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Credit licence

Businesses that offer credit, lend money to consumers or allows customers time to pay for goods and services, must be licensed with the Office of Fair Trading.

Last updated: 19 September 2024

Next review: 19 September 2025

The Consumer Credit Act 1974 covers the following types of business:

  • consumer credit
  • consumer hire
  • debit adjusting and debt counselling
  • debt collecting
  • credit reference agencies
  • canvassing credit off trade premises

The Office of Fair Trading has a public record of all licensed traders and all those who applied for a licence.

They can give the public details of licensed businesses, such as type of activities they cover, their authorised trading names, and main business address.

To apply for a licence

All businesses that offer credit to consumers must be authorised by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA).

Apply for consumer credit authorisation on the FCA website.

Apply now

To find out more about offering credit to consumers, visit GOV.UK.

Help with completing online forms

For those without computers, you can use a self-service PC in any Waltham Forest Library

Staff there can help you to log in and create a MyAccount.