Company Incorporation in United Kingdom
Incorporation at Companies House — the digital route costs £100 and is usually registered within 24 hours, paper (IN01) is £124 and takes 8 to 10 days, and a same-day service via approved software is £156. A private company limited by shares needs at least one director (a natural person aged 16+), at least one shareholder (who may be the same person), a registered office in the same country of the UK as its country, an 'appropriate' registered email address (required since March 2024), a SIC code and a PSC register; there is NO minimum share capital. There is no UK-residency requirement for a director, but every director and PSC must verify their identity with Companies House via GOV.UK One Login or an Authorised Corporate Service Provider — mandatory since 18 November 2025 under the Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act 2023. An LLP needs at least two designated members and cannot use the web-incorporation service (its digital route is via software, at the same £100). Sole traders and ordinary partnerships are not Companies House registrations at all: they register with HMRC, free of charge. The 1–5 day window below is Comriq's delivery window, not a Companies House service level.
1–5 business days
GBP
Compare the structures
Every column is a vehicle you can actually incorporate here, and each is bought on its own terms. Every fact carries where it was read: on the authority’s own page, or — marked Indicative — on a filing platform or publication we name and link. Anything we could not read anywhere is marked Pending verification and confirmed with the authority before you pay.
| Private company limited by shares (Ltd)The default UK trading and holding vehicle for SMEs, startups, consultancies and foreign subsidiaries — 1 director, 1 shareholder, no minimum share capital | Limited liability partnership (LLP)Professional services firms and joint ventures wanting partnership flexibility with limited liability — tax-transparent, at least 2 designated members | Public limited company (PLC)Businesses that will offer shares to the public or seek a listing / AIM admission — a high compliance burden, with PLC-specific statutory requirements (minimum allotted capital, company secretary, trading certificate) confirmed against the legislation at quote | Sole traderFreelancers, contractors and single-owner micro-businesses — registered with HMRC for Self Assessment, not at Companies House | Ordinary (general) business partnershipTwo or more people (or companies) running a business together who accept unlimited personal liability — registered with HMRC, not at Companies House | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Minimum owners | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| Maximum owners | Pending verification | Pending verification | Pending verification | 1 | Pending verification |
| Minimum directors | 1 | 2 | 2 | Pending verification | Pending verification |
| Liability | limitedLimited to the amount unpaid on each member's shares. | limitedMembers are not personally liable for the LLP's debts beyond their agreed contribution; the LLP itself is a body corpora… | limitedLimited by shares. | unlimitedUnlimited - the individual is personally responsible for all business debts. | unlimitedUnlimited - partners are jointly and personally liable for the partnership's debts. |
| Foreign ownership | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Tax treatment | Company pays UK Corporation Tax on its profits (19% small profits rate to 25% main rate - see compliance). Distributions… | Tax-transparent: the LLP is not subject to Corporation Tax; each member is taxed on their share of profits through Self … | Same Corporation Tax regime as a private company. | Not a separate legal person; profits taxed on the individual through Self Assessment (income tax + Class 2/Class 4 NIC). | Tax-transparent: the partnership files a Partnership Tax Return but pays no tax itself; each partner is taxed on their p… |
| Audit required | No | No | Yes | No | No |
| Audit threshold | A company is exempt from audit if it qualifies as small - meeting at least 2 of: turnover not more than GBP 15,000,000; … | Same small-entity audit exemption thresholds as a company apply to an LLP (turnover GBP 15m / balance sheet GBP 7.5m / 5… | A PLC cannot use the small-company audit exemption; its accounts must be audited regardless of size. | Pending verification | Pending verification |
| Annual compliance | Medium | Medium | High | Low | Low |
| Typical use | Venture-backed startups, owner-managed trading businesses, and the standard wholly-owned UK subsidiary of a foreign pare… | Partnerships of professionals who want limited liability but pass-through taxation rather than corporation tax. | Companies raising capital from the public, listed companies, and pre-IPO structures. | Solo consultant, tradesperson or online seller who wants the simplest possible structure. | Family businesses and professional pairs who want a simple shared structure without incorporation. |
What we will need from you
Upload these once. They are stored encrypted and reused across every service you buy from us.
Memorandum of association — the subscribers' statement
Generated automatically on the digital route.
Articles of association — the statutory model articles (adopted by default) or bespoke articles
Statement of capital — class, number and nominal value of shares and the amount paid / unpaid
There is no minimum share capital for a private company limited by shares.
