2025/26 All tools updated for the current UK tax year — VAT threshold £90,000 · Personal allowance £12,570
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GDPR Compliance Checklist for UK Small Businesses

Work through this interactive checklist to see how compliant your business is with UK GDPR. Tick each item as you complete or confirm it.

Your compliance score 0 / 31
Tick items as you complete them

Lawful Basis & Consent

Privacy Notice

Individual Rights

Data Security

Third Parties & Processors

Staff & Training

Records & Documentation

Your GDPR Compliance Assessment

For guidance only. TheBizHQ.com is a private, independent website — not affiliated with HMRC, Companies House or any UK government body. All figures are estimates based on the information you enter and should not be relied upon for financial, tax or legal decisions. Tax rates are reviewed periodically but may not always reflect the latest HMRC changes. Full disclaimer →

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UK GDPR — what small businesses need to know

UK GDPR (the UK General Data Protection Regulation) is the data protection law that applies to businesses operating in the UK. It replaced EU GDPR after Brexit and is enforced by the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO).

Does GDPR apply to my small business?

Yes — UK GDPR applies to almost every business, regardless of size, if you process personal data. Processing includes collecting, storing, using, sharing or deleting information about identifiable individuals — customers, employees, suppliers or website visitors.

The six lawful bases for processing

  • Consent — the individual has given clear consent
  • Contract — processing is necessary to fulfil a contract
  • Legal obligation — required by law (e.g. HMRC records)
  • Vital interests — to protect someone's life
  • Public task — for public authorities
  • Legitimate interests — your business has a legitimate reason that is not overridden by the individual's rights

ICO registration

Most businesses that process personal data must pay an annual data protection fee to the ICO. This ranges from £40 to £2,900 depending on the size of your business. Failure to register is a criminal offence. Check if you need to register at ico.org.uk.

Data breaches

If you suffer a personal data breach you must assess whether it is likely to result in a risk to individuals. If it is, you must report it to the ICO within 72 hours. If it poses a high risk to individuals you must also notify the affected individuals without delay.

Penalties

The ICO can issue fines of up to £17.5 million or 4% of global annual turnover (whichever is higher) for serious breaches. For smaller infringements fines can be up to £8.7 million or 2% of turnover.

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