Setting up a UK limited company: what founders need before day one

A private limited company (Ltd) is the most common structure for UK businesses. It keeps your personal and business finances separate and can be registered online with Companies House, often within a day. The registration itself is the easy part; the preparation and the first-year duties are where founders slip up.

Before you register: the checklist

A company name

It must be unique, end in Limited or Ltd, and avoid sensitive words unless you have permission. Check availability on the Companies House register and think about your brand and domain name at the same time.

A registered office address

This must be a real address in the same UK nation where the company is registered (England and Wales, Scotland, or Northern Ireland). It appears on the public register, so many founders use a service address instead of their home.

Directors, shareholders and people with significant control

• at least one director (a person aged 16 or over)
• at least one shareholder, with the share structure agreed
• details of anyone with significant control (generally more than 25% of shares or votes)

Companies House is introducing identity verification for directors and people with significant control, so have photo ID ready.

What your company does

You choose one or more SIC codes describing the business activity.

Articles of association

Most small companies use the standard model articles; co-founders should also agree a shareholders' agreement covering decisions, exits and what happens if someone leaves.

After you register

1. Corporation Tax: register with HMRC within three months of starting to trade.
2. Business bank account: keep company money separate from day one.
3. VAT: register once your taxable turnover passes the VAT threshold (currently £90,000), or earlier voluntarily if it suits your customers.
4. PAYE: register as an employer before you pay anyone, including yourself as a director on salary.
5. Records: keep invoices, receipts and bank records; good bookkeeping makes year-end simple.

Your first-year calendar

• Confirmation statement: filed with Companies House at least once a year
• Annual accounts: filed with Companies House (first accounts are due 21 months after incorporation)
• Company Tax Return: filed with HMRC, with tax usually payable nine months and one day after the end of your accounting period

Put these dates in a shared calendar the day you incorporate. Missing a Companies House deadline brings automatic penalties.

Setting up from abroad?

You do not need to live in the UK to own or direct a UK company, but you will need a UK registered office address, and UK banking can take longer for non-residents. Founders in the UAE often combine a UK company with a UAE presence; see our guide to expanding between the UK and the UAE.

How EA CORP helps

We guide founders through UK company formation and connect it to the rest of the launch: business plan and model, brand identity, website, systems, and referrals to accountants and solicitors. Start your project and we will map out your first 90 days.

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This article is general information, not legal or tax advice. Thresholds and rules change; check GOV.UK, Companies House and HMRC, or speak to an accountant.