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Part of Set up a limited company: step by step

Set up a private limited company

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Register your company

Use this service to register your company with Companies House. You will usually be set up for Corporation Tax at the same time, unless your company or association is ‘dormant’.

You may need the Companies House personal code you received after verifying your identity to register your company.

This guide is also available in Welsh (Cymraeg).

You’ll also confirm your people with significant control (PSC) during registration. For example, this could be anyone with more than 25% of the shares or voting rights.

You’ll get a ‘certificate of incorporation’. This confirms the company legally exists and shows the company number and date of formation.

It costs £100 and can be paid by debit or credit card. Your company is usually registered within 24 hours.

You can also use this service to:

  • register for PAYE to tell HMRC you’re employing staff (including yourself if you’re the only director)
  • continue an application if you’ve already started registering

If you do not want to use ‘limited’ in your company name you must register by post.

Register now

You’ll need to create a Government Gateway user ID and password for your company when you register it. You cannot use your personal Government Gateway ID.

Find local advice and free support for your business on business.gov.uk.

Verifying your identity

Before registering your company, you may need to verify your identity using GOV.UK One Login. You’ll get a unique personal code to prove you’ve verified your identity.

If your company has more than one director, you must have each director’s personal code.

If you do not have a personal code

If you have not verified your identity for Companies House before, you can verify your identity online.

You only need to verify your identity once.

If you already have a personal code

You can find your personal code in your Companies House account.

Other ways to register

You can also register:

When you get your 10-digit Unique Taxpayer Reference (UTR), you’ll need to add Corporation Tax services to your business tax account.

Register by post

You can register by post using form IN01.

Postal applications take 8 to 10 days and cost £124 (paid by cheque made out to ‘Companies House’).

Send your application to the address on the form.

View a printable version of the whole guide

This page is 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.

    Most businesses register as a limited company or a sole trader.

    1. Find out about the different ways to set up a business
    1. Find local advice and free support for your business on business.gov.uk

  2. Step 2 Choose your limited company type

    1. Check whether you'll be limited by shares or guarantee

  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 are

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

    1. Check how to choose shareholders for a company limited by shares
    2. Find out how dividends from shares are taxed

  5. or Decide who your guarantors are

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

    1. Check how to choose guarantors for a company limited by guarantee

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

    You need to identify people with significant control (PSC) - for example, anyone with more than 25% of the shares or voting rights.

    1. Find out what counts as a PSC

    You'll confirm these when you register your company with Companies House.

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

    You need to prepare documents agreeing how to run your company. These documents include the :

    • 'memorandum of association'
    • 'articles of association'
    • 'statement of capital'
    • 'statement of guarantee'
    1. Find out how to create these documents

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

    1. Check the company and accounting records you must keep

  9. Step 7 Choose a name

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

  10. Step 8 Register your company with Companies House

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

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

  11. Step 9 Find out what to do after you've registered

    There are some things you may need to do once you've registered a limited company.

    1. Add Corporation Tax services to your business tax account
    2. Check the next steps for your limited company