Small Business Startup Cost Estimator
Budget for starting a business: list your one-off set-up costs and monthly running costs, choose how many months of costs to keep in reserve, add a safety margin, and see the total you need.
About this tool
Most new businesses take months to bring in enough to cover their costs, so the money you need to start is more than the set-up bill. Add up the one-off costs (equipment, first stock, a deposit on premises, website, signage, legal and accountancy set-up), then the monthly costs of keeping going (rent and business rates, wages, insurance, software, marketing). Keeping three to six months of running costs in reserve is a common rule of thumb; more if sales will be slow to build.
A contingency of 10–20% covers the costs nobody remembers until they arrive. Rename, add or remove any line to fit your business; registering a limited company with Companies House costs £100 online. Use the total to plan savings, a start-up loan or investment, and download the CSV to include in a business plan. Your figures are saved on this device.