Question 1

Which costs are mandatory?

Accepted Answer

Four: professional indemnity insurance, the ICO registration fee, professional body membership, and supervision at your body’s minimum. Together they run around £1,400 a year at 2026 prices, most of it supervision. Everything else on the list, the room, the website, the directories, is a choice with a return to weigh, not a requirement.

Question 2

Do I need a limited company to start?

Accepted Answer

Usually not. Almost every solo therapist starts as a sole trader: one HMRC registration, simple accounts, and no Companies House filings. A company becomes worth discussing at higher profits or for specific liability reasons, and that is an accountant conversation once the practice is earning, not a startup task.

Question 3

Does a home practice room need permission?

Accepted Answer

Sometimes. Seeing a few clients a week at home rarely needs planning permission, but check three places before you start: your mortgage lender or landlord (many agreements restrict business use), your home insurer (a standard policy may not cover clients on the premises), and your local council only if you are converting space or expecting real traffic.

Question 4

When are directory listings worth paying for?

Accepted Answer

Once you have capacity to fill and not before. A listing that costs £25 a month pays for itself with a fraction of one client, but only if you have session times free and a profile good enough to convert. Use the free months where offered, write the profile properly, and cancel anything that has not produced an enquiry in three months.

Question 5

What is the cheapest credible website?

Accepted Answer

A single page with your name, what you offer, your fee, your training and a contact route, on a domain you own. A £10 to £15 a year domain plus a simple builder or a directory profile as the landing page can be enough to start.

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