What is a company’s date of incorporation and can you choose it?

Do you want to form a limited company with a specific date of incorporation?

Maybe you want to influence your company’s accounting reference date (without having to change it post-formation), perhaps there’s a day of the year that you consider ‘lucky’, or you need a company formed as soon as possible and this means the day you want it set up is today.

So, the question is – is it possible to choose your company’s date of incorporation? But first…

What is the date of incorporation?

This is the date that a company formation application is accepted by Companies House and placed on the Companies House public register.

It is not necessarily the date that the application was sent to Companies House.

You can choose your company’s date of incorporation if your chosen date falls during the week

If you choose to form a limited company with us, we offer a Guaranteed Same-Day Service (£39.99 plus VAT, Monday-Friday only) that can be picked up as an additional extra just before you make payment.

As long as you provide all the necessary company information (company name, appointee information and share information) and proof of ID (if required), and submit your application before 3pm – your company will be formed on that day. 

If you cannot provide the necessary information in time, we will issue you a refund.

To purchase the Guaranteed Same-Day Service:

• Check the availability of your preferred company name on our homepage
• Choose your company formation package
• The Guaranteed Same-Day Service can be found in the ‘Additional Services’ menu – simply select ‘Add’, proceed to make payment and complete the company formation process

If you choose not to purchase the Guaranteed Same-Day Service, companies are normally formed within 24 hours. However, this is dependent on the workload at Companies House and can take longer.

• A guide to UK company formation
• How long does it take to form a company?

You can’t set up a company at the weekend or on a bank holiday

Unfortunately, Companies House do not process company formation applications at weekends or on bank holidays. 

Therefore, it’s not possible to form a company at these times – so if your chosen date falls then, it can’t be done.

Applications that are sent during the weekend are placed in a queue at Companies House and processed on the next working day (again, in accordance with the workload at Companies House).

You can’t go back and change your date of incorporation

If your company has already been formed, it’s not possible to alter your company’s date of incorporation. However, if this is because you wish to have a particular accounting reference date, you can update your accounting reference date post-formation.

There you have it. You can choose your company’s date of incorporation, provided that day falls during the working week (and your company hasn’t already been formed).

Does a company have to start trading on the date of incorporation?

No. There is no set time when a limited company must start trading.

Whilst you can begin trading as soon as your company has been incorporated, you can also leave the company dormant for as long as you want.

• What is a dormant company?

Some companies never trade at all and were simply formed to stop someone else from taking the company name. This is common amongst sole traders.

If you intend to do this, you must notify HMRC once your company has been formed of your dormant status. You should then file a confirmation statement and dormant company accounts on an annual basis for as long as you wish to keep the company.

How to find your company’s date of incorporation

Don’t worry if you’ve already formed your company and can’t remember the date of incorporation. Finding it is simple.

If you formed your limited company with us:

1. Log in to your online company manager
2. Select ‘My Companies’
3. Your company’s date of incorporation will be in the ‘Incorporated’ field

If you didn’t form your company with us:

1. Visit the Companies House Search the register tool
2. Search for your company
3. The date of incorporation will be presented next to your company’s name

Ready to start your company?

Our formation services are designed to get your company up and running as quickly as possible.

Take a look at our company formation packages (prices start at just £52.99) to get started – and remember to add the Guaranteed Same-Day Service if speed is essential.

Thanks for reading

We hope you have found this post helpful. If you have any questions, please leave a comment and we’ll get back to you shortly.