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Write a business plan

Download free business plan templates and find help and advice on how to write your business plan.

Business plan templates

Download a free business plan template on The Prince’s Trust website.

You can also download a free cash flow forecast template or a business plan template on the Start Up Loans website to help you manage your finances.

Business plan examples

Read example business plans on the Bplans website.

How to write a business plan

Get detailed information about how to write a business plan on the Start Up Donut website.

Why you need a business plan

A business plan is a written document that describes your business. It covers objectives, strategies, sales, marketing and financial forecasts.

A business plan helps you to:

clarify your business idea
spot potential problems
set out your goals
measure your progress

You’ll need a business plan if you want to secure investment or a loan from a bank. Read about the finance options available for businesses on the Business Finance Guide website.

It can also help to convince customers, suppliers and potential employees to support you.

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4 Free Business Plan Templates: Where to find them and what you get

While some people argue about whether you need a business plan to be successful, you almost certainly will need one when opening bank accounts and seeking funding. Fortunately there are some good free business plan templates and advice online. Here we will review 4 of the best covering what you get and where to find them.

1) Gov.uk – The ‘write a business plan’ page of the UK government’s website includes advice and a selection of different business plan templates so you can select which one is best for your business.

2) The Prince’s Trust – Although The Prince’s Trust specialise in supporting young people their business plan template is available to anyone. At 16 pages it is substantially shorter than the one from Business Link and is less formal in tone. The Prince’s Trust plan also goes into more depth on the logistics of how the company is going to work and the reasons for starting it up.

3) Microsoft Word – Microsoft have a start-up business template which you can download. When you open it up in word it runs to 28 pages and is full of questions, advice and points to consider. Compared to The Princes Trust and Business Link plans it is a lot more text heavy and takes some reading. It is also a lot more focussed on the financials of the company than the other two plans, concentrating on accounts payable, pricing and other financial planning considerations.

4) Your Bank – One of the main reasons people do a business plan is because their bank asks them to. If this is your motivation then it makes sense to use a template your bank will like. Our business banking partners HSBC have a business plan tool, Natwest have an online form and Barclay’s offer plenty of advice . Many of the other main UK banks also have templates or advice online. Using the bank’s own forms should mean that you tick all of the boxes and answer all of the questions they are likely to be looking at which can only help make your meeting go more smoothly.

Whichever template you choose it is important that you invest the time to get your plan right before you try to use it. Most of these plans require you to do a considerable amount of research into your target market, customers and competitors. Don’t leave it until the night before your bank meeting to get it done!

One comment on “ 4 Free Business Plan Templates: Where to find them and what you get ”

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Business Finance

Business Plan Template: Use our Free Downloadable Tool to Produce a Plan for Your New Business

How to use our free business plan template

How do I write a business plan?

What is a business plan.

So you’ve come up with an idea for a business and made the courageous decision to strike out on your own. You’ll get to work on your terms, become your own boss, and hopefully turn a profit by doing something you’re passionate and knowledgeable about.

Perhaps you can already picture this future business clearly in your head, but before you’ve committed it to text in the form of a business plan, your business idea is just that: an idea.

And those rosy visions may not necessarily reflect the harsh realities of a competitive market, the difficult choices that lie ahead and the challenge of navigating an unpredictable economy.

A business plan won’t guarantee that you can weather the inevitable hardships that come with running your own business, but it will allow you to sense-check your assumptions and form contingencies that will give you the best chance of success.

As long as you can provide a realistic picture of where your business is heading, and you can back it up with facts and figures, your business plan can serve as a useful roadmap for the months and years ahead.

We know that writing a business plan may sound daunting, which is why we’ve also developed a simple new business checklist to help you wrap your head around all the steps involved in getting a new venture off the ground.

But while our checklist is a great place to start, you may also need to develop a more formal business plan along the way. For example, if you plan to approach investors or go to a bank in the hope of securing a business loan , there is every chance you’ll be asked to prove the clarity of your vision by presenting a business plan. For start-up businesses, this is even more likely.

Plus, by forcing yourself to think critically about the specifics of everything from your marketing strategy to your financial projections, you can spot limitations and areas for improvement in your business before they become a problem.

While businesses can succeed without a plan, a 2016 study found that founders who take the time to write a business plan are 16% more likely to end up with a viable business than those who press ahead without planning.

Below, you’ll find our business plan template, along with a brief guide to what information each section will require, and our top tips for filling it in.

Download our business plan template

To help your business journey run smoothly, we’ve come up with a handy checklist for you to download, which should take the guesswork out of starting your own business. From how to hone your business idea to sorting out your business finances, this guide will steer you through the first steps as you get your new business off the ground.

How to use our free business plan template

Our business plan template is broken down into eleven sections. Take your time to fill in each section to the best of your knowledge.

In some cases, you’ll just have to provide factual information about you and your business. Other sections will require you to conduct in-depth market research and make informed assumptions about your likely costs and takings.

These sections are inherently speculative, and that’s OK. As long as you can provide a realistic picture of where your business is heading, and back it up with facts and figures, your business plan can serve as a useful roadmap for the months and years ahead. It may also help to secure crucial start-up funding .

1. Executive summary

This is a concise overview of your entire plan, giving the reader a snapshot of what they can expect in each section.

Summarise all the most salient points, and aim to keep your summary to under 1,000 words or a couple of pages of text.

Although this will be the first thing a reader will see of your business plan, it’s a good idea to write this section last. Feel free to skip this step for now and come back to it at the end.

2. Your background

This section explains who you are and why you’re starting this business.

You should include your personal details, professional experience, and qualifications, as well as how you will plug any skill or knowledge gaps that will help you achieve your goals.

By explaining the relevance of your professional and personal background to the business idea, you’re demonstrating to investors that you’re a credible candidate for funding.

3. Products and services

Here, you need to explain exactly what product or services you’re bringing to market, any insurance or legal requirements you need to meet to do so, and your launch strategy.

Will you be launching new products at a later date? If so, write about your plans in this section.

4. Costs and pricing

Detail the cost of your products and service by unit, and work out your mark-up and profit.

This will help you to ensure the economics of your pricing strategy makes sense.

5. Market analysis

Describe in detail who your target customers are, their needs, and the size of the market.

6. Market research

Conduct, and explain:

desk research (looking at industry challenges and opportunities)
field research (customer questionnaires/market testing)

7. Marketing strategy

Determine which marketing channels you will use, justify why you’re choosing them and establish how much they will cost.

