How to Register a Company at Companies House in the UK: An Easy Step-by-Step Guide

Quick answer: what does it cost to register a UK company?

For a straightforward private company limited by shares, the Companies House online incorporation fee is **£100**. A paper application costs **£124**. These are the government registration fees only; they do not include an accountant, solicitor, formation agent, registered office service, business address, mail handling, banking, insurance or tax advice.

After incorporation, every company must file a confirmation statement at least once every year. The online fee is currently **£50**; a paper CS01 costs **£110**. Companies House fees can change, so check the official Companies House fees page before paying.

This guide explains how to register a company in the UK, what information and documents you need, how privacy works, and where a professional address service such as Kent Business Address and Virtual Mail may fit. It is general information, not legal, tax or accounting advice. If your structure, shareholders, immigration status, regulated activity or tax position is complicated, speak to a qualified professional.

Before you start: is a limited company right for you?

Many UK businesses begin as either sole traders or private limited companies. A limited company is a separate legal person. In general terms, this can separate the company’s liabilities from the owners’ personal finances, subject to the usual legal exceptions and any personal guarantees. It also creates ongoing filing, record-keeping and tax responsibilities.

This article is about a **private company limited by shares**, commonly ending in “Limited” or “Ltd”. That is the usual structure for a small trading company with one or more shareholders. A company limited by guarantee, public limited company, community interest company or LLP has different requirements and may not be suitable for the online process described here.

Before filing, consider whether you need limited liability, how ownership will be divided, who will make decisions, and whether you need an accountant. Incorporation is only the legal starting point; it does not automatically register you for every tax, licence or business activity.

The information you need to prepare

Have the following details ready before opening the Companies House application:

• Your proposed company name.
• The jurisdiction of the registered office: England and Wales, Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland.
• A suitable registered office address in the same jurisdiction as the company.
• A registered company email address. This is used by Companies House and is not published on the public register.
• At least one director who is an individual aged 16 or over. A private company does not normally have to appoint a secretary.
• The director’s name, nationality, month and year of birth, occupation and service address.
• The director’s usual residential address. This must be supplied, but it is not normally shown publicly.
• The shareholder or shareholders and the shares they will take.
• The people with significant control (PSCs), usually anyone who owns or controls more than 25% of the shares or voting rights.
• One or more SIC codes describing what the company does.
• Your choice of model articles or bespoke articles of association.

The online application will guide you through these fields. Take care with spelling, dates, share allocations and addresses. Information filed at Companies House becomes part of a public legal record in the way the law requires, and correcting it later may involve a separate filing or application.

Documents and checks you may need

For a simple online incorporation using model articles, you usually do not need to upload a large bundle of formation documents yourself. The online service creates the memorandum of association from the information you enter. Model articles are the standard rules for running a company, and you can use them unless your company needs different arrangements.

You should still prepare the underlying information and keep your own records. Depending on your application, you may need:

• Identity information for every proposed director.
• The Companies House personal code for each director, following identity verification.
• Identity information for PSCs and the required verification statement and personal code.
• Shareholder names and addresses, share numbers, share class and the rights attached to each class.
• Bespoke articles of association if you are not adopting the model articles completely.
• Permission or supporting information if the proposed name contains a sensitive word or implies a connection with a government body.
• An IN01 application and memorandum if applying by post.

Since 18 November 2025, identity verification has been a legal requirement for new directors and PSCs. A person can verify through GOV.UK One Login or an Authorised Corporate Service Provider (ACSP). Verification produces an 11-character personal code. The code is personal to the individual, not the company, so store it securely. Read the current Companies House identity-verification guidance before filing, particularly if any director or PSC is overseas or has more than one role.

Step-by-step: how to register a company with Companies House

Step 1: Choose and check your company name

Your name must not be the same as, or too similar to, an existing registered company name. It must not be offensive or contain a sensitive word without the required permission. Search the Companies House register and check trade marks separately. A Companies House name search is not the same as a trade mark clearance search, so do not assume that an available company name gives you exclusive brand rights.

