Registering a limited company: a practical guide

Registering a limited company in the UK is a formal, well-defined process — the difficulty is usually not the form itself but the decisions sitting behind it: who owns what, what SIC code actually describes your business, and how you'll handle banking once the company exists. This guide covers the practical detail that Companies House's own forms assume you already know.

The Companies House basics

You can register a company directly with Companies House online, through most accountants, through a dedicated company formation agent, or through a small number of banking providers that bundle formation with an account application. Whichever route you use, Companies House needs the same core information:

• A unique company name that doesn't conflict with an existing registration.
• A registered office address in the UK, which becomes public.
• At least one director, who must be a real person aged 16 or over.
• Details of shareholders and their shareholdings.
• At least one SIC code describing the company's main business activity.
• A statement of capital, setting out shares issued and their nominal value.

Processing direct with Companies House online is typically fast, often same-day or next working day, and the statutory fee is modest. Formation agents and bundled banking routes charge more than the bare Companies House fee because they're doing additional work — including, in some cases, setting up the bank account application at the same time — not because incorporation itself is more expensive through them.

Choosing a SIC code

SIC (Standard Industrial Classification) codes are a standard list Companies House uses to categorise what your company does. You must supply at least one on incorporation and can supply up to four. Pick the code that most accurately reflects your main trading activity rather than the broadest one that could arguably apply — an inaccurate SIC code can create friction later, including during business bank account checks, where your stated business description is compared against what you've registered.

Shareholders and Persons with Significant Control

Every limited company needs at least one shareholder, and you need to record how many shares each person holds and their nominal value. Separately, you must identify anyone who is a Person with Significant Control (PSC) — broadly, anyone holding more than 25% of shares or voting rights, or who otherwise exercises significant influence or control over the company. Most single-director, single-shareholder companies have one PSC: the director. Get this wrong and it can hold up processes that check PSC data later, including some business account applications, which ask for PSC details directly.

What happens immediately after incorporation

Once Companies House confirms registration, you'll have a company number and a certificate of incorporation. From this point you're legally required to keep the company's finances separate from your personal ones, file a confirmation statement at least once a year, and (depending on size) file annual accounts and a company tax return. None of this requires you to have chosen a bank yet, but in practice most new directors open a business account within the first few weeks because mixing personal and business money quickly becomes an accounting headache.

You can check any UK company's public filing history, including ours, on the Companies House register.

Choosing how to register: your options compared

There is no single correct route — it depends on how much help you want and whether you'd rather handle banking separately.

• Direct with Companies House. Cheapest option, fully self-service, no account bundled in — you choose your bank separately afterwards.
• Through an accountant. Usually costs more than doing it yourself, but you get advice on share structure, SIC codes and tax setup alongside the registration itself.
• Through a dedicated formation agent. A middle ground: guided forms, sometimes a registered office service, and a range of price points.
• Bundled with a business account. Several providers, including Tide, offer a combined flow where you register the company and apply for a business current account in one process. Tide's current bundled formation price is £14.99, on top of whichever Tide account plan you choose — verified 29 August 2026 against Tide's own pages, and worth re-checking directly since providers change these prices.

The bundled route can save time if you know you want that provider's account anyway, but it isn't automatically the cheapest or most suitable option for everyone — if you want a different bank, or specific advice on share structure from an accountant, register through that route instead and open the account afterwards using our step-by-step account opening guide.

Mistakes worth avoiding

Picking a share structure without thinking ahead

Issuing 100 shares to one person is simple to set up but can be awkward to unwind later if you bring in a co-founder or investor. If you think ownership might change, get advice before incorporation rather than restructuring afterwards.

Using a home address as the registered office without checking the implications

The registered office address is publicly viewable on the Companies House register. Some directors use a registered office service instead, particularly if they work from home.

Forgetting the confirmation statement

Missing your annual confirmation statement can lead to the company being struck off. It's a simple filing, but it's easy to lose track of the date in the first year.

FAQs