Every guide is written from the Handbook and the FCA's own pages, cited and dated. Perimeter, cost, structure, Consumer Duty, and what follows authorisation.
Two ways to offer finance legally: appointed representative under a principal, or becoming directly authorised by the FCA. How they differ, how to choose.
Buy now, pay later becomes FCA-regulated on 15 July 2026. What changes, why merchants offering BNPL stay exempt, and who still needs authorisation.
A CCJ, past bankruptcy or a failed company doesn't automatically stop FCA authorisation. What the fit and proper test really checks — and the one mistake that is fatal.
Offering interest-free finance doesn't automatically exempt you from FCA authorisation. The precise rule on 0% credit — and where most businesses get it wrong.
Applying isn't authorisation. What you can and can't do while your FCA consumer credit application is pending — and the legal ways to bridge the gap.
Yes — the FCA authorises home-based firms every day. What 'principal place of business' really means, what becomes public, and how to keep a home address private.
What the CCR007 return is, when it's due, how the deadline is set by your accounting reference date, and the £100 fee for filing late.
What is the FCA’s Consumer Duty? What it requires, who it applies to, and what small firms offering customer finance actually need to do.
Skin, laser and cosmetic clinics offering treatment finance are usually credit broking — a regulated activity. When aesthetics businesses need FCA authorisation, and the cost.
Yes — introducing customers to a lender is credit broking. Most motor dealers need Limited Permission, not Full. What decides which, and what it costs.
Caravans and motorhomes sell on finance — that’s credit broking. When dealers need FCA authorisation, the part-exchange point most miss, and the cost.
If your practice lets patients pay for treatment over time, you likely need FCA authorisation. When it's required, which permission, and the cost.
Furniture and sofa retailers offering interest-free or pay-monthly finance almost always need FCA authorisation. Here's which permission you need and why.
Gyms and fitness studios offering paid-monthly memberships or finance need to understand the FCA rules. Here's when authorisation is required — and when it isn't.
Kitchen, window and solar firms offering finance almost always need FCA authorisation — and in-home selling adds a domestic-premises twist. Costs from £995.
If you own the vehicles you hire out, you are not a credit broker. Consumer hire is a different FCA permission — the three-month test, the £25,000 trap, and the AR route.
If your business lets customers pay using a third-party lender, you usually need FCA authorisation. Here's when a licence is required — and the exceptions.
Engagement rings and watches sell on 24–36 month plans — regulated credit even at 0%. When jewellers need FCA authorisation, and the cash-payment rules too.
If your dealership arranges bike finance or introduces buyers to a lender, you need FCA authorisation. Which permission — and the part-exchange point most miss.
Spreading the cost of glasses and eyecare: when an optical practice's payment plan is exempt, and when offering finance means you need FCA authorisation.
If your shop offers finance, whether you need FCA authorisation depends on the type. Classic retail finance needs it; checkout BNPL usually doesn't.
Solar, battery and heat pump installers offering pay-monthly options are credit broking. Why the 0% exemption almost never fits home energy, and which FCA permission you need.
If your practice lets clients spread the cost of treatment, you likely need FCA authorisation. When it's required, which permission, and the cost.
Why the FCA charges £100 for a late regulatory return (£250 until April 2026), how the charge is applied, and the handful of reasons small firms miss the deadline.
The FCA's annual attestation that your firm details are correct, plus which changes need notifying during the year and which need a variation of permission.
The FCA's annual invoice for a limited permission consumer credit firm: the £1,100 periodic fee, the levies collected alongside it, and how the first year is pro-rated.
Should you prepare your FCA consumer credit application yourself or use a service? An honest comparison of cost, time and the risk of getting it wrong.
You don’t need accounts or a track record for FCA authorisation — start-ups are approved every week. What replaces the history, and the traps to avoid.
How your business structure affects an FCA consumer credit application — from the SMF29 responsible person to what changes if you incorporate later.
Verified 2026 figures on one page: the £560 limited permission fee, decision timelines, annual costs, reporting deadlines and the July BNPL dates. Free to cite.
How much does a consumer credit licence cost in the UK? The FCA’s £560 limited permission application fee, annual charges, and the full cost of getting authorised in 2026.
FCA advertising and financial promotion rules explained: what finance ads must include, the clear-fair-not-misleading test, and how Consumer Duty changes promotions in 2026.
FCA limited permission is the lighter-touch route for firms offering finance as a sideline. Here's what it covers, what it doesn't, and who qualifies.
How long does it take to get FCA authorisation? How the FCA's deadlines work, what typically happens with consumer credit applications in 2026, and what makes decisions faster or slower.
What a consumer credit licence costs in 2026: the FCA's £560 application fee, plus preparation from £995 fixed — versus £2,000–£5,000 for a consultant.
What FCA compliance consultants charge to prepare a consumer credit application — typical fee ranges, what drives the cost, and a cheaper fixed-price option.
How to use the Financial Services Register to check any firm's FCA status in two minutes — what an FRN is, what the entry shows, and the clone-firm red flags.
A step-by-step guide to getting FCA consumer credit authorisation — who needs one, what's involved, the cost, and how long it takes.
How to complete and submit your FCA consumer credit application on Connect — the forms, paying the £560 fee, supporting documents and what happens next.
FCA consumer credit authorisation has two tiers. The difference between limited and full permission, which activities fall into each, and the cost.
The FCA's £7.5bn redress scheme is about commission disclosure. A newly authorised dealer has no exposure to it — but it changes what the FCA expects to read in your application.
Offering customers finance without the right FCA authorisation breaches the law. What's at stake: criminal liability, unenforceable agreements and FCA action.
Authorisation isn't the end. The ongoing FCA obligations for limited-permission firms — annual reporting through RegData, fees, and notifications.
How to move from AR status to your own FCA authorisation — the application, timing the switch with your principal, what changes on day one, and the cost.
The regulatory business plan is the heart of your FCA application. What the FCA expects it to cover — and why generic, templated plans get rejected.
Authorisation granted — now what? Getting on the Financial Services Register, going live, your first regulatory returns, and staying compliant after FCA approval.
FCA refusals are rare but expensive: the £560 fee is gone and the decision is published. How the refusal process works, withdrawal vs refusal, and whether you can reapply.
Credit broking is the regulated activity many businesses do without realising. What counts under FCA rules, what doesn't, and why it needs authorisation.
SMF29 is the senior manager function most limited permission credit firms must fill. Who holds it, what they're accountable for, and how approval works.
Selling GAP or warranty under your own FCA insurance authorisation blocks limited permission for credit. The three traps that force full permission.
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