8. Competitor analysis

Identify your direct competitors (businesses offering the same products or services) and indirect competitors (businesses offering similar products or services) and conduct a SWOT analysis.

SWOT stands for S trengths, W eaknesses, O pportunities, and T hreats. Thinking about things this way will help you align your hopes and plans for your business with the real-world environment in which you’ll be operating.

9. Operations and logistics

Explain how production and delivery will work at your business day-to-day. Think about the following, and for every relevant point, provide details relating to your business:

10. Financial projections

This is perhaps the most complicated section. We’ve created a number of template tables for you to detail your sales and costs, your cash-flow forecast, and your personal survival budget.

Sales assumptions: Your sales assumptions template allows you to estimate a year’s worth of sales and costs broken down by product and service type.
Cash-flow forecast: Y our cash-flow forecast is exclusively for business income (revenue) and expenditure (rent, wages, utilities). Your revenue estimates should be realistic and supportable. It’s wise to be conservative for your first few months of trading.
Personal survival budget: Here you should include only your personal average monthly income minus costs and expenses. This proves to potential investors that you can meet your loan repayments. You can use personal bank statements to estimate your typical monthly incomings and outgoings.

11. Back-up plan

Things don’t always go according to plan. Here you need to break down your short and long-term proposal for meeting any outstanding debt repayments in the event that you experience financial hardship.

This can include quick ways to raise cash, savings or a support network you could draw upon, or a plan to renegotiate your payment terms with suppliers.

There is no one way to write a business plan, and the information you put into your plan doesn’t have to necessarily be set in stone.

When you write your business plan, bear in mind that it is a living document, liable to change as your plans and circumstances change.

If you’re struggling with writing a business plan, using a free business plan template, like the one you can download in this article, should make this task easier.

While you’re following the above steps, bear these additional tips in mind to make sure your business plan makes sense to you and to anyone else who reads it:

Be concise… Keep your business plan relatively short by only including necessary information and being precise in your language. Not only will this make it easier to write but it will encourage you to be analytical. After all, it’s easy to dress up an empty idea in flowery language.
… but be detailed. However, make sure to include the right level of detail about the things that matter, especially when it comes to financial forecasts and competitor analysis.
Be realistic: It’s fine to dream big, but keep your expectations and projections achievable and grounded in evidence. You can always rework them if your circumstances change.
Seek feedback: Find someone to read over your business plan whose opinion you value. Ideally, this should be someone who has experience in business, like a mentor.

A business plan is a document describing your business and setting out how you intend to achieve your business goals.

Business plans are a useful way to organise your idea in your own mind, and the process of writing a business plan may throw up problems and solutions which you wouldn’t have otherwise considered.

A business plan may also be needed to secure external funding, like a start up loan. In this case, presenting a business plan to a prospective lender shows that you have thought about your business idea and that you’re serious about making a success of it.

If you’re struggling to write a business plan, then our free, downloadable business plan template can help.

Image source: Getty Images

About the Author

George Harrison is a lead writer at NerdWallet. A graduate of the London School of Economics, George has worked as a professional writer for almost a decade, with articles appearing…

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Business Plan Template

Download our free, easy-to-use business plan template to get started on the path to success., are you thinking about launching a start-up, running your own business or expanding an existing one.

Then you probably need to write a business plan…but don’t worry, you’ve already done most of the hard work in coming up with an idea.

This template will help you document the key details, goals and objectives of your business plan. Business plans are a great tool for showing potential investors and clients a roadmap of how you aim to achieve your business goals.

Download yours today to get started on the path to success.

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What are you looking for, how to write a business plan uk | free uk business plan template.

Brought to you by AAT Business Finance Basics

1. What is a business plan?
2. Download: Free UK business plan template
3. Getting started on a business plan
4. How to structure a business plan step-by-step
5. What content should a business plan include?
6. UK business plan example 1: GreenTech Innovations
7. UK business plan example 2: EcoBoutique
8. UK business plan example 3: BizConsult Solutions
9. Business plan writing tips

You’ve got the brilliant business idea, you might have even started setting up or running your business, but writing a business plan and creating business proposals are vital for the launch and growth of any venture. It’s a document where you can organise all your ideas, create a company description, make sure that you’ve considered and researched everything, and ultimately decide that the business is viable. Commitment to making a business plan is a commitment to the business. Read our guide and download your free business plan template.

What is a business plan?

A business plan is a document that details all the future plans and predictions for your business. It will explain your ideas, map out how they’ll be put into practice and provide relevant information and facts including the business details, management plan, operating plan, marketing and sales strategy , financial projections, and operational and team specifics.

A business plan is essential in helping you:

	Put some meat on the bones of your initial idea, start your business plan outline, calculate your startup costs, and research if your business is realistic and viable.
	Use your plan to secure startup funds, decide what marketing and sales channels you’ll use and plan what order you need to do things in.
	Who will take care of the day-to-day running of the business and run the company profile, are you legally compliant, do you need assets, equipment and employees?
	Look ahead to your medium to long-term sales projections and what you’ll need in place (for example, funding, a larger team, equipment and premises) to make this happen. Compare to other success stories.

The business plan is a living, working document that should be read and reviewed regularly. If there are multiple directors or partners in the business then they should all be in agreement with what the plan outlines, the detailed information in the plan, and what is written in the plan. You will also need to share it with potential investors. The business plan will formalise all the ideas and assumptions, keep you focused, and ensure that everyone is on the same page.

How long writing your business plan should take will depend on your business size, the complexities of it and what stage you’re at. The most important thing is that it’s user-friendly and doesn’t include any waffle. Get straight to the nitty-gritty so that your stakeholders are engaged when reading it and so that you are more likely to use and update it regularly. Your business plan will probably cover the first three to five years. It’s important to include all the right information (see the checklist below) but it’s not a document to spend too long on. It’s more important that you are spending time running the business.

There are lots of business plan examples out there but typically yours should include:

What your business will do
The business structure and operations
Team members and their expertise
Market analysis to see current and projected state of the market and industry
How your business will sell and market
Startup costs and funding required
Financial projections
Legal requirements

Writing a business plan will allow you to take a step back and look at the business more objectively, predicting potential issues in advance, such as financial forecasts, and coming up with solutions or a shift in how you originally thought that you would do something.

Download: Free UK business plan template

We want to take the stress out of writing a business plan. Our free downloadable UK business plan template will guide you on everything you need to include and get your business primed for success.

Download: Please login or register to get your download.

Getting started on a business plan

Before you begin to make your business plan, keep these three things at the forefront of your mind.

