Guidance

Standard industrial classification of economic activities (SIC)

A condensed list of SIC codes for providing Companies House with a description of your company's nature of business.

From:
Companies House
Published
1 January 2008
Last updated
9 January 2018 — See all updates

Documents

Find your trade description or nature of business

http://resources.companieshouse.gov.uk/sic

Condensed SIC list in CSV format

MS Excel Spreadsheet, 35.7 KB

View online

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Details

Companies House uses a condensed version of the full list of codes available from the Office of National Statistics (ONS).

Only use SIC codes on the condensed list when filing to Companies House or your filing may be rejected.

This publication shows a condensed list of the ONS codes used to classify business establishments and other standard units by the type of economic activity in which they’re engaged.

Published 1 January 2008
Last updated 9 January 2018 + show all updates

  1. Attachment removed

  2. CSV format and link to online SIC code lookup added

  3. Added translation

  4. First published.

Part of Set up a limited company: step by step

  1. Step 1 Check if setting up a limited company is right for you

    1. Check what a private limited company is

    How you set up your business depends on what sort of work you do. It can also affect the way you pay tax and get funding.

    Check if you should set up as one of the following instead:

    1. Get help deciding how to set up your business

  2. Step 2 Choose a name

    1. Check the rules for company names
    2. Check if the name you want is available
    3. Check existing trade marks

  3. Step 3 Choose directors and a company secretary

    You must appoint a director but you do not have to appoint a company secretary.

    1. Find out what directors are responsible for
    2. Check who can be a director or company secretary

  4. Step 4 Decide who the shareholders or guarantors are

    You need at least one shareholder or guarantor, who can be a director.

    1. Check if you’ll need to issue shares or set a 'guaranteed amount'
    2. Find out how dividends from shares are taxed

  5. and Identify people with significant control (PSC) over your company

    For example, anyone with voting rights or more than 25% of the shares.

    1. Find out what counts as a PSC

  6. Step 5 Prepare documents agreeing how to run your company

    You need to prepare a 'memorandum of association' and 'articles of association'.

    1. Find out how to create a memorandum and articles of association

  7. Step 6 Check what records you'll need to keep

    1. Check the company and accounting records you must keep

  8. Step 7 Register your company

    You'll need to register an official address and choose a SIC code - this identifies what your company does.

    1. Check the rules for company addresses
    2. You are currently viewing: Check what your SIC code is
    3. Register your company with Companies House

    Most people can register for Corporation Tax at the same time as registering with Companies House.

    If you cannot, register separately with HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) after you’ve registered your company with Companies House.

    1. Register with HMRC for Corporation Tax