UK Treasury Small Business Turnover


On Oct. 14, UK Treasury issued small business turnover limit order.


  • UK Treasury issued The Building Societies Act 1986 (Amendment of Small Business Turnover Limit) Order 2024 (StIn 2024/1024), amending Building Societies Act 1986.
  • Increases small firm turnover limit in a relevant financial year from £1,000,000 to £6,500,000, correspondingly amends reference to equivalent amount in other currency.
  • Purpose
  • Amends Building Societies Act 1986 (BSA 1986 (UK)), section 7(10), (11) by increasing turnover limit in relevant financial year for definition of a small business in section 7(10) from £1mn to £6.5mn; and makes a corresponding amendment to the reference to the equivalent limit in any other currency in subsection (11)(c).
  • Under section 7(1), (2) of the 1986 act, subject to some exclusions, building societies are required to raise at least 50% of their funding from members’ deposits.
  • The rest can be raised from other sources, known as wholesale funding.
  • Deposits by small businesses with a society, or any subsidiary undertaking of the society, are excluded from the wholesale funding limit by section 7(3)(aa).
  • Under section 7(3)(aa) of the 1986 act read with section 7(3A) up to 10% of the value of deposits by small businesses is disregarded in determining the value of a building society group’s funds from all sources - which is described as X in section 7(2).
  • As provided in section 7(1) of the act, value of shares held by individuals in a society - Y in section 7(2) - must represent at least 50% of the value of group funds.
  • By amending the definition of a small business in section 7(10), this order will exclude a larger range of deposits with building societies by small businesses from funding limit, thereby providing building societies with more flexibility in their funding sources.
  • This will also help building societies to better compete with ring-fenced retail banks for deposits from small firms; proposed £6.5mn new small business turnover limit is already used to classify smaller firms whose deposits must be held within ringfence.
  • Effectiveness
  • This order is in force from Nov. 4, 2024.

Regulators UK GVT
Entity Types BS
Reference UKSI, StIn 2024/1024, 10/14/2024; BSA 1986 (UK); Citation: StIn 2024/1024; BSA 1986 (UK);
Functions Compliance; C-Suite; Financial; Legal; Reporting; Treasury
Countries United Kingdom
Category
State
Products Corporate
Regions EMEA
Rule Type Final
Rule Date 10/14/2024
Effective Date 11/4/2024
Rule Id 229682
Linked to N/A
Reg. Last Update 10/14/2024
Report Section UK

Last substantive update on 10/16/2024