Questions people ask before choosing
The questions our customer service team answer most.
Choosing
Which package should I choose?
Start with your address. If you're happy for your home address to sit on the public register, the Digital Package (£102.99) does the job: company registration, identity verification, your documents by email and a business bank account referral. If you're not, the Privacy Package (£117.99) adds our Covent Garden registered office, service address and business address for 12 months. If you also want someone keeping the company compliant for you, the All Inclusive Package (£139.99) adds the Hassle-Free Compliance Service, VAT registration and 450+ business document templates. And if you want an accountant from day one, the All Inclusive with Accounting Package registers your company for £39.99, with the accounting service at £49 +VAT per month. Still unsure? Answer three questions, and we'll pick for you, or ask us on live chat.
Why is the All Inclusive with Accounting Package £39.99 when the All Inclusive Package is £139.99?
Because it includes a 12-month subscription to our accounting service, and we pay the £100 Companies House fee when you take it. You get everything in the All Inclusive Package, plus ACCA-qualified accountants, Xero software and your year-end accounts and Corporation Tax return prepared and filed, for £49 +VAT per month. There is nothing to pay for the first month, then 11 monthly payments, rolling monthly after that until you cancel. The £100 saving is the price of the commitment: the same service added at checkout with another package has no minimum term, but you pay the full package price. It is available to UK residents and is subject to approval. How the Accounting Service works.
Can I use my home address instead of buying yours?
Yes. Every company needs a registered office, and every director and PSC needs a service address, but Companies House does not mind whose addresses they are. Use your home address and the application costs nothing extra. The catch is that both appear on the public register, so anyone who searches your company sees where you live, and it is where statutory mail from Companies House and HMRC arrives. The Privacy, All Inclusive, All Inclusive with Accounting and Non-Residents Packages all include our Covent Garden address for both for 12 months, with statutory mail scanned and emailed the same day, free. Your residential address still goes to Companies House, but on a protected record that is never published. Company addresses explained.
What is the difference between a registered office, a service address and a business address?
A registered office is your company's official address. A service address is the official address of a person: a director or PSC. Both appear on the public register, and both receive statutory mail only from Companies House, HMRC, other government agencies and the courts. A business address is different. It is the address you give customers, suppliers and banks; it is not required by law, and it receives all other mail. The Privacy, All Inclusive and Non-Residents Packages include all three at 71-75 Shelton Street, Covent Garden, for 12 months. Statutory mail is scanned and emailed the same day, free; business mail is scanned and emailed at 50p per item. Company addresses explained.
I live outside the UK. Which package should I choose?
The Non-Residents Package, £199.99 including the £100 Companies House fee. Every UK company needs a UK registered office, which you cannot provide from abroad, so the package includes all three Covent Garden address services for 12 months. It also includes online identity verification, the Hassle-Free Compliance Service, VAT registration, and a choice of Wise Business, Revolut Business, or Payoneer referral for a multi-currency account built for overseas owners. We form companies for customers in most countries; a small number are not eligible, and the list is on the package page. Non-Residents Package.
I'm setting up a non-profit or a partnership. Which package?
Use the tabs above the package grid. A company limited by guarantee (£119.99) is the standard structure for clubs, sports associations, community projects, workers' co-operatives and membership organisations. It has guarantors instead of shareholders and cannot pay dividends. A limited liability partnership (£124.99) is for two or more people running a business as partners who want limited liability and includes a draft LLP agreement. Both prices include the £100 Companies House fee, identity verification, filing of your first confirmation statement and the Online Company Manager. Limited by Guarantee · LLP.
Can I form a company with a corporate shareholder?
Not through our online service. Every shareholder and director on an application we file must be an individual, so a company, LLP, trust or other organisation cannot hold shares or be appointed as a director at the point of incorporation. The reason is identity verification: Companies House requires every director and PSC to be verified, and our checkout is built around verifying living people.
Paying
Are there any hidden costs?
No. The price on each package includes the £100 Companies House fee, and it is the full amount you pay for the company formation. VAT is charged on the package price but not on the fee, so a £102.99 Digital Package is £102.99 plus VAT on £2.99. There are optional add-ons at checkout, such as Same-Day Incorporation, but each is shown with its price before you pay, and none is required. Services that run for 12 months renew at the prices in the table above, and we email you before any annual renewal is taken. How our pricing compares with going direct to Companies House.
What does it cost after the first year?
The company formation is a one-off. What renews depends on the package. On the Digital Package, only the confirmation statement renews, at £75.99 including the £50 Companies House fee, plus the business telephone number at £9.99 +VAT per month if you keep it after the three free months. The Privacy Package adds the three address services: registered office £39.00 +VAT, service address £26.00 +VAT and business address £96.00 +VAT per year. The All Inclusive Package adds the Hassle-Free Compliance Service at £149.99, which includes your confirmation statement filing. The accounting service is £49 +VAT per month with a 12-month minimum term. We email you before any annual renewal is taken, and you can cancel. Renewal prices in full.
Can I add the accounting service to a different package?
Yes. There are two ways to buy it, and the difference is the commitment. Choose the All Inclusive with Accounting Package and we pay the £100 Companies House fee, so the company formation costs £39.99. In return you take the accounting service for a minimum of 12 months at £49 +VAT per month, with nothing to pay for the first month. Or buy the Digital, Privacy, All Inclusive or Limited by Guarantee Package at full price and add the accounting service at checkout. You pay the full package price, but the service is rolling monthly at £49 +VAT with no minimum term. Either way, it must be chosen before you pay and cannot be added later. The service is for UK-resident directors of limited companies, so it is not available with the Non-Residents or LLP Packages, and is subject to approval. How the Accounting Service works.
Can I upgrade to a bigger package later?
Not to a different package, no. Once your order is placed, the package is fixed, and add-ons, including the accounting service, must be chosen at checkout. You can buy any service individually from the Shop in your Online Company Manager afterwards, but the package is cheaper. The Privacy Package costs £15 more than Digital and includes three address services worth £161 +VAT a year. The All Inclusive Package costs £22 more than Privacy and includes the Hassle-Free Compliance Service, worth £149.99. If there is any chance you will want them, take the package now. Compare the packages above.
After your order
How long does it take?
About 15 minutes to complete the application and usually less than 24 hours for Companies House to approve it. Most companies submitted on a working day are registered the same day or the next morning, but Companies House works in order of receipt, so timing depends on their workload. Identity verification happens online during the application and usually takes a few minutes. If you need your company on a specific day, add Same-Day Incorporation at checkout for £79.99, available with any package for orders placed before Midday UK time, Monday to Friday. As soon as your company is approved, we email your company documents and you can start trading. How to set up a limited company in four steps.
What happens if Companies House rejects my application?
Companies House tells us why, we put it right and resubmit at no extra charge. The usual reasons are a name too similar to an existing company, a missing or inconsistent PSC entry, or an address Companies House will not accept. Two things cannot be changed once a company exists: its registration number and date of incorporation, so it is worth getting the details right first time. If you would like one of our team to review your application before it is submitted, the Pre-Submission Review is available at checkout for £4.99. Why company formations are rejected.
