Collection

Companies House: guidance for limited companies, partnerships and other company types

A collection of guides about registering, filing and disclosing information with Companies House.

Published 13 November 2014
Last updated 31 January 2020 — see all updates
From:
Companies House

Coronavirus (COVID-19)

See our guidance on the temporary changes to Companies House filing requirements.

UK leaving the EU

The UK formally left the EU on 31 January 2020. From 1 January 2021, some European entities formed under EU law will not be able to be registered in the UK.

This guidance explains which businesses will need to change their company registration from 1 January 2021, and how to do this. There will also be changes to some Companies House forms.

What information we make available to the public

Guidance about the public company register, including:

  • what the public record is
  • what information we make available to the public for free
  • how the public can access information
  • how long your information remains publicly available
  • how to protect your home address and other personal information

Online filing

Find out about the benefits of our online filing services, and how to:

  • send your information to Companies House online
  • sign up for email reminders
  • send your information online using software

Company incorporation, names and officers

This guide includes information and advice about:

  • how to incorporate a limited company
  • the type of company you wish to incorporate
  • the company’s officers
  • choosing a company name including controls and restrictions
  • disclosure of company name and other information
  1. Incorporation and names
    • Guidance
  2. Being a company director
    • Guidance
  3. Nationalities and countries for company filings
    • Guidance
  4. Flat management and right to manage (RTM) companies
    • Guidance

Confirmation statement

The guide covers:

  • the confirmation statement (form CS01)
  • share capital
  • company registers

Submitting your confirmation statement online

You can watch our Confirmation Statement demo video with captions on YouTube (4m 23s).

Accounts

Guidance for rules governing the filing of accounts of UK registered companies, including:

  • accounting reference dates
  • accounting records
  • micro-entity accounts
  • small company accounts
  • medium company accounts
  • dormant company accounts

What are annual accounts?

You can watch our annual accounts video with captions on YouTube (1m 45s).

  1. Filing your company's accounts
    • Guidance

Changes to the company

Information about changes that UK companies need to file and the rules and requirements on submitting them.

Includes changes to:

  • directors and secretaries
  • PSC(people with significant control)
  • company records
  • resolutions
  • change of constitution
  • share capital
  • re-registration
  • charges
  1. Life of a company: event driven filings
    • Guidance

People with significant control (PSC)

Flat management companies

Use our interactive online learning tool to find out how to set up and register:

  • flat management companies
  • RTM companies
  • commonhold associations

Mortgage charges

How to:

  • register a new charge at Companies House
  • tell us about any you’ve paid off
  • register as a lender to file charges online
  • make an application to rectify a charge
  1. Rectification of Charges
    • Guidance
  2. Registering a charge (mortgage) for a company
    • Guidance

Company registers

This guide includes information and advice about:

  • register of members
  • register of people with significant control
  • information on the central public register
  • register of directors
  • register of directors’ usual residential addresses
  • register of secretaries
  1. Company registers
    • Guidance

Company strike off, dissolution and restoration

Information for directors, secretaries or company advisers about how to dissolve a company or restore a company to the register.

Includes information on:

  • why a company may apply to be struck off
  • when a company cannot apply to be struck off
  • how to apply and who to tell
  • how strike off and restoration notices are published in the Gazette
  • withdrawing a strike off application
  • objecting to a company’s dissolution
  • offences and penalties
  • what happens to companies no longer in operation
  • how to restore a company to the register by a court order or administrative restoration

Late filing penalties (LFP)

How an LFP will be imposed if your company accounts are not filed on time and how to appeal against an LFP.

The guidance explains:

  • LFPs
  • how to avoid an LFP
  • what to do when an LFP has been imposed
  • how to appeal an LFP
  1. Late filing penalties
    • Guidance

Registrar’s rules and powers

This guide outlines the powers of the registrar of companies as per Part 35 of the Companies Act 2006, which also applies to limited liability partnerships.

The guidance explains:

  • the registrar’s powers which relate to the delivery of information
  • the registrar’s powers to amend the register
  • other registrar powers

Restricting the disclosure of your information

How to restrict access to your information on the public register.

This guide will be relevant to you if:

  • you’re a director or LLP member that wants to restrict disclosure of your residential address
  • you’re a person with significant control (PSC) that wants to restrict disclosure of your residential address
  • you’re a PSC that wants to restrict disclosure of all your PSC information on the public register
  • you act as an adviser to a company, LLP, unlimited company or SE
  • you’re seeking to suppress specified addresses from continuing to be published on the public register

Liquidation and insolvency

This guidance provides a basic overview of insolvency and liquidation proceedings and summarises some of the rules that apply to:

  • company voluntary arrangements
  • moratoria
  • administrations
  • receivers
  • voluntary liquidations
  • compulsory liquidations
  • EC regulations

Limited liability partnerships (LLPs)

Overseas companies

European economic interest groupings (EEIGs)

European public companies Societas Europaea (SEs)

Limited partnerships (LPs)

This guide explains what you need to do if you’re:

  • intending to register a limited partnership
  • intending to be designated as a private fund limited partnership
  • a limited or general partner of a limited partnership
  • acting as an adviser to a limited partnership

It also contains guidance on People with Significant Control (PSC) for Scottish limited partnerships.

  1. Register a limited partnership
    • Guidance

Cross border mergers

Cross border mergers involving UK companies must be completed and registered before 1 January 2021. After this, cross border mergers that use the EU cross border merger regime (Directive 2005/56/EC) will not be able to take place.

Read our guidance for information on changes to company registration from 1 January 2021.

Inconsistencies

Paper filing requirements

  1. Company details on documents
    • Guidance

Guide to our official statistics

This guidance provides definitions for the main terms used in Companies House official statistics publications.

Webinars

Our live webinars are designed to provide you with quick and useful guidance on a range of topics, at a time and place of your choosing.

During the webinar, you can ask us questions using the on-screen text box. Our online team of experts will do their best to answer all your queries, or direct you to helpful guidance.

  1. Companies House webinars
    • Guidance
Published 13 November 2014
Last updated 31 January 2020 + show all updates

  1. Guidance added for changes from 1 January 2021.

  2. Collection of webinars added.

  3. Latest confirmation statement guidance added to collection.

  4. LLP accounts guidance added to collection.

  5. Collection title has changed.

  6. Nationalities added to guidance collection.

  7. Reference to PSC guidance for Scottish LPs added.

  8. Scottish partnerships PSC guidance and restricting disclosure of information added to the guidance collection.

  9. New confirmation statement video added.

  10. Link to confirmation statement video added to the page.

  11. Definitions to accompany our statistical releases guidance added to the guidance collection.

  12. Reordered titles and names following the implementation of the Small Business, Enterprise and Employment Act

  13. Limited liability partnership registers added to LLP guidance collection

  14. Company registers guidance added to the company guidance collection

  15. LLP guidance for the confirmation statement added to the page

  16. Confirmation statement guidance added to the collection of guidance

  17. Rectification of charges added to the guidance

  18. Draft PSC guidance added to the collection

  19. New guidance added to collection: Company details on paper documents.

  20. Inconsistencies guidance added to collection

  21. First published.

Contents

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