How Do I Register My Company Name

Registering a business name is often the first step you'll take when you've decided to starting time a business, giving you concrete proof of turning your business organisation idea into reality.

If y'all're setting up a business equally a sole trader, registering a business name isn't really compulsory (though you lot'll need to annals yourself for cocky-assessment with HMRC within three months of trading – read more hither about registering as a sole trader). Still, if yous annals as a sole trader not only are your profits taxed as income, but you are as well personally liable for any and all debt the business owes if it fails.

Many people choose to set up a limited company and go through Companies Firm registration (you tin read more here about the different business organization structures). In fact, as express visitor names take to exist unique, it tin can exist worth setting upward a limited visitor simply to secure your concern name (you can set up a dormant visitor if you're not set to trade however).

Decided to go downward this route?

Here's how to register a company:

1. Check that the company name yous want isn't already taken

Company formation company name availability checker

Got an thought of what to proper name your business concern? Start by using the Company Name Availability Checker to do a company proper noun search at Companies House to make sure your ideal proper name isn't taken or likewise similar to an existing company's name. Then click the link to register a 'private express company online'.

Remember that you should be wary of punctuation, special characters or words commonly used in UK company names, as well as of using sensitive words or terms that could be deemed offensive or suggest a connection with government or local regime: for example in gild to use "Accredited" in your proper name yous demand permission from the Department for Business organization, Free energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS).

NB your registered company name does not accept to be the same as the name y'all merchandise with: this latter is known every bit your 'business proper noun'. The same naming rules apply, except you must not include the words Ltd, Limited, limited liability partnership, LLP, plc or public limited visitor if none of those is true! If you want the name to exist exclusive to your business (read more than near hither to appraise if that's important), yous will need to use to register your proper name as a trade marking.

ii. Determine on an official company address

Neat – the visitor name you lot want is available (for at present!). You at present demand to register your visitor name to a U.k. postal address in gild to have somewhere for official notifications to be sent. This address must exist in the same country y'all registered your business in, e.g. if you registered in Wales, your address should be somewhere in Wales.

Company formation registered company address

Your company address volition exist publicly bachelor, so if yous desire to keep your habitation address somewhat private/split up yous may want to register your company with whoever will handle your company accounts and visitor tax (i.e. your accountant). Some company formation agents offer mail service forwarding to companies who would like to give the impression they are operating from an office space or non-residential area.

Take a look here for some of the key considerations when selecting your visitor's registered office.

NB If you're registering a company with Companies House, you'll starting time need to create an account (electronic mail accost, name and password) and then y'all'll be prompted to enter your called visitor name and address.

3. Choose a SIC code for your company

Adjacent, you'll need to choose a 'business activeness' – that is, you lot'll need to state what your business organization does by assigning a standard industrial classification of economic activities (SIC) code. You'll get a dropdown offset of group headings (in which y'all can select, for example, 11xxx Manufacture of beverages), so get a subsequent dropdown of trade descriptions, for example 11050 Manufacture of beer. You can add up to iv SIC codes per company, and you can change them at a after appointment. Read more about what is a SIC lawmaking here.

four. Appoint a company director or directors

You'll then demand to appoint at to the lowest degree i director. The director is the person who is legally responsible for running the business and ensuring that reports and company accounts are prepared (yous can read more here about company managing director responsibilities – you may besides want to appoint a company secretary, though this is not compulsory). The manager must be over sixteen and can't be disqualified from existence a manager.

Yous will too have to provide ii addresses for each director: firstly, a publicly bachelor official service accost, and secondly a residential address which volition not appear on the public tape. In total, you need to provide two addresses, so if the service address is the same as the visitor address, yous'll need to add together an alternative residential accost.

Finally y'all'll need to ostend that the person named has consented to act as a director!

5. Outline your proposed company share structure

Limited companies are made upwards of shares and yous will need to provide information most these shares when registering your visitor; this is known equally a 'argument of capital'.

Within this y'all should include the number of shares of each blazon the company has (at that place are nine types, or class, of share to choose from) and their total value (and in what currency). For instance, if your visitor is made upwardly of 100 ordinary shares and you lot've decided their nominal value is £1, so the aggregate nominal value will exist £100.

There is no maximum corporeality of shares and yous can apply any value to an individual share, likewise equally noting the specific rights each share has (e.g. full rights in the company with respect to voting, dividends and distributions).

Once yous've determined the aggregate nominal value i.e the initial value of the company), yous'll have to confirm if there is any money left unpaid to the visitor for this nominal value (if no amount is left unpaid, enter nil).

half dozen. Cull your company shareholders or Persons of Significant Control

Since limited companies are made upwardly of shares, you must have at least one shareholder, or 'subscriber'. If y'all are the only one who owns shares in the company, and then you ain 100% of the company.

Company formation persons of significant control

You will need to add together an address for each subscriber that appears on the public record, plus any 3 from the following seven security details to act as an online signature: start 3 letters of town of birth, first iii letters of female parent's maiden proper name, first three letters of middle colour, final three digits of phone number, last three digits of father'south forename, final three characters of National Insurance number or concluding three characters of passport number.

If a subscriber holds more than 25% of the shares in the company, they must also (since 2016) be listed every bit a Person with Significant Control (y'all'll demand to make full out their proper noun and service address once more). Well-nigh companies volition have at least ane person with significant command or influence over the visitor, and you'll need to select the nature of that control, for instance ownership of shares, voting rights and/or the right to appoint or remove the majority of the board of directors.

Equally with step four, you'll need to confirm that each subscriber knows that their details are being supplied as part of this company germination.

vii. Sign a statement of compliance

As visitor germination is a legal exercise, you volition need to select that you confirm the requirements of the Companies Human activity as to registration have been adhered to, and that you have viewed and accepted the Memorandum of Clan relating to the rules of running a business.

8. Pay a company formation fee

How much does it price to course a company? Companies House charges £12 to register a company online if y'all're confident with the steps above or you could use a visitor germination agent to help you with the process.

Don't forget that once y'all've completed your company registration, you'll also need to:

Choose and set upwardly a business depository financial institution account.
Get through the steps of registering a company for corporation tax within iii months of trading