The cost of registering a business in the UK is actually a lot cheaper than you might think. It ranges from just £12 up to £40 depending on the method of registration you choose.
Your options for registering a business in the UK are:
Register online
Register by post
With HMRC and Companies House becoming ever more digital, registering online is by far the quicker and cheaper method if you want to get your business moving.
Register your business online
To register your business online all you have to do is go to the Companies House website and fill out a request.
The easiest way to do this is to follow the gov.uk step-by-step guide on registering a limited company. This takes you through all the things you need to consider before registering and then takes you through the process with Companies House.
This tool also allows you to register for corporation tax and PAYE at the same time, which you have to do separately if you register your business by another means. Do note, that if you do not want to use ‘limited’ in your company name, then you can’t register online and must register via post.
Registering online costs just £12 and can be paid by debit or credit card or via a Paypal account. If you register a business online it usually takes just 24 hours to go through.
To register online you will need at least 3 pieces of personal information about yourself and your shareholders or guarantors. These include:
Town of birth
Mother’s maiden name
Father’s first name
Telephone number
NI number
Passport number
Register your business by post
To register by post you need to print out and complete form IN01 and send to Companies House.
It costs £40 to register a business with a paper application and can take considerably longer than applying online. If you can register online, Companies House recommends you do.
Any paper registrations must be printed full size on white A4 paper.
If you do register by post, you will also need to register for corporation tax separately within the first 3 months of doing business. To find out more about register for corporation tax click here.
Register via a third-party agent or accountant
You can also register using a third-party agent or an accountant, but this may be more expensive than the average cost of registering a business in the UK of just £12. If you already have an accountant, you may want to speak to them about how they can assist you with registering your business or if you’d rather they did the process for you.
If you’d like more information about just how to register as a limited company in the UK, check out our own step-by-step guide.
