By Xavier - 09/01/2018
Companies House is the United Kingdom’s registrar of companies and is an executive agency and trading fund of Her Majesty's Government
The Companies House office in Cardiff handles companies incorporated in England and Wales. These companies are subject to English law. The Edinburgh office handles companies incorporated in Scotland. These companies are subject to Scots law. Likewise the Belfast office houses companies formed in Northern Ireland.
Incorporate without using Companies House?
Solicitors, accountants and formation agents can incorporate companies on your behalf. It can be intimidating to incorporate a business and the use of professional business service providers such as Online Filings is highly recommended to navigate the legal complexity involved in forming a company for the first time. Companies House is the only authorised body who are permitted to register UK companies. Therefore whether a person chooses to register a business directly through Companies House or through a business service provider, the incorporation will in all cases ultimately pass through this same authorising body.
The quickest way to incorporate
Companies House does not offer software filings to the general public. To register directly with Companies House you can either send your paper application (count 2-3 weeks), use their Webfiling service (48 hours), use a business service provider such as Online Filings (from 3 - 6 hours). Onlinefilings.co.uk is authorised by Companies House to incorporate limited companies on behalf of their customers and has developed a Companies House authorised software which connects users through their e-filing system to Companies House databases allowing customers to set up quickly, receiving their incorporation details as soon as the company is formed and providing additional services that you will likely need going forward (such as a opening a business bank account or registering for taxes). By trying to incorporate without the help of a specialist you might make some mistakes that could be detrimental to your company or add unnecessary delay and hassle to the process.
Cost to incorporate a limited company?
Companies House charges £40 for a postal application and £12 for a Webfiling application. Online Filings packages starts at £17.99, however, Online Filings allows you to incorporate within a few hours, has simplified the company incorporation forms and provides instant support via Live Chat or phone so that you don't spend hours trying to understand complex legal terms. As Companies House is the centralised authority for the whole country, getting in touch with them for the information you need will take you much longer. Besides, Onlinefilings.co.uk fast track the set-up of a business account for your company, which is mandatory when you register a limited company. It also gives you access to a wide range of services not offered by Companies House such as: using their London Registered Office Address Service to prevent your home address from being published on the register, registering for HMRC taxes (VAT or PAYE registration) to even setting up business insurance, all within the same digital environment.
By Xavier - 09/01/2018