Details of at least one director — name, date of birth, nationality, service address and usual residential address
Required PER DIRECTOR. A corporate director supplies its company number and registered office instead of personal details, and at least one director must be a natural person. Documents do not generally need apostille or notarisation for a standard Companies House incorporation — identity is proven through the One Login / ACSP route, not by apostilled paper.
Details of at least one shareholder (subscriber)
Required PER SHAREHOLDER; may be the same person as the director (one set of details then covers both). A foreign body corporate provides its overseas registration details.
Details of every PSC (person with significant control) for the PSC register
A full set of identifying particulars PER PSC — broadly anyone holding more than 25% of shares or voting rights, or otherwise exercising significant control.
Companies House identity verification for every director, PSC and LLP member
Via GOV.UK One Login (free) or an Authorised Corporate Service Provider, producing a Companies House personal code per role. Mandatory since 18 November 2025 under the ECCTA regime; unverified identities block incorporation. The exact document set an overseas individual presents on the ACSP route was not confirmed in the 10-Sep-2026 research — confirmed at quote.
Registered office address in the UK
Must be in the same country of the UK as the company's country — England & Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland.
An 'appropriate' registered email address
Required since March 2024.
Company name that clears the naming rules, and a SIC code for the business activity
The name must not be the 'same as' an existing name and must not contain sensitive or restricted words without approval.
Cost breakdown
Our fee and the government’s are always separate lines. Government fees are passed through at exactly what the authority charges — we add nothing to them.
| Incorporation — digital / online (usually registered within 24 hours)one line of this schedule appliesVERIFIED on the Companies House fees publication and at gov.uk/limited-company-formation/register-your-company; raised from £12 on 1 May 2024. Incorporation via approved software is also £100, and Companies House charges a PLC the same incorporation fee as a private company. An LLP cannot use the web-incorporation service — its digital route is via software, also £100. | £100Read at source on 2026-09-10 |
| Incorporation — paper (IN01 / LL IN01), 8 to 10 daysone line of this schedule appliesVERIFIED on the Companies House fees publication. Same fee for a company, an LLP and a PLC. | £124Read at source on 2026-09-10 |
| Same-day incorporation (software route, register received before the deadline)only if it appliesVERIFIED on the Companies House fees publication. There is no same-day option on the standard paper route; the £156 service is via software filing. Same fee for an LLP and a PLC. | £156Read at source on 2026-09-10 |
| Sole trader registration with HMRC (Self Assessment)only if it appliesVERIFIED at gov.uk/set-up-sole-trader: there is no government fee to register as a sole trader. No Companies House involvement. | No statutory feeRead at source on 2026-09-10 |
| Ordinary partnership registration with HMRConly if it appliesVERIFIED at gov.uk/set-up-business-partnership: no government fee; the nominated partner and each partner register with HMRC for Self Assessment. Governed by the Partnership Act 1890, not the Companies Act. | No statutory feeRead at source on 2026-09-10 |
| Comriq professional fee | Fixed fee within 1 business day |
These are the authority’s published lines. Which of them apply depends on your filing — a schedule by headcount, capital or entity type is one line, not all of them — and the applicable line is confirmed before payment, at cost.
How it runs
You will see these exact stages update in your client portal as we progress.
Check and Choose the Name
The name is cleared against the register — it must not be the 'same as' an existing name or contain sensitive or restricted words.
Directors, Members and PSCs
At least one director (or two designated LLP members) is appointed and every person with significant control is identified, then each verifies their identity with Companies House via One Login or an ACSP.
Constitution Prepared
Memorandum and articles of association prepared — model articles by default — with the statement of capital.
Registered at Companies House
Filed and the fee paid — £100 online (usually registered within 24 hours), £124 on paper, or £156 same-day via software. Certificate of incorporation issued.
Corporation Tax Registered
Registered for Corporation Tax with HMRC — due within 3 months of starting to do business. LLP members instead register for Self Assessment.
Ready to start?
This one is priced to your situation — most of what we do needs a local filing agent, so we scope it rather than guess. Tell us the specifics and we come back with a fixed quote and a confirmed timeline, within one business day.
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Verified September 2026
Requirements and statutory fees are set by Companies House (an executive agency of the Department for Business and Trade) and change without notice. This page is general information, not legal or tax advice. Your engagement letter and quote are the binding documents.