Decide whether the legal name and the trading name will be different. If you trade under another name, check the business-name and trading-disclosure rules, and make sure your website, invoices and customer documents display the information the law requires.

Step 2: Select the registered office address

The registered office is the company’s official address. Companies House and other authorities can send statutory notices, formal correspondence and court documents there. It must be in the same country within the UK as the company’s registration.

The address must be an **appropriate address**. In ordinary circumstances, documents delivered by hand or post should be expected to come to the attention of someone acting for the company, and delivery should be capable of being recorded by an acknowledgement of delivery. A random accommodation address, an address you cannot access, or a service that does not accept the specific official use may create compliance problems.

If you work from home, you can use your home address if it meets the requirements. However, remember that the registered office address is public. A separate address can give you a clearer boundary between home and business, provided the provider has agreed to the registered-office use and the setup checks are complete.

Step 3: Decide on director and shareholder details

Enter each director’s details exactly as they should appear on the register. A director must provide both a public service address and a usual residential address. The service address can be the registered office, another business address or, if you choose, a residential address. The usual residential address is kept on a private register, although Companies House can disclose protected information to specified authorities and credit reference agencies under the rules.

For a company limited by shares, decide how many shares to issue and who owns them. A simple one-person company might issue 100 ordinary shares of £1 each, but the correct arrangement depends on your plans, ownership and tax advice. Share capital is not a statement of what the business is worth. If you have multiple founders, agree ownership and decision-making clearly before filing.

Step 4: Identify the PSCs

A PSC is commonly an individual who owns more than 25% of the shares or voting rights, or who otherwise exercises significant control. Record the correct PSC information and complete the identity-verification requirement. Do not omit a PSC because the company is small; a one-person company normally has its owner as both director and PSC.

Step 5: Choose your SIC code

The SIC code is the standard classification that describes your company’s intended business activity. Choose the closest accurate code from the official list. If your company has more than one meaningful activity, you may be able to include more than one code. Avoid choosing a code simply because it sounds broad or convenient. Your SIC code does not replace a licence, professional registration or tax registration where those are separately required.

Step 6: Choose articles and review the application

All limited companies must have articles of association. Model articles are the standard rules and are often suitable for a simple company. Bespoke articles may be appropriate where there are several shareholders, different share classes, investor rights, transfer restrictions or special governance arrangements.

Review every entry before submission. Check the company name, registered office, email address, director details, PSC information, shareholdings and SIC code. Make sure the address provider has approved the intended use before you submit it.

Step 7: Pay and submit

Pay the Companies House fee online and submit the application. The online fee is £100 as at the date of this article. A paper IN01 application is £124 and usually takes longer to process. Same-day incorporation is available through certain software routes for £156, according to the current fee table.

Your company does not legally exist until Companies House issues the certificate of incorporation. Keep the certificate, memorandum, articles and application information with your company records. If Companies House rejects or queries the application, follow the instructions rather than submitting conflicting information through another route.

What happens after incorporation?

Registration is not the end of the process. Review the certificate and public register immediately. Then consider the following practical actions:

• Open a business bank account and keep company money separate from personal money.
• Add Corporation Tax services to your HMRC business tax account when required.
• Register for PAYE if the company will employ people or pay directors through payroll.
• Check whether VAT registration is required or commercially useful.
• Arrange accounting records, bookkeeping and statutory accounts support.
• Check licences, insurance and sector-specific registrations.
• Put a system in place for official post and Companies House deadlines.
• File annual accounts and a confirmation statement on time, even if the company is dormant or has not changed.

For a private company, first accounts are generally due 21 months after incorporation. Later annual accounts are generally due nine months after the financial year end. Corporation Tax payment is usually due nine months and one day after the end of the accounting period, while the Company Tax Return is generally due 12 months after that period ends. These are general deadlines; check the company’s actual dates with HMRC or an accountant.

The confirmation statement confirms that Companies House information is up to date. It is required at least once every year, even if nothing has changed. The online fee is £50. Late filing can lead to penalties and, in serious cases, strike-off action.

Privacy: what becomes public?

