Frequently Asked Questions

Incorporating a company is a simple process, however you should think about if you need a company structure for your business, as although running a business through a incorporated entity separates your personal concerns from your business, incorporation brings with it a degree of additional regulation (filing requirements). Whilst this is not onerous, you should understand these additional requirements.

As soon as you have selected a company name, using our company name search, selected any complementary services (we advise that as a minimum you use a registered office address which is not your home address), after payment you will need to add some details on the first company officer along with 2 identification documents required for Anti-money laundering (AML) checks. Once you have provided this, we will submit your application electronically to Companies House using our direct interface. Once with Companies House it normally takes 4-6 hours during business hours.

Once you have your companies registered number, you can begin trading, however although it is always advisable to take payments into a business bank account, which normally takes a few weeks to have setup. Any expenses that you make in this period though can be accounted for by submitting a claim for any expenses made personally to your company.

An incorporated organisation is considered to be its own separate legal entity. Therefore, this means that an organisation itself operates independently from its owners, managers, directors or officers. The organisation has its own contractual obligations. For example: would include the company’s finances and credit history.

- You will need to complete an IN01 form either by using an incorporation agent or directly through Companies House.
- Memorandum of association
- Articles of association (However, if the organisation has adopted the model articles, then articles of association would not be required).
- If your company has a sensitive word in its name, such as indicating that you are part of a professional body, then additional information would be required.

Once Companies House has successfully confirmed the registration of the incorporated business, the business will receive the following documents:
- Certificate of incorporation
- Memorandum and Articles of Association
- Share certificates for all the shareholders

Once you have incorporated your company you will need to comply with your annual filing obligations.
- On the anniversary of the company's incorporation date, a Confirmation Statement must be filed to Companies House.
- When the Companies accounting period has finished, the company must pay any corporation tax due after 9 months and a day, and file a Corporation Tax (CT600) return within 12 months with statutory accounts to HMRC.
- Every year you must file accounts to Companies house, this is regardless of whether you have traded or not.
We provide a full end of year filing service, please contact us for details.

The Incorporation certificate is a document that is supplied to each Company at registration. This is to provide evidence that the company exists. This document includes many organisational details, such as the company name, company number and Incorporation date. When opening business accounts, the banks usually require this certificate.

After incorporating a business there are 6 duties that an organisation will need to take to ensure the company is running properly. The duties listed below:
- Open a business bank account
- Separate the company’s funds with personal funds
- Keep records of all the business transactions
- Apply for the suitable licenses and permits relevant for the nature of the business, if applicable.
- Register for Corporation Tax if you intend to start trading
- Register for PAYE if you intend to have employees
- Register for VAT if applicable

- Incorporation allows organisation to benefit from Limited liability. This means the company owner will not be responsible for debts of the company beyond a certain amount.

- An incorporated company allows it to benefit from tax advantages as the firm may be able to receive favourable tax treatment compared to other business structures. For example: this would include the ability to deduct employee benefits and take advantage of lower corporation tax rates compared to personal income tax.

- With the sale of shares, it becomes easier for the organisation to raise capital.

A Company Registered Address is legally required when incorporating a company. It has to be a physical address where all official communication can be sent. Incorporating your company with a Registered Address keeps any residential addresses private and off the public register. Selecting our Company’s Registered Address package includes 2 service addresses for company officers listed in the incorporation.

A Business Address is an official address of a company’s premises. It is different from a Company Registered Address as all non-statutory mail can be sent here and businesses can use this address on their stationary, such as letterheads. It cannot be used instead of a Company Registered Address.
Purchase this at checkout for use of our City of London address in a prestigious Listed building in Eastcheap EC3.
For further explanation about company addresses see our knowledge base.