Company Registered Office

When setting up a UK limited company the company registered office must be in the UK and you will need to provide a physical address to Companies House i.e. no P.O.Box addresses will be accepted. Companies House want to be able to trace the company back to that address.

If you do not have a UK address, a company formation agent such as Wimpole House Company Services can provide a registered office service for you (£100+VAT per annum) whereby you use their address as your company registered office and Wimpole House Company Services forward all statutory mail to you abroad. This service is also useful if you do live in the UK and only have your residential address that you can provide. This is because your UK limited company registered office will be made public and by using Wimpole House Company Serivces you can keep your home address private.

Corporation Tax

Corporation tax is tax levied in the UK on the profits made by UK limited companies and the profits of permanent establishments of non-UK resident companies/associations that trade in the UK. Therefore as a new UK limited company you will be required to pay corporation tax and each director of the company will also be required to file a personal self assessment tax return on an annual basis even if you are based abroad.

Business Bank Account

After your UK limited company formation you will need to set up a business bank account fairly quickly if you want to begin trading. All companies need their own bank account and an account separate from the directors/owners personal account as the company is considered a separate legal entity.

Wimpole House Company Services provide a company formation with a free business bank account service, they have a fast track system in which your contact details are passed onto a member of the bank of your choosing (either HSBC or Barclays) and they contact you within 24 hours. Wimpole House Company Services and all banks in the UK comply with money laundering regulations whereby they need to check your Identification Documents such as a passport and utility bill. However most banks in the UK only accept certified documents and therefore you may need to visit one of the bank’s branches and this may affect your choice of bank. This is the same for all UK limited company or business.

Company Secretary

Below is an outline of some of the other requirements you will need to ensure are fulfilled for every uk limited company:

• Statutory filing requirements – This includes documents such as the Companies House Annual Return and statutory annual accounts.
• Registers – Keep the company registers up to date.
• Company Appearance – The company name must appear at the registered office and on items such as stationary, contracts and invoices.

Wimpole House Company Services can provide Company Secretarial services (£100+VAT per annum) whereby they will act as your professional company secretary.

All of the above issues are those that affect any UK limited company. Wimpole House Company Services are in position to help you with all these compliance issues.