Focus on what makes you unique

Be creative with your plan, shout about your unique selling proposition (USPs) and what makes you different. Represent your brand using language and visuals, and talk about why you and your team are best to run this business.

Don’t over complicate it

Keep it concise so that you can get on with running the business and so the business plan is an easily readable and usable document. Too much detail in the plan can become confusing.

Be realistic and honest

The business plan will give you an indication of where you’re supposed to be. Review it every few months, update it as you go and change your activities in line with it. It will be impossible for you to predict everything so just give it your best shot and be prepared to be flexible.

How to structure a business plan step-by-step

The business plan should follow this format with these six sections.

You must be logged in to use this checklist

The executive summary should always be written last. Think of it as a one-pager giving an overview of all the best bits of your plan. If the executive summary doesn’t captivate and interest the reader then it’s unlikely that they will read the rest of your plan.

Describe your what, where, who and why - including your product/service, brand, location, business model and size.

This section will involve the most amount of research as you study the current and projected conditions of the market and the industry, and look at what your competition is doing , before making your own marketing plans .

Explain the experience, skills and credentials of all the people involved. Why are they the right people to make this a success?

Detail your required facilities, premises, systems and software.

This section translates everything into numbers - your startup and running costs, funding , revenue projections with a cash flow forecast .

What content should a business plan include?

Take a look at these business plan sections in more detail to see examples of the sort of details you should include, depending on your type of business. In the next section, we’ve used this framework to create some UK business plan examples featuring three fictional small businesses.

1. The executive summary

Give a topline description of:

In the most basic terms, what is the business? Is it a product or service? What does it do and how?
Why is there a need for this business?
What does this business do better than similar existing businesses?
What experience or skills do you have that will help make this business a success?
How will it make money?
Who will your customers be?
Who are your main competitors?
How will people find out about you?
What is the opportunity for investors?

2. Business details and description

In this section:

Describe your what, where, who and why – including your product/service, brand, location, business model and size.
Food (lunch / dinner)
Private hire for meetings / parties / events
Putting on own events (music, comedy)
Classes (e.g. cocktail making)
Opening for breakfast / take away coffee
What will the legal structure of your company be (LTD, PLC, sole trader, partnership, charity, social enterprise)?

3. Marketing and sales strategy

This section will likely be split into the following areas:

Market conditions and competition

You can include your gut instincts about the market here and what you know, but be sure to also back this up with evidence and research.

Who are your biggest competitors? (Bear in mind competitors don’t always have to be exactly the same type of business, but something that people might spend their money on instead of your product).
How do your competitors market and price themselves?
How much is currently spent in your industry and what is demand like?
What are the barriers to entry?
What trends are happening internationally within similar businesses (maybe in countries like the US who may be further ahead)?

Target market

Who is your target market ?
Create a customer profile with as much detail as possible about your ideal customer.
Make a list of friends, clients, business contacts, companies to target that might buy from you and include any current customers.
For example: if you make jewellery, as well as selling it directly to the customer you could consider selling wholesale to other businesses, or starting jewellery making classes.
What is your brand’s personality and characteristics?
What does it stand for? What’s your mission statement?
Do you have a tone of voice and brand guidelines?
How will your brand do business/work with clients / communicate with customers?
For example: business cards, leaflets, templates (invoice, e-newsletter), sales presentation.

Sales and marketing plan

For example: website, social media, email marketing, blogging and blogger outreach, print advertising, radio, PR, partnerships, networking, podcasts, videos, directories, referrals, PPC, SEO.
Plan your website – domain name , who will build it, what information and functionality does it need?
Decide on a marketing budget .

4. Management and employees

Who will make up your team and what relevant skills and experience do they have?
Do you need to employ people?
What friends/family/business contacts do you have with skills that might be able to help you (preferably for free)?
Do you need to outsource anything?

5. Operational set up

What premises do you need? Where will they be? Where will you work from?
What assets/tools do you require (and which of these do you already have)?
Are there any licences that you require? Any other legal considerations?

6. Financial plan and projections

This section should look at the following areas:

For example: premises, insurance, licences, staff wages, your salary, stock, delivery costs, machinery, tools, computer, printer, telephone, electric, wifi, website, accountant, marketing, travel, design and print, training, photography, networking events, exhibitions, client entertaining.

Startup finance

How much do you need to start the business and to ensure you have enough cash flow?
How will you be financing it?
Include as much detail as you can about your prices, pricing structure and margins.
How much money do you need to make on a monthly basis to cover your costs and pay yourself and how much do you have to sell to make this figure?

Projected accounts

Cash-flow forecast
Projected balance sheet
Projected profit and loss accounts

UK business plan example 1: GreenTech Innovations

1. executive summary.

GreenTech Innovations is a tech startup developing advanced solar panel technology that increases energy efficiency by 20%. This business addresses the growing demand for affordable and sustainable energy solutions. We stand out with our patented technology and a team of experienced professionals. Our revenue model includes direct sales to consumers and partnerships with energy companies. Our customers are environmentally conscious homeowners and businesses. Competitors include SolarCity and SunPower, but our superior technology and lower costs offer a competitive edge. We will use digital marketing and industry trade shows to gain visibility.

GreenTech Innovations, based in London, specializes in renewable energy products. Our core product is an innovative solar panel with higher efficiency and lower costs. Revenue streams include direct sales, energy company partnerships, and government contracts. We are structured as an LTD company.

Products/services/revenue streams:

High-efficiency solar panels
Installation services
Maintenance contracts
Licensing our technology to other manufacturers
Government and commercial contracts

Market conditions and competition: The renewable energy market is growing, driven by environmental concerns and government incentives. Competitors like SolarCity market themselves as premium providers; we will differentiate by offering better technology at a lower price. The UK market spends billions on renewable energy annually, with strong demand forecasted.

Target market: Our target market includes environmentally conscious homeowners and businesses. Ideal customers are tech-savvy, value sustainability, and are looking for long-term savings on energy costs.

The brand: Our brand stands for innovation and sustainability. Our mission is to make renewable energy accessible and affordable. We will communicate through a professional, approachable tone and prioritize customer education.

Sales and marketing plan:

Website with e-commerce capabilities
Social media campaigns
SEO and PPC advertising
Email marketing
Partnerships with green energy advocacy groups
Presence at trade shows and industry conferences

Our team includes Dr. Jane Smith (CEO), a solar energy expert with 20 years of experience, and John Doe (CTO), who holds several patents in solar technology. We plan to hire additional engineers, marketing professionals, and sales staff. Some tasks, such as legal and accounting, will be outsourced.

