The short answer
Growth Informer Software Services registers business names, partnerships, companies, TINs and trading licences for Ugandan businesses on the owner's behalf. You pay URSB, URA and your council exactly what any applicant pays, UGX 90,000 for a business name or UGX 105,000 plus 0.5% stamp duty for a private company with nominal share capital up to UGX 5,000,000, on top of a UGX 35,000 name reservation. We do not mark those figures up. Our own fee for doing the work is quoted after we see your business and fixed before anything starts.
You can also do all of this yourself, and we would rather you knew that before you paid anyone. The steps are on how-to-register-a-business-in-uganda and every fee is on cost-of-registering-a-business-in-uganda. What we sell is the portal work, the drafting, the follow up with URSB and your division, and a certificate in your hand without you learning a government system you will use once.
What the service covers
- Name search and reservation at URSB, so you know the name is free before you print anything with it on
- URSB registration of a business name, partnership or private limited company, including the memorandum and articles of association, the statutory declaration of compliance and the beneficial ownership filing required under the Companies (Beneficial Ownership) Regulations 2023
- TIN application with URA, which URA issues free of charge
- Trading licence application with KCCA or your council, matched to your trade and business area grade, see trading-licence-uganda for the rates
- NSSF registration, compulsory from your first employee since the NSSF (Amendment) Act 2022
- A handover pack: certificates, TIN, licence, and a simple record keeping starting point you can actually maintain
What we need from you
A National ID for a sole trader. For a company: director, shareholder and beneficial owner details, your registered office address, your company secretary, and the nominal share capital figure, because it sets both the URSB fee band and the 0.5% stamp duty. A rent agreement and premises details for the trading licence. An employee list and pay details if you already have staff.
What government charges, what we charge
The fees below go to URSB, URA or your council directly, at the published September 2026 rates. Our own fee sits on top of them and is quoted separately, never folded into a single number that hides what the government took.
| Step | Government fee, paid by you | What you supply |
|---|---|---|
| Name search and reservation | UGX 35,000 to URSB | A first and second choice of name |
| Business name or partnership registration | UGX 55,000 to URSB, so UGX 90,000 with the reservation | National ID and owner details |
| Private company registration | UGX 105,000 to URSB on nominal capital up to UGX 5,000,000, plus 0.5% stamp duty on that capital | Director, shareholder and beneficial owner details |
| TIN registration | Free, from URA | National ID, or the company certificate |
| Trading licence application | KCCA or council fee by trade and grade, about UGX 6,000 to UGX 600,000 a year | Rent agreement and premises details |
| NSSF registration | No fee to register. Contributions are 15% of gross pay, 10% employer and 5% employee, from your first employee | Employee list and pay details |
For a company with nominal share capital above UGX 5,000,000, URSB's fee page and its Client Charter 2025 to 2030 do not agree: one lists 1.5% of nominal capital, the other 1% plus 0.5% stamp duty. We budget 1.5% and confirm the exact figure on the payment advice the e-registry generates before anyone pays.
For context on our own fee: owners report paying agents and registration services anywhere from about UGX 600,000 to several million shillings for this work. That is what owners report, not a published rate, and we publish it here because you should know the market before you hear our number. Send what you need on WhatsApp at +256 702 946 946 and we will quote after we have seen the business, not before.
Do it yourself, or hand it over
There is no rule requiring an agent. URSB's e-registry, URA's instant TIN portal and your council's licensing office are all open to the public, and the certificate is identical either way. The real question is what the work costs you in time and risk.
| File it yourself | Hand it to us | |
|---|---|---|
| What you pay | Government fees only, from UGX 90,000 | The same government fees, plus our fee, quoted and fixed first |
| What it takes | A few hours on the portal for a business name. Longer for a company, where drafting is the real work | Your documents, then a handover once URSB approves |
| Where it goes slow | Drafting the memorandum and articles, gathering director and beneficial owner details, and following up a query | The same steps, done by someone who has done them before |
| Turnaround | URSB's service standard is a certificate within 3 to 6 working hours of a complete, paid application. Most registrations take 3 to 10 business days end to end either way | |
| Best when | You are registering a simple business name and your own time is the cheapest thing you have | It is a company with several directors, or you would rather trade this week than learn a government portal |
Where a registration goes wrong
None of these need an agent to avoid. They are simply the four points where a filing gets sent back, or costs more than it had to.
- The name was never searched. The UGX 35,000 reservation is the search. Bring a second choice, and do not print signage, order stock or open a mobile money line in a name that is not reserved yet.