Companies House is a public register, so privacy is not absolute. The company’s registered office, shareholder information and much of the director and PSC information can be available to anyone searching the register. For directors, the public record normally includes the name, nationality and month and year of birth. The usual residential address and full date of birth are not normally public.

The most practical privacy decision is usually the address you choose before incorporation. If you use your home as the registered office or director service address, it can appear publicly. Using a professional registered office or service address may reduce the chance of customers, suppliers or members of the public finding your home through the company register. It does not remove the legal requirement to provide your real residential address to Companies House.

If your home address has already been filed publicly, changing the address for the future may not remove every historic document. Companies House has a process for removing personal information in limited circumstances and may require evidence. Read the official guidance on removing your home address and, where there is a serious risk of violence or intimidation, the separate application process for protecting personal information.

Privacy also means good everyday information handling. Use a business email, avoid placing your home address on invoices and websites, review directory listings, protect identity documents, and only share your Companies House personal code with a trusted person who genuinely needs it to file on your behalf. A business address helps with public exposure, but it is not a substitute for sensible cybersecurity, data protection and record-management practices.

How Kent Business Address and Virtual Mail can help

Kent Business Address and Virtual Mail provides a professional address in West Malling, Kent, with mail handling for home-based businesses, start-ups, remote companies, relocating businesses and overseas business owners. The service is about an address and the handling of business post; it is not desk hire, coworking, meeting-room hire or phone answering.

Depending on the plan and the permitted use, support can include mail notifications, scan-to-email, physical forwarding in the UK or abroad, in-person collection, secure storage for up to three months, confidential shredding and larger-item holding on request. Registered business address use is available where the correct setup checks are completed and the service has approved that use.

Current service pricing includes Mail Lite at £99 per year for up to two recipient names and Mail Pro at £350 per year for up to four recipient names. Registered address setup is £55. Physical forwarding is £4.50 per item, plus materials and postage where applicable. Scan-and-email is £1 per item on Mail Lite and £0.10 per item on Mail Pro. Extra recipient names and storage or destruction services may carry separate charges. Plans are paid upfront, and identification is required before post can be released, scanned, forwarded or collected.

For example, a customer choosing Mail Lite and registered-address setup would budget £99 + £55 for the service, plus the £100 Companies House incorporation fee and any postage, materials, accounting or other business costs. That gives an indicative first-year total of **£254 before variable charges**. It is not a quote or a guarantee that a particular address use will be accepted; confirm the permitted use and current pricing before ordering.

A simple registration checklist

Before clicking submit, confirm that you have:

• Checked the company name and trade marks.
• Chosen the correct UK registration jurisdiction.
• Arranged an appropriate registered office address.
• Obtained permission for the address’s intended use.
• Verified every new director and obtained each personal code.
• Identified and verified the PSCs.
• Prepared shareholder and share information.
• Chosen an accurate SIC code.
• Chosen model or bespoke articles.
• Reviewed which information will appear publicly.
• Budgeted for the £100 online filing fee and ongoing annual obligations.
• Saved the certificate and set reminders for accounts and confirmation statements.

Final takeaway

Registering a UK company with Companies House is manageable when you prepare the name, people, ownership, SIC code, identity checks and address first. The government filing fee is only one part of the cost. The bigger long-term responsibility is keeping the public record accurate, handling official post, protecting personal information and meeting annual accounts, tax and confirmation-statement deadlines.

If protecting your home address matters, decide on a suitable business or registered office address before incorporation rather than trying to fix the public record later. Kent Business Address and Virtual Mail can explain the available address and mail-handling options for your situation, complete the required onboarding checks and help you manage business correspondence from West Malling, Kent.

Official references

• Companies House fees, updated 2 July 2026.
• Incorporation and names, Companies House guidance.
• Prepare documents agreeing how to run your company, GOV.UK.
• When you need to verify your identity for Companies House, updated 30 July 2026.
• Your personal information on the Companies House register, GOV.UK.
• Removing your home address from the Companies House register, updated 23 February 2026.
• Filing your company’s confirmation statement, Companies House.
• Accounts and tax returns for private limited companies, GOV.UK.