We need a manufacturing facility in London, equipped with state-of-the-art machinery for solar panel production. Our office will house our R&D lab, administrative offices, and logistics team. Necessary licenses include manufacturing and environmental permits.

6. Financial plan and projections costs:

Manufacturing equipment: £500,000
Initial inventory: £200,000
Facility lease: £100,000/year
Staff salaries: £300,000/year
Marketing: £100,000

Startup finance: We seek £1 million in funding through equity investment and government grants.

Pricing: Our solar panels will be priced competitively at £500 per unit, with a 30% profit margin.

Projected accounts:

Year 1: Revenue £2 million, Profit £400,000
Year 2: Revenue £4 million, Profit £1 million
Year 3: Revenue £8 million, Profit £2.5 million

UK business plan example 2: EcoBoutique

EcoBoutique is a sustainable fashion retailer offering eco-friendly clothing and accessories. Addressing the rising demand for ethical fashion, we differentiate ourselves with unique designs and fair-trade practices. Our team, led by experienced fashion designer Emma Green, will operate from a flagship store in Manchester and an online platform. Our revenue model includes direct sales and partnerships. Our target customers are environmentally conscious consumers. Competitors include other sustainable fashion brands, but our commitment to quality and ethical sourcing sets us apart. We seek £500,000 in funding to establish our store and marketing efforts, promising growth and strong returns.

EcoBoutique, located in Manchester, sells sustainable clothing and accessories. Revenue streams include in-store and online sales, private events, and wholesale partnerships. The company will be structured as an LTD.

Sustainable clothing (organic cotton, recycled materials)
Accessories (bags, jewelry)
Private hire for fashion events
Online store
Wholesale to other retailers

Market conditions and competition: The sustainable fashion market is expanding rapidly. Competitors like Patagonia and People Tree use online marketing and brand loyalty strategies. The UK fashion industry sees significant consumer spending, with growing interest in sustainable options.

Target market: Our ideal customers are eco-conscious individuals aged 20-40, interested in fashion and sustainability.

The brand: EcoBoutique stands for ethical fashion and sustainability. Our mission is to provide stylish, eco-friendly clothing. We will use a friendly, informative tone and emphasize our commitment to fair trade.

Website with e-commerce and blog
Social media and influencer partnerships
Email newsletters
Community events and pop-up shops
Print advertising in eco-friendly magazines

Our team includes founder Emma Green, a fashion designer with a background in sustainability, and Liam Brown, our marketing manager with extensive retail experience. We will hire sales associates and an e-commerce manager. Some services, such as accounting and web development, will be outsourced.

We need a retail space in Manchester, designed with sustainable materials, and an e-commerce platform. Licenses required include retail and health & safety permits.

Store renovation: £200,000
Inventory: £100,000
Marketing: £50,000
Staff salaries: £150,000/year
E-commerce platform: £50,000

Startup finance: We seek £500,000 through a combination of loans, personal investment, and crowdfunding.

Pricing: Clothing items priced between £30-£150, with a 40% profit margin.

Year 1: Revenue £1 million, Profit £150,000
Year 2: Revenue £1.5 million, Profit £300,000
Year 3: Revenue £2 million, Profit £500,000

UK business plan example 3: BizConsult Solutions

BizConsult Solutions is a consulting firm offering business strategy and digital transformation services for SMEs. We address the need for modern, tech-savvy business solutions in a competitive market. Our experienced team, led by Sarah Lee, specializes in helping businesses innovate and grow. We generate revenue through consulting fees, workshops, and retainer agreements. Our target customers are SMEs across various industries. Competitors include larger consulting firms, but our focus on SMEs and personalized service sets us apart. We will use content marketing and networking to attract clients. We seek £300,000 in funding to establish our office and marketing activities, promising steady growth and high returns.

BizConsult Solutions, based in Birmingham, offers consulting services in strategy and digital transformation. Revenue streams include hourly consulting fees, retainer agreements, and workshops. The company will be structured as an LTD.

Business strategy consulting
Digital transformation services
Workshops and training sessions
Retainer agreements for ongoing support

Market conditions and competition: The consulting market is competitive, with demand for digital transformation services rising. Competitors include large firms like McKinsey and Deloitte, but they primarily target larger enterprises. We focus on SMEs, offering affordable, high-quality services.

Target market: Our target market is SMEs in various sectors, seeking to modernize their operations and strategies.

The brand: BizConsult Solutions is innovative and client-focused. Our mission is to empower SMEs to thrive through strategic and technological advancements. We will communicate through a professional and approachable tone.

Professional website with case studies and testimonials
Content marketing (blogs, whitepapers)
Webinars and online courses
Networking events and industry conferences
Email marketing and LinkedIn outreach

Our team includes Sarah Lee (CEO), with 10 years of consulting experience, and Michael O’Connor (CTO), an expert in digital transformation. We will hire additional consultants and administrative staff as needed. We will outsource web development and legal services.

We need an office in Birmingham, equipped with meeting rooms and collaborative workspaces. Essential tools include project management software and CRM systems. Required licenses include business operation permits.

Office setup: £100,000
Technology and software: £50,000

Startup finance: We seek £300,000 through a combination of bank loans and private investment.

Pricing: Consulting fees range from £100-£300 per hour, with retainer packages starting at £2,000 per month.

Year 1: Revenue £500,000, Profit £100,000
Year 2: Revenue £750,000, Profit £200,000
Year 3: Revenue £1 million, Profit £350,000

Business plan writing tips

Writing a business plan can take some time and some areas of the plan will be easier to tackle than others.

Make initial notes every time you think of something and don’t worry if you can’t cover all points at the start.
When you are ready to start to write the plan, make sure you use sections and these are in a logical order.
It is important that your plan is simple, accurate and easy to follow if you are going to ask others to look at it.
Try to avoid jargon or terms that only people in your type of industry will understand.

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Top 25 Free Business Plan templates

Free business plan templates 2024.

As we step into 2024 , the entrepreneurial landscape continues to evolve, making a well-crafted business plan more crucial than ever. At smallbusinessplans.co.uk , we understand this need and are proud to present our " Top 25 Free business plan templates ". This guide is a comprehensive resource, offering a variety of free business plan templates to suit diverse business needs and industry specifics.

