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What is a private limited company?
A private limited company is a type of corporate entity that can be formed in the UK. It is the most popular vehicle for running a business with over 99% of registered companies being incorporated with this structure.
A private limited company has a separate legal personality. This means it can do a lot of things natural persons can do. For example, enter into contracts, and own assets. It is owned by its shareholders with day-to-day management being undertaken by the directors (although these can be the same people).
One of its key features is the concept of limited liability. The owners of the company are liable only to a restricted level, which means their personal assets are protected if the company runs into financial difficult. This is one of the key benefits of private limited companies, along with other things, such as tax efficiency, company name protection, and prestige.
The ‘private’ aspect refers to the fact companies registered in this form may not offer their shares for sale to the public, for example through a stock exchange.
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Pick up a free business bank account with your order
No monthly account fees
for first 12 months.
Online application.
Account open in 3 minutes.
Accounting, invoicing and
banking, all in one place.
Online application.
FREE UK bank transfers.
Bank when it suits you.
Online and via App.
Online application.
No monthly fee.
Online application.
No credit check.
Business banking for
non-UK residents.
Frequently asked questions
Forming a limited company is a simple online process; however, before starting the process you will need the following information to hand: the company name, registered office address, director details, shareholder details (can be the same person as the director), and how many shares you want to issue.
For further reading, please have a look at our resource page: Information Required to Register a Company, which provides a useful company formation checklist.
It will take you no more than 5 to 10 minutes to complete the online company application form on our website. Companies House will then usually take up to 24 hours to approve your new company registration. Please note this is subject to Companies House workload on the day.
If it is very important your company is incorporated as soon as possible, we would recommend you add the Guaranteed Same-Day Service to your order.
The cost of setting up a limited company depends on the method you use.
Our company formation packages start at £51.99 (Basic Package) and go up to £69.99 (Non-Residents Package), with the package prices always including the Companies House filing fee.
All our packages include digital copies of the certificate of incorporation, memorandum and articles of association, share certificates, and company registers with first entries.
If you set up directly with Companies House, you will pay £50. However, Companies House only provides digital copies of the certificate of incorporation and memorandum of association. They will not provide a copy of the articles of association, nor do they provide share certