What is Companies House? (What Purposes Do They Serve?)

Companies House is responsible for registering most businesses in the United Kingdom. The registers of companies are publicly accessible and include all necessary information about a business including its directors and shareholders, among others. This includes the name of the company, address, contact details, date incorporated, registered office, principal place of business, number of shares, number of employees, and much more.

The register of companies contains all necessary information about a corporation. All documents related to the registration of the company are available to everyone who wants to access it. These include the articles of association, memorandum and articles of association, certificate of incorporation, certificate of appointment, certificate of commencement, notice of change of name, notice of dissolution, notice of winding up, notice of voluntary liquidation, statement of accounts, and many more.

What kinds of companies are registered with Companies House?

Limited companies can be set up via an agent or the web services. A limited company can be set up either by shares or by guarantee. There are many different ways of incorporating a company.

The services offered by Companies House

A company can file its accounts through Companies House or via its accountants. There are two main ways of incorporating a new company – either by post or online. Companies House offers a range of services including filling accounts, registering directors and shareholder information, and managing contact details.

Companies House provides a range of free services such as checking whether a company name is available, searching for companies based on criteria like address, date incorporated, industry sector etc. For example, you can check whether a company exists under a specific name or address. You can also find out what documents are required to register a company.

If you want to incorporate a company yourself, you can do it either by post or online, depending on where you live. If you choose to go down the post route, you will receive a letter confirming receipt of your application. This is known as a Certificate of Incorporation. Your company must then pay £12 to Companies House within 28 days of receiving the certificate.

Online incorporation is much quicker. Once registered, you can access your company’s registration records online. You can change the company name, address, director names, and even the date of incorporation.

You can also use Companies House to update the information about your existing company.

Companies House Beta Service

This is a free service offered to Companies House registered businesses. You can use it to check whether a company exists, what their address is, how long they’ve been trading, and much more. If you’re looking for information on a company, you don’t necessarily need to go through Companies House. But if you want to know where a company is based, or if it’s still trading, you’ll need to register with Companies House.

The beta version of the site includes data from the previous three months. However, there are plans to add more data over the coming weeks.

Companies House Web Filing

Webfiling is a new way of filing documents online. Limited companies are now able to use this system to upload important documents such as annual returns, accounts, directors’ reports and notices without having to send hard copies via post. This saves money and reduces carbon emissions.

The process involves uploading documents to the Companies House website and paying £20 per document. Documents must be uploaded within 14 days of being filed. There is no charge for making amendments to existing filings.

Companies House is a government department that registers and monitors UK businesses. It is part of HM Revenue & Customs.

Companies House WebCheck

Companies House WebCheck provides a comprehensive list of all companies registered in England and Wales. You can find out the type of company, incorporation date, address, nature of business, accounting reference dates, company status, next accounts due dates, account types etc.

There are no additional charges for this service.

The data is updated daily and you can access it via our online portal.

You can check the status of your company registration, view previous accounts filed and submit your annual return.

Companies House Direct

Company House Direct is a subscription-based service that allows you to access UK government documents online. Documents are available in TIFF format and you need to register an account with Companies House Direct to view them.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which branch of Companies House should I use?

The location of a business’s registered office determines (i)which Companies House branch handles incorporation and subsequent preservation of company data; and (ii)which UK legal system the company will be subject to for the duration of its existence.

In terms of the latter, it is important to know whether you are based in one of three countries – England, Wales, or Scotland – or in Northern Ireland. For example, a company with a registered office located in England will be governed by English law, whereas a company with a registered offices located in Wales will be governed by Welsh law.

In addition, there are certain circumstances under which a company must be incorporated in England or Wales rather than Scotland or Northern Ireland. These include:

• If the company is a public limited company, i.e., one whose shares are listed on a stock market, it must be incorporated in England, Wales, or the Isle of Man.

• If the company wishes to carry out banking activities in the United Kingdom or EU, it must be incorporated either in England or Wales.

• If the directors wish to appoint a solicitor firm to act on their behalf, they must do so in England or Wales. However, they can choose another jurisdiction within the European Union.

• If the director(s) reside outside the United Kingdom, they cannot incorporate the company in England or Wales. They must therefore incorporate the company in Scotland or Northern Ireland.

• Finally, if the company is required to hold annual general meetings, it must be incorporated by Companies House in London.

What information is stored at Companies House?

An incredible amount of corporate information – including directorships, shareholders, financial statements, accounts, and much more – is held by Companies House. This register contains records dating back to 1855.

In 2018 alone, there were over 4.1 million entries added to the register. These include:

– Company registration numbers

– Directorships

– Shareholdings

– Financial information

– Accounts