Start Up Loans
Funding
£500 – £25,000
Deadline
Check with the funder
Location
UK-wide
Applications
Open for applications
Overview
Start Up Loans offers government-backed personal loans to help you start or grow a business. You can borrow up to £25,000. The average loan is £10,264. The loan is unsecured. The interest rate is fixed at 7.5% per year and you repay over 1-5 years. There are no fees for arranging the loan or for paying it back early. Alongside the money, you get 12 months of free business mentoring. You also get help with writing business plans and cash flow forecasts, plus a range of templates and how-to guides. This suits you if you are starting a new business or have been trading for less than 60 months. That is the first test. The page asks you to check the other eligibility criteria before you apply, so read those first. The page gives no closing date and invites you to apply now. A loan calculator helps you work out your monthly and total repayments for the amount and term you choose. A free weekly webinar can help you decide whether a Start Up Loan is right for you. One practical point. This is a personal loan, so you repay it with interest. It is worth working out the repayments before you apply. The scheme says it has supported over 100,000 business ideas with more than £1 billion in loans. Official source: https://www.startuploans.co.uk/. Last checked by GrantMatch on 16 October 2026.
Requirements to check
Who can apply:
Key requirements:
- Unsecured personal loan
- Fixed interest rate of 7.5% per year
- Repayment term of 1-5 years
- No fees for arranging the loan or repaying early
- Starting a new business or trading for less than 60 months
You can apply if you are starting a new business or have been trading for less than 60 months. This is the first criterion on the page. The funder lists further eligibility criteria that you should read and meet before you apply. The loan is a personal loan to you, rather than a loan to a company.
This summary may not include every exclusion. Check the full eligibility rules, including who and what the funder will not support.
People starting a new business, or growing one that has been trading for less than 60 months.
Sectors
Regions
No published award history for British Business Bank. Some funders do not publish their grants data.
Full details from British Business Bank
Start Up Loans is the government backed loan scheme for people starting a business or growing a young one. Each founder can borrow between £500 and £25,000, and a business with several founders can borrow up to £100,000 in total. This is a personal loan for business purposes, repaid over one to five years at a fixed interest rate, currently 7.5% a year. There is no application fee, no arrangement fee, no early repayment charge, and no security or personal guarantee is required. Every funded borrower also gets twelve months of free business mentoring, which most commercial lenders do not offer. Applicants must be aged 18 or over, live in the UK, and be starting a business or running one in its early years of trading. Applications run through the British Business Bank’s delivery partners and are always open, with decisions typically taking a few weeks. This is a loan you repay, not a grant. Read the full terms and consider independent advice before taking on repayments.
Apply through the Start Up Loans website using the "Apply now" option. Before you start, read the eligibility criteria and try the loan calculator to see your monthly and total repayments. You can also join the free weekly webinar to find out whether a Start Up Loan is right for you.
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Create free accountLast updated: 16 October 2026