How do I choose my company's address when incorporating?
In this article, we'll explain:
- What a registered address is
- How to choose the right company address
- The difference between a registered address and a service address
- Why many businesses choose a registered address service
- How to change your registered address after incorporation
Every company that is incorporated, whether it is a limited company by shares or an LLP, etc., must have a registered address. This is the address that is shown on the public Companies House register and is used as the main point of contact by government bodies. If you are choosing to incorporate your new company using a provider such as Easy Digital Company, then it is super easy and simple to select your company’s address. Simply head to our website easydigitalcompany.com and enter the name of the company that you wish to incorporate in the ‘Get Started Now’ box to the right of the home page. If the company name you have selected is available to use, then you just need to click on the green ‘Register this company’ button below:
At this stage, you can select any additional packages that you want to purchase alongside the standard incorporation submission. Here is where you need to make the decision whether you want to incorporate your company using our registered or business address services (which means that your company would be registered at our City of London address), or whether there is another available address that you wish to incorporate at instead. If you are opting to go with our registered address service, then this will cost an additional £89 + VAT per year. Once purchased, your company details will look like this:
This means that any letters that HMRC or Companies House address to the company will be sent to our address here, and we will process and upload them into your portal for you to access at any time.
We do also offer registered address services for companies that are already incorporated, but are looking to change their address. To proceed with this, you first need to head over to our website easydigitalfiling.com and set up your account by adding your company to the Company Filings section. Then, once that has been completed, you need to log in through easydigitalcompany.com using the same credentials you just created - this will take you to your company portal, where you can add the registered address service.
To do so, please click on the ‘Add Service’ button next to ‘Services’ and select the registered address package, and the business address package if you desire. We will then process the registered address change for you so that your company is registered with us instead.
If you’re already registered with us using one of our address packages, and are looking to renew your package, then you might find our article ‘How to Renew Your Registered Address for Small and Micro Companies’ useful!
Why is my company's address important?
It is the main point of contact between the company and the government meaning that all official mail that is addressed to the company will be sent here. This includes any notice to file tax returns or accounts letters that are sent by HMRC or Companies House, along with any other statutory filing or penalty notices relating to the company. If you are unable to access the address that the company is registered at, then you may not receive these letters, and sometimes, failing to reply to certain letters sent by HMRC and Companies House could result in the company being struck off the register or potential prosecution, depending on what they relate to. Essentially, it is extremely important that your company’s address is always up to date, even if your company moves to a new location, so that no crucial correspondence letters are missed.
What is a registered address?
Now let's talk a little bit more in detail about the difference between what a registered address and a service address actually is. The registered address is a company’s official legal address and is displayed on the public register at Companies House. This address acts as the main point of correspondence between your company and any government authorities as this is where all official mail will be sent.
This can be any valid and physical address within the country that you incorporated, which means that it cannot be a PO box, and it also must actually be based in the UK. The registered address doesn’t necessary mean that this is where the company trades, as it could have stores across the UK for example, however, it needs to be an established location that the company can access. It is also important to remember that this address is publicly visible to anyone, as it is shown on the Companies House register, so if you use your private home address, then this will be publicly visible forever, even after you change your address (as it will be shown under ‘Filing History still). This is why some people opt to use registered address providers, such as Easy Digital Company, instead, to add a bit more privacy and keep a professional image.
What is a service address?
A service address is different to the registered address because it is specific to the individuals in the company, rather than to the company itself. Every director, secretary, and PSC (person with significant control) will need to have a service address that is used as the correspondence address between themselves and government bodies. One of the key differences between a service address and registered address is that it can be located anywhere in the world, not just the UK. So even if the company is incorporated in the UK, the director does not have to be a UK based resident. However, there are no rules around the service address and registered addresses being the same, so you can use one location for both if that works for you and your company.
Another point to note is that while the correspondence address is harder to find, it is still shown on the public register so if you are looking to add another layer of privacy, it would be best to use a non-residential address for your service address. Once again, if you opt to use an address provider such as Easy Digital Company, then you can use our address as your service address as well - just head to easydigitalcompany.com to get started today!
If you were interested in learning more information on the difference between a trading address and a registered address, please see our article.