- The nominal share capital was picked carelessly. It sets both the URSB fee band and the 0.5% stamp duty: a company declaring UGX 5,000,000 pays UGX 25,000 of stamp duty where one declaring UGX 1,000,000 pays UGX 5,000. Above UGX 5,000,000 the two URSB sources set out earlier disagree on the rate, so the payment advice is the only figure worth trusting.
- Beneficial ownership was left out. It is required under the Companies (Beneficial Ownership) Regulations 2023 and forms part of the incorporation filing, not an optional extra afterwards.
- The certificate was treated as the finish. The TIN is a separate free application at URA, the trading licence a separate application at your council, and NSSF registration is compulsory from your first employee. See trading-licence-uganda for what your council will charge.
What you owe once the certificate is out
We hand these over as a calendar, not a surprise, because the charges after registration are larger than the registration.
- Trading licence: before you start trading, then renewed by 1 January. It expires on 31 December, with no pro rata rule stated for part of a year.
- Local service tax: assessed at the same visit as the licence, UGX 5,000 to UGX 100,000 a year for a business owner depending on monthly turnover.
- Employees' local service tax: deducted from gross pay and remitted to the authority where each employee lives by 31 October. The penalty for missing that is 50% of the tax due.
- NSSF: 15% of gross monthly pay from your first employee, 10% employer and 5% employee, due by the 15th of the following month.
- Annual return: companies only, UGX 55,000 at URSB for a company limited by shares.
- Income tax: presumptive tax is nil on annual turnover up to UGX 10,000,000. Above that, keeping records cuts the bill: the first band is 0.4% of turnover above UGX 10,000,000 with records, against a flat UGX 80,000 without.
Set this up first
Registration is the first item on a longer list, and most of what follows costs nothing. In order:
- The basics at their real cost. URSB registration at UGX 90,000 for a business name or from UGX 105,000 plus stamp duty for a company, a free TIN, and the trading licence at your trade and grade rate. Only the TIN is free, and you can do all of it without us.
- The free habits, from day one. Business money kept apart from personal money, a daily record of sales and expenses, WhatsApp Business with a catalogue, and a claimed Google Business Profile so the business shows on Maps, see how-to-add-business-to-google-maps-uganda.
- Once there is stock to lose or staff at the till, sales, stock and the daily cash up belong on Growth Informer Business, our cloud POS, with EFRIS switched on only when URA requires it of your business.
- Once customers look you up before they visit, a website , with a monthly care plan if you want it kept current. A UGX 500,000 stall needs the daily record and WhatsApp Business, not a website, and we will tell you so rather than sell you one.
- A custom build, quoted as a job, only when no ready made tool fits the workflow.
- If a penalty, assessment or URA deadline is already live, that is a different job on a tighter clock: an objection to an assessment must be lodged within 45 days of the notice. We are registered with URA as a tax agent and can file, object and represent you, quoting after we have seen the notice, see tax-agent-services-uganda.
If you are still weighing whether the business clears enough to be worth registering, put your own figures through business-profit-calculator-uganda first.
Frequently asked questions
How much do business registration services cost in Uganda?
The government fees are published and fixed: UGX 90,000 for a business name at URSB, or UGX 105,000 plus 0.5% stamp duty for a private company on capital up to UGX 5,000,000, and a free TIN. We do not mark those up. Our own fee for the filing work depends on the business type and is quoted after we see your details, then fixed before we start.
Can I register my business myself instead of using an agent?
Yes. URSB's e-registry, URA's instant TIN portal and your council's licensing office are all open to the public, and no government fee requires an agent. The certificate is the same either way. The service exists for owners who would rather pay for the time saved, particularly on a company with several directors.
What documents do I need to register a business in Uganda?
A National ID for a sole trader. For a company: a memorandum and articles of association, a statutory declaration of compliance, director, shareholder and beneficial owner details, your registered office and company secretary, and the nominal share capital figure that sets the URSB fee and the 0.5% stamp duty.
Do you register companies as well as business names?
Yes. We handle sole trader business names, partnerships and private limited companies, including the beneficial ownership filing required under the Companies (Beneficial Ownership) Regulations 2023.
How long does business registration take in Uganda?
URSB's service standard is a name reserved within 3 working hours and a certificate within 3 to 6 working hours once a complete, paid application is in. Most registrations take 3 to 10 business days end to end, because preparing documents is the slow part.
Do you also help with the trading licence and NSSF?
Yes. We apply for your trading licence with KCCA or your council, matched to your trade and business area grade, and register you with NSSF, which is compulsory from your first employee.