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Setting up a business involves complying with a range of legal requirements. Find out which ones apply to you and your new enterprise.

What particular regulations do specific types of business (such as a hotel, or a printer, or a taxi firm) need to follow? We explain some of the key legal issues to consider for 200 types of business.

While poor governance can bring serious legal consequences, the law can also protect business owners and managers and help to prevent conflict.

Whether you want to raise finance, join forces with someone else, buy or sell a business, it pays to be aware of the legal implications.

From pay, hours and time off to discipline, grievance and hiring and firing employees, find out about your legal responsibilities as an employer.

Marketing matters. Marketing drives sales for businesses of all sizes by ensuring that customers think of their brand when they want to buy.

Commercial disputes can prove time-consuming, stressful and expensive, but having robust legal agreements can help to prevent them from occurring.

Whether your business owns or rents premises, your legal liabilities can be substantial. Commercial property law is complex, but you can avoid common pitfalls.

With information and sound advice, living up to your legal responsibilities to safeguard your employees, customers and visitors need not be difficult or costly.

As information technology continues to evolve, legislation must also change. It affects everything from data protection and online selling to internet policies for employees.

Intellectual property (IP) isn't solely relevant to larger businesses or those involved in developing innovative new products: all products have IP.

Knowing how and when you plan to sell or relinquish control of your business can help you to make better decisions and achieve the best possible outcome.

From bereavement, wills, inheritance, separation and divorce to selling a house, personal injury and traffic offences, learn more about your personal legal rights.

Have you paid enough NI to get the full state pension?

30 April 2024

The government has launched a new online service to make it easier for customers to check for and fill any gaps in their National Insurance (NI) record to help increase their state pension.

The Check your State Pension forecast allows British tax payers to view gaps in their NI record and pay voluntary contributions to fill those gaps, if it will benefit them. The new digital service will show customers by how much their state pension could increase and details of the voluntary NI contributions they would need to pay to achieve this.

It gives anyone with NI gaps in some of their tax years the opportunity to increase their state pension. They can pay securely through the service and will receive confirmation that their payment has been received and that their NI record will be updated.

How to pay voluntary NI contributions

Customers can access the Check your State Pension forecast via GOV.UK or via the HMRC app. Those who are eligible have until 5 April 2025 to pay voluntary contributions to make up gaps in their NI record between 6 April 2006 and 5 April 2018. From 6 April 2025, people will only be able to pay voluntary contributions for the previous six tax years, in line with normal time limits.

"I would encourage everyone to check their state pension forecast and to take a look at how they could improve their state pension award with only a few simple clicks." Paul Maynard, minister for pensions.

Paying voluntary contributions will not always increase their state pension but everyone can use the new service to check whether they could be better off in retirement before making any voluntary NI payments. Customers will need to log in to the new digital service using their Personal Tax Account log in details.

Those without an online HMRC account can register on GOV.UK.

Written by Rachel Miller.

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