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

You’ll need at least 3 pieces of personal information about yourself and your shareholders or guarantors, for example:

  • town of birth
  • mother’s maiden name
  • father’s first name
  • telephone number
  • national insurance number
  • passport number

It costs £50 and can be paid by debit or credit card. Your company is usually registered within 24 hours.

It’s currently taking longer than usual to register companies because of a high number of applications.

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.

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 £71 (paid by cheque made out to ‘Companies House’).

Send your application to the address on the form.

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 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

  9. Step 8 Manage your Corporation Tax

    1. Add Corporation Tax services to your business tax account