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Free business plan templates:

Smartsheet: Offers a variety of simple business plan templates, free to download in PDF, Word, and Excel formats. Visit Smartsheet for templates .
Bplans: Provides a free business plan template in Google Doc, Microsoft Word, and PDF formats, including expert guidance to help fill out each section. Download from Bplans .
PandaDoc: Offers 26 free business plan templates, updated for 2023. Create an effective plan for your business in minutes with these templates. Download from PandaDoc .
Wise: Provides a simple business plan template in MS Word, PDF, or Google Doc format. Try it for free from Wise .
HubSpot: A collection of professionally designed Business Plans templates available for Word, PDF, and Excel. Download from HubSpot .
U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA): Offers guidance on writing a business plan with a template. Learn more at SBA.gov .
Shopify: Provides a free business plan template and examples for small businesses (2023). Access Shopify's template .
SCORE: Offers a variety of business plan templates for startups and established businesses. Visit SCORE for templates .
Office Templates: Microsoft Office provides free business plan templates for Word and Excel. Download from Office Templates .
Template.net: Offers a wide range of free business plan templates in various formats including Word, PDF, and Google Docs. Access Template.net's templates .
Venngage: Provides visually appealing business plan templates that can be customized online. Try Venngage's templates .
Zervant: Offers a free business plan template specifically designed for small businesses and freelancers. Access Zervant's template .
Trello: Trello offers interactive business plan templates that can be used for collaborative planning. Access Trello's business plan board .
Growthink: Provides a free business plan template that has been downloaded by over 1 million entrepreneurs. Download from Growthink .
LivePlan: While primarily a paid service, LivePlan offers some free resources and samples of business plans. Explore LivePlan's resources .
Visme: Offers customizable business plan presentation templates, ideal for pitching to investors. Try Visme's templates .
Slidebean: Provides startup-focused business plan presentation templates. Access Slidebean's templates .
Enloop: Provides a free version of their business plan writing software, which includes some template options. Use Enloop's free plan .
Rocket Lawyer: While primarily offering legal services, they also provide a free business plan template. Download from Rocket Lawyer .
Business.gov.au: Provides a free business plan template and guide, tailored for Australian businesses but applicable globally. Access Business.gov.au's resources .
Prince's Trust: In the UK, the Prince's Trust offers free business plan templates, particularly useful for young entrepreneurs. Download from Prince's Trust .
Start Up Loans Company: Another UK-based resource offering a free business plan template along with a cash flow forecast template. Access their templates .
LawDepot: Provides free business plan templates that can be customized online. Try LawDepot's template .
BDC: The Business Development Bank of Canada offers a free business plan template and an interactive business plan tool. Download from BDC .
InvoiceBerry: Provides free business plan templates, particularly focused on financial planning and projections. Access InvoiceBerry's templates .

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Operational resilience of the financial sector

Our objectives

To keep retail and wholesale markets open and functioning, except if doing so would threaten UK financial stability. Specifically, we aim to keep payment and settlement systems open to complete the day’s business.
To ensure an orderly and early return to trading if markets fail to remain open – for example by providing a single point of information, effective channels of communication and an effective and coordinated response.
To involve relevant infrastructure providers and market participants when we make decisions affecting markets.
To facilitate market initiatives that help build operational resilience.

If you work for a firm or an FMI and need more information, please contact your supervisory team.

Operational Resilience - Financial Conduct Authority
The National Cyber Security Centre

Prudential and Resolution Policy Index related links

Banking - Operational resilience
Insurance - Operational resilience

Operational resilience

Operational resilience is important for maintaining financial stability in the UK.

By ‘operational resilience’, we mean the ability of firms, and the financial sector as a whole, to absorb and adapt to shocks and disruptions, rather than contribute to them.

It extends beyond business continuity and disaster recovery. Financial firms and FMIs must have robust plans in place to deliver essential services, no matter what the cause of the disruption. This includes man-made threats such as physical and cyber attacks, IT system outages and third-party supplier failure. And it also includes natural hazards such as fire, flood, severe weather and pandemic.

As a central bank and as a regulator of financial firms and FMIs, we have an important part to play in improving the resilience of the sector.

How we set operational resilience policy

Our Financial Policy Committee (FPC) looks at the resilience of the system as a whole. The committee sets out its priorities twice a year in its Financial Stability Report . The committee’s macroprudential approach to operational resilience is set out in the Financial Stability in Focus .

Our Prudential Regulation Committee (PRC) and Financial Market Infrastructure Board (FMIB) focus on the operational resilience of the firms and FMIs we regulate.

Our approach to operational resilience

To support operational resilience we:

supervise individual firms and FMIs; and
engage with the UK sector and international authorities to drive collective action.

We have set out our approach to operational resilience for firms in our policy statements . This work is carried out by the Bank of England and by our Prudential Regulation Authority.

In summary, we ask firms to:

identify important business services . Boards and senior management must identify and prioritise services that, if disrupted, would impact our objectives and the public interest;
set impact tolerances . Firms must say to what extent they would be able to continue important business services following severe but plausible disruptions; and
ensure they can remain within impact tolerances . Firms must map their important business services and test their capacity to continue them to the agreed extent. Where firms identify vulnerabilities which might stop them from remaining within impact tolerances, these should be addressed.

We have set out our policy on operational resilience of FMIs .

Collective action on operational resilience

The Cross Market Operational Resilience Group (CMORG) leads sector-wide collective action on operational resilience.

The group is made up of around 25 members, firms across retail, wholesale, FMIs, insurance, the financial authorities and the National Cyber Security Centre. It is co-chaired by senior executives of the Prudential Regulation Authority (PRA) and UK Finance.

CMORG has three core objectives. These are to:

identify risks to the resilience of the financial sector;
develop solutions to improve the operational resilience of the sector; and
share knowledge.

CMORG is supported by specialist subgroups. These subgroups design, manage, and deliver operational resilience improvements for the sector. The work undertaken by these groups is voluntary. Subgroup chairs meet regularly to discuss CMORG’s activities and identify areas for more collaboration.

CMORG is supported by a Project Management Office (PMO). The PMO is jointly resourced by us and UK Finance. It is developing a website to improve awareness of CMORG activity.

CMORG-endorsed capabilities (including good practice guidance, response frameworks and contingency tools) have been developed collectively by industry to support the operational resilience of the UK financial sector. The financial authorities support the development of these capabilities and collective efforts to improve sector resilience. However, their use is voluntary and they do not constitute regulatory rules or supervisory expectations; as such, they may not necessarily represent formal endorsement by the authorities.

The Financial Services Cyber Collaboration Centre (FSCCC) is a partnership led by CMORG. It aims to help identify, investigate and co-ordinate the response to incidents that have potential consequences for the financial sector. It analyses and distributes information to produce timely outputs for the benefit of the whole sector.

