UK

If you fall into any of these categories, think your business might be affected by Brexit

Deal or no-deal, you need to be ready

Your checker results will give you lots of guidance on where to go next and what action to take. But if you’re planning ahead, these are good places to start:

The main Brexit issues for UK businesses

1. Selling services to the EU (and Switzerland, Norway, Iceland, and Liechtenstein)

. Trade regulations (each company has its own selling services guide)

. VAT on sales of digital services

. Establishing and structuring your business (it may be best to get professional advice on this, and checking gov.uk for general guidance)

. Professional qualifications – will yours still be recognized?

. data transfer and GDPR (start with gov.uk’s data/GDPR hub)

2. Exporting to the EU (and transporting by road)

. Does your business have a GB Economic Operator Registration & Identification (EORI) number? You’ll need to check your importer has an EU one too, or if you’re exporting to your own business within the EU. Without these, you may not be able to trade

. Who will deal with customs? Whether you’re hiring someone or doing it yourself, prepare now

. Look into the Common Transit Convention (CTC) – it could simplify how you export your goods

. Make your checks on the tax/duty your importer will need to pay, and any special licenses or actions for the type of your goods Read up on how to claim a VAT refund

Will you be driving your goods? You can hire someone, or do it yourself.

3. Importing from the EU

. You’ll need an EORI number to continue importing goods

. dealing with customs – you can hire someone or do it yourself

. Registering for ‘transitional simplified procedures’, along with the CTC (see exporting above) might ease your paperwork

. Make your checks on the tax/duty you’ll need to pay, and any special licenses or actions for the type of your goods.

Do you import regularly? Setting up a duty deferment account might be useful. It allows you to make one customs duties payment a month, instead of making individual payments.

4. Trading and moving between Northern Ireland and Ireland If your business activities involve Ireland or Northern Ireland, it’s worth working through gov.uk’s hub page and creating a specific plan of action.

5. Visiting the EU

If you’re traveling for business, you’ll need to increase your usual preparations. This will include double-checking your passport and what it allows you to do, organizing the proper healthcare insurance, and checking things like driving documents.

All the official guidance is listed on gov.uk’s visiting Europe hub page.

6. Living and working in the EU

Read the general information for UK nationals living or working more permanently in the EU, or head to gov.uk’s countries list for specific guidance.

7. Staying in the UK if you’re from the EU

If you’re an EU citizen, your best plan is to start with gov.uk’s staying in the UK hub page. Most people will need to apply to stay in the UK. From Norway, Iceland, Liechtenstein, or Switzerland? You can also use staying in the UK hub page.

Brexit helpline and resources

Brexit is complex, and almost every business will have questions, from the most basic to highly niche and specific.

Brexit helpline

This is the gov.uk official Business Brexit helpline and the first place to go.

Call 0300 2000 900 Monday-Friday, 8am-6pm.

Brexit checklist

Build and bookmark your own Brexit action plan, using gov.uk’s checklist. https://www.gov.uk/transition