Brexit: how your small business clients can prepare

The road to Brexit hasn’t been the smoothest journey for small businesses so far and as the new year approaches, there are a number of new rules for businesses on the horizon. Despite some remaining uncertainty surrounding the details of Brexit, we know that the UK’s transition period for leaving the EU will officially end on 31st December 2020 and will not be extended.

As a result, your small business clients may need to make a few changes from 1st January 2021 onwards. Most of these changes will need to take place regardless of the agreement the UK reaches with the EU on its future relationship because the UK will definitely be leaving the single market and customs union.

If any of the following applies to your small business clients, they’ll need to make sure they comply with any relevant new rules from 1st January:

• If your clients sell goods to the EU then they must prepare for new customs procedures.
• If your clients travel to the EU for work purposes, they will need to check if they need a visa or work permit and then apply if necessary.
• If your clients employ overseas nationals, they will need to prepare their business for the implementation of a new immigration system.
• If any of your clients run a UK business that receives personal data from contacts in the EEA, they may need to take extra steps to ensure that the data can continue to flow legally at the end of the transition period.
• If your clients provide services in the EU, they must ensure that their qualifications are recognised by EU regulations in order to be able to practise or service their customers in the EU.

Every business will have different rules to comply with, so the government has created a handy tool to help small business owners identify the actions that they need to take. As January is rapidly approaching, we’d strongly recommend that you encourage your clients to find out what their responsibilities are as soon as possible.