What happens if there is a disruption in the financial sector?

If there is a disruption, individual firms should contact their usual business or supervisory contacts at the Bank of England or the Financial Conduct Authority.

The sector’s response is facilitated by the Sector Response Framework (SRF). This framework sets out how organisations across the sector and government are connected. It also explains how they may respond to incidents individually and together when the impacts of an incident become broader than a single firm or FMI and require a degree of coordination, information sharing or collective action.

Its purpose is to:

enable firms and FMIs, and the sector, to make collective, timely, informed decisions in response to incidents;
provide a reference to good practice, contingency tools and plans, which may be invoked as part of a sector response;
include both decision makers and subject matter experts;
be organised on a modular basis, so that components of the SRF can respond;
be recognised by the financial authorities as the principle structure by which the sector will respond to incidents;
support collaborative engagement between the sector and the UK financial authorities (see below); and
be able to engage with frameworks in other jurisdictions, if required.

The UK’s three financial authorities are the Bank of England (including the Prudential Regulation Authority), the Financial Conduct Authority and His Majesty’s Treasury.

If disruptions have the potential to impact the sector as whole, the UK’s financial authorities act together. The Authorities Response Framework co-ordinates their response.

Cyber resilience

To maintain the cyber resilience of the UK financial sector and to support our supervisory oversight, we have developed a number of cyber assessment tools.

Cyber assessment tools include CBEST, STAR-FS and CQUEST.

CBEST provides a framework for regulators to work with firms using a simulated cyber attack. This enables firms to explore how an attack on the people, processes and technology of a firm’s cyber security controls may be disrupted.

The aim of CBEST is to:

test a firm’s defences;
assess its threat intelligence capability; and
assess its ability to detect and respond to a range of external attackers as well as people on the inside.

Firms use the assessment to plan how they can strengthen their resilience.

We base the simulated attacks used on current cyber threats. These include the approach a threat actor may take to attack a firm and how they might exploit a firm’s online information.

An accredited service provider carries out the simulation. They act within legal, ethical and moral constraints. They aim to get through a firm’s defences using the cyber kill chain. They also assess if the confidentiality, integrity or availability of systems and processes that deliver a firm’s important business services can be compromised.

The Bank of England, Prudential Regulation Authority (PRA) and the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) are pleased to announce the launch of a new threat-led penetration test assessment for the UK Finance Sector. STAR-FS (Simulated Targeted Attack & Response assessments for Financial Services) is now part of the PRA and FCA supervisory toolkit, which also includes CBEST, to assess the cyber resilience of firms’ important business services. This assessment enables regulators and firms to better understand vulnerabilities and take remedial actions, thereby improving the resilience of individual firms and by extension, the wider financial system.

STAR-FS promotes a threat-led penetration testing approach that mimics the actions of cyber threat actors’ intent on compromising an organisation’s important business services and the technology assets and people supporting those services.

STAR-FS aims to provide:

an outcome-based assessment of financial institutions’ protection, detection and response technical capabilities against cyber-attacks;
an approach, conducted through a firm-led delivery model, that can identify cyber resilience vulnerabilities within systems, people and processes;
reduced regulatory and firm effort relative to other supervisory technical assessments such as CBEST;
levels of independent technical assurance beyond those ordinarily included in firms’ own penetration testing programmes; and
a testing approach accessible by a larger number of financial institutions to experience and learn from.

Here is a short list of STAR-FS unique features:

STAR-FS accredited threat intelligence and penetration test service providers are utilised to replicate real world attacks on operational systems.
STAR-FS allows for consistent formal reports to be used by firms to provide appropriate information to regulators of the level of technical cyber resilience.
STAR-FS can be self-initiated by firms as part of their own cyber programmes, as well as initiated by regulators as part of supervisory oversight, to inform assessments of protection, detection, and response capabilities and uncover vulnerabilities through testing.
Self-initiated STAR-FS assessments could be recognised as a supervisory assessment if regulators are notified of the STAR-FS, accept the opportunity to input to the scope, and then receive the relevant requested outputs at the end of the assessment.

A STAR-FS Implementation Guide and supporting templates are now available. If your firm is interested in conducting a STAR-FS assessment please contact your Supervisor.

Operational disruption to important business services could impact financial stability, threaten the safety and soundness of individual firms and financial market infrastructures (FMIs), and cause harm to consumers and other market participants in the financial system. In this context, firms and FMIs should assess their cyber risk and build adequate resilience capabilities to prepare for, and respond to, cyber events and incidents that could cause operational disruption.

CQUEST forms part of the Bank of England and PRA/FCA’s supervisory toolkit to gauge the cyber risk and resilience capabilities of the financial sector. CQUEST can also be used by other firm(s) as a self-assessment tool to consider their own cyber risk and resilience maturity. The CQUEST questionnaire (below) comprises 50 questions with multiple-choice answers across six domains: Governance and Leadership, Identify, Protect, Detect, Respond, and Recover.

To achieve a reliable outcome, an organisation should identify and direct a competent party with appropriate knowledge and experience of the business and cyber capabilities in the firm(s) to complete the CQUEST questionnaire.

When CQUEST is used to inform regulatory activities, supervisors might provide additional guidance and/or they could request evidence or clarifying information in response to a firm or FMI’s answers.

CQUEST latest version

The latest version of CQUEST builds upon the previous questionnaire, and encompasses lessons learned from good practice frameworks and feedback from supervisors and firms. The PRA and FCA continue to review the performance of its supervisory tools to achieve its statutory objectives and for the benefit of the sector.

Specific instructions on how to complete the questionnaire is provided in the CQUEST cover sheet.

More information

STAR-FS Implementation guide – Threat Intelligence Led Penetration Testing for Financial Services (pdf)
STAR-FS Scope Specification (pdf)
STAR-FS Targeting Report Specification (pdf)
STAR-FS Threat Intelligence Report Specification (pdf)
STAR-FS Penetration Test Report Specification (pdf)
STAR-FS Remediation Plan Template (pdf)
STAR-FS Regulator Summary (pdf)
STAR-FS Threat Intelligence Maturity Assessment Guide (pdf)
STAR-FS Detection & Response Assessment Guide (pdf)
CBEST implementation guide
Recent speeches on operational resilience
2021 CBEST thematic findings
2022 CBEST thematic findings
2023 CBEST thematic findings

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In this section

Bankstats tables
Data collection
Statistics requested by users
Gross Domestic Product Real-Time Database
Research datasets
Exchange rates
Yield curves
Option-implied probability density functions
Banknote statistics
Gold statistics
Bank of England balance sheet and weekly report

Data and statistics by theme

Money and credit, money and credit data.

We publish statistics on borrowing and deposits by households and businesses from banks and other sources. These statistics are used by our policy committees to understand economic trends and developments in the banking system.

Money and credit statistical releases
Upcoming release dates
Bankstats tables (refer to sections A-D)
Visual summaries (useful charts of headline series)
Our database (containing full back runs of data)

Further details about our data:

Total lending to individuals data
Bank's estimate of housing equity withdrawal data
Industrial analysis of monetary financial institutions deposits and lending data
Notes and coin and reserves balances data
M3 (estimate of European monetary union aggregate for the UK) data
M4 excluding intermediate other financial corporations (OFCs) data
Counterparts to M4 data
Liquid assets outside M4 data
Sectoral analysis of M4 and M4 lending data
Sectoral deposits and Divisia money data
Monetary financial institutions (excluding central bank) balance sheet data
Monetary financial institutions (excluding central bank) holdings of UK government securities data
Central bank's balance sheet (Bank of England 'Bank return') data
Monetary financial institutions' consolidated balance sheet (and contributions) data
Monetary financial institutions' securitisation activities and issuance of securities by SPVs data
Monetary financial institutions’ loans to non-financial businesses, by size of business data
Write-offs and other revaluations of loans by monetary financial institutions data
Changes, flows, growth rates data
Seasonal adjustment data
Break-adjusted levels data

Link to mortgage lenders and administrators statistics

The money and credit data includes monthly data on the volume of mortgage lending to households. More detailed quarterly data on mortgage lending can be found in the Mortgage Lenders and Administrators statistical release and Return below. Please also see below Statistics article comparing the Bank’s different data on mortgages.

Mortgage Lenders and Administrators Statistics
Mortgage Lenders and Administrators Return
Residential mortgages: a comparison of the Bank of England’s published statistical and regulatory data collections

Sterling money market data

Quarterly data on secured and unsecured sterling money market activity.

Release dates

29 October 2024 (September 2024 data)
30 January 2025 (December 2024 data)
1 May 2025 (March 2025 data)
29 July 2025 (June 2024 data)
29 October 2025 (September 2025 data)
30 January 2026 (December 2025 data)
Sterling Money Market Data Collection - reporting instructions (pdf)

Housing equity withdrawal

We publish quarterly data on housing equity withdrawal – the balance of changes in the stock of secured lending and changes in the stock of housing wealth.

4 October 2024 (June 2024 data)
7 January 2025 (September 2024 data)
4 April 2025 (December 2024 data)
4 July 2025 (March 2025 data)
6 October 2025 (June 2025 data)
7 January 2026 (September 2025 data)
8 April 2026 (December 2025 data)
View the data
Further details about the Bank's estimate of housing equity withdrawal data

Narrow money (notes and coins) and reserve balances

Our monthly notes and coin statistics show the amount of sterling banknotes and coins in circulation. We publish data on our reserves at the same time.

4 September 2024 (31 August 2024)
2 October 2024 (30 September 2024)
6 November 2024 (31 October 2024)
4 December 2024 (30 November 2024)
3 January 2025 (31 December 2024)
Bankstats tables (Table A1.1.1)
Further details about notes and coin and reserves balances data

Write-offs and other revaluations of loans by monetary financial institutions

Write-offs are changes in the value of an institution’s assets resulting from the institution’s active decisions to revalue claims.

30 August 2024 (June 2024 data)
29 November 2024 (September 2024 data)
3 March 2025 (December 2024 data)
2 June 2025 (March 2025 data)
1 September 2025 (June 2025 data)
1 December 2025 (September 2025 data)
2 March 2026 (December 2025 data)
Bankstats tables (Table C2.1)
Further details about write-offs and other revaluations of loans by monetary financial institutions data

Consumer credit including student loans

This annually updated dataset includes lending via government student finance schemes, which aren’t included in our other consumer credit data. Data is released around July each year.

Further details about total lending to individuals data

UK international reserves

The Bank of England manages the UK’s official reserves on behalf of the Government. We publish data on UK holdings of international reserves and foreign currency liquidity once a month.

UK International Reserves
Bankstats tables (Tables D4.1 and D5.1)
Further details about UK international reserves data

Quoted interest rates

Monthly data on advertised interest rates for a range of mortgage, consumer credit and deposit products offered to households.

6 September 2024 (August 2024 data)
7 October 2024 (September 2024 data)
7 November 2024 (October 2024 data)
6 December 2024 (November 2024 data)
8 January 2025 (December 2024 data)
Bankstats tables (Table G1.3)
Further details about quoted household interest rates data

Effective interest rates

Each month we publish data on effective interest rates. These show average interest rates across households and businesses deposit or loan accounts with UK banks and building societies.

Effective interest rates statistical release
Bankstats tables (Tables G1.3-G1.5)
Further details about effective interest rates data

Financial markets, income, and external business

We publish regular statistics on financial markets, Monetary Financial Institutions’ (MFI) income and expenditure, and MFIs’ external balance sheets. These include quarterly data on UK-owned MFIs’ consolidated worldwide claims, and quarterly data on UK resident MFIs’ income and expenditure, financial derivative positions, and claims and liabilities with non-residents. We also publish monthly estimates of capital issuance where UK resident MFIs act as the issuing agents.

Capital issuance

Capital issuance statistics consist of UK-based primary market issuance of bonds, commercial paper and equity, representing finance raised in the UK.

Capital issuance statistical release
Bankstats tables (Table E3.1)
Further details about capital issuance data

External business of monetary financial institutions (MFIs) operating in the UK

This statistical release covers claims on and liabilities to non-residents by UK-resident banks and building societies (monetary financial institutions).

External business of monetary financial institutions operating in the UK statistical release
Bankstats tables (Tables C3.1 to C3.4)
Further details about external business of monetary financial institutions operating in the UK data

Consolidated worldwide claims

This statistical release covers the consolidated worldwide claims and unused commitments of UK-owned monetary financial institutions (excluding central bank) and their branches and subsidiaries worldwide.

Consolidated worldwide claims statistical release
Bankstats tables (Tables C4.2)
Further details about consolidated worldwide claims data

Capital expenditure

Capital expenditure data measure MFIs cash expenditure on acquisitions, and cash receipts from disposals, covering assets both for firms’ own use and for leasing, hiring or renting out under finance leases.

Refer to section ‘Monetary financial institutions in the United Kingdom: Capital `expenditure’, sourced from our database

Further details about monetary financial institutions in the United Kingdom: capital expenditure data

Income and expenditure

Data on UK-resident MFIs’ income and expenditure are published on a quarterly basis in Bankstats table B3.1 and are comparable with figures that feed into the UK National Accounts for the MFI sector. Data on UK MFIs’ profit and loss statement are available on annual basis in Bankstats table B3.2.

View the data in Bankstats tables (B3.1 and B3.2)
30 September 2024 (June 2024 data)
3 January 2025 (September 2024 data)
31 March 2025 (December 2024 data)
30 June 2025 (March 2025 data)
29 September 2025 (June 2025 data)
2 January 2026 (September 2025 data)
30 March 2026 (December 2025 data)
Further details about monetary financial institutions in the UK: Total income and expenditure (domestic and non-resident business) data

Financial derivative positions of banks

Data on UK-resident MFIs’ financial derivatives at gross market values are published on a quarterly basis. Data are comparable with figures that into the UK National Accounts for the MFI sector.

View the data in Bankstats table F1.1
Further details about financial derivative positions of banks at market values data

Annual reweighting of the sterling exchange rate index

The Bank of England carries out an annual update of the sterling exchange rate index weights. The sterling exchange rate index (ERI) is a measure of the overall change in the trade-weighted exchange value of sterling, calculated by weighting together bilateral exchange rates. It is designed to measure changes in the price competitiveness of traded goods and services, and so the weights reflect trade flows in manufactured goods and services.

Review the latest annual weights

As announced on 16 February 2024, the Bank has now completed the regular annual update of the sterling exchange rate index weights. The new set of weights took effect from 13 March 2024 and incorporates revisions from 2017 onwards.

Further details about Effective Exchange Rates data

Triennial turnover survey of foreign exchange and OTC derivatives markets

The Bank of England carries out and publishes results of a survey on the turnover in the markets for foreign exchange and over-the-counter (OTC) interest rate derivatives every three years. It forms part of a global survey carried out by central banks throughout the world, coordinated by the Bank for International Settlements.

The UK results from the 2022 survey were published on 27 October 2022

The UK results from previous surveys can be found below:

BIS triennial survey of foreign exchange and over-the-counter interest rate derivatives markets - 2019
BIS triennial survey of foreign exchange and over-the-counter interest rate derivatives markets - 2016
BIS triennial survey of foreign exchange and over-the-counter interest rate derivatives markets - 2013

Regulatory data

Mortgage lenders and administrators statistics.

The Mortgage Lenders and Administrators Return (MLAR) is a quarterly statistical release aggregated from data on mortgage lending activities provided by around 340 regulated mortgage lenders and administrators.

Mortgage lenders and administrators statistical release
Further details about mortgage lenders and administrators statistics
Further details on MLAR available from the FCA
Prudential regulation publications

Link to Money and Credit statistical release

The Money and Credit data includes monthly data on the volume of mortgage lending to households, and the quoted and effective interest data provides monthly data on a variety of mortgage rates. Please see below links to statistical release and Statistics article comparing the Bank’s different data on mortgages.

Money and credit statistical release
Banking sector regulatory capital

This quarterly statistical release shows levels of capital and risk-weighted assets for the UK banking sector. It includes breakdowns of the movements in different tiers of capital and risk exposure types, and overall capital ratios.

Further details about banking sector regulatory capital data
Prudential Regulation Authority (PRA)
Which firms does the PRA regulate?

Credit unions

The credit union (quarterly and annual) statistics are aggregated from returns submitted by authorised credit unions in the United Kingdom.

Credit union quarterly and annual statistics

The credit union quarterly statistics are statistics aggregated from the quarterly (CQ) returns submitted by authorised credit unions in the United Kingdom.

30 August 2024 (March 2024 data)
31 October 2024 (June 2024 data)
31 January 2025 (September 2024 data)
30 April 2025 (December 2024 data)
29 August 2025 (March 2025 data)
31 October 2025 (June 2025 data)
30 January 2026 (September 2025 data)
30 April 2026 (December 2025 data)

The credit union annual statistics are statistics aggregated from the annual (CY) returns submitted by authorised credit unions in the United Kingdom.

Currently no future release dates.

Insurance aggregate data report

Insurance aggregate data quarterly report

This report is a quarterly statistical release of aggregated data, produced using PRA regulatory data supplied by UK authorised insurance firms.

The insurance aggregate data quarterly report and data file are scheduled to be updated on:

31 December 2024 (September 2024 data)
30 June 2025m (March 2025 data)
30 September 2025 (June 2025 data)
31 December 2025 (September 2025 data)
31 March 2026 (December 2025 data)
Insurance aggregate data annual report

This report is an annual statistical release of aggregated data, produced using PRA regulatory data supplied by UK authorised insurance firms.

The insurance aggregate data annual report and data file are scheduled to be updated on:

30 June 2025

We publish weekly estimates of probability density functions for future values of the FTSE 100 index and short sterling interest rates.

We publish daily estimated yield curves for the UK. We produce three types of estimated yield curves: a set based on UK Government Bonds, a set based on sterling interbank rate (LIBOR) and instruments linked to LIBOR, and a set based on sterling overnight index swap (OIS) rates.

Gold and banknotes

Our data includes how much gold we look after and how many of our banknotes are in circulation.

Data quality

Statistical code of practice.

The Statistical Code of Practice sets out our standards for the collection, compilation and dissemination of monetary, financial and regulatory data. These standards are similar to the ones used by the UK Statistics Authority .

Data Quality Framework

Definitions of statistical data quality are maintained by international bodies such as the International Monetary Fund, the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe and the European Statistical System. The Data Quality Framework (2014) describes how we interprets statistical data quality concepts in our published statistics.

Cost benefit analysis

In 2005-06 we looked at the balance of costs between reviewing existing statistical outputs regularly and assessing new statistics. We wanted to create more considered assessments but had to balance that with the reporter’s compliance costs. Our approach is explained in the Cost-benefit analysis of monetary and financial statistics (2006). The principle of assessing the balance between costs and benefit when we produce statistics still applies.

What does the Bank of England do also contains useful information about how our data is used.

Please email [email protected] if you have any enquiries on the statistics above.

Please see the historical version of the website (National Archives) for any statistical releases and articles published prior to 2015.

Statistical articles and data releases

Uk international reserves - july 2024, credit union annual statistics - 2023, money and credit - june 2024, effective interest rates - june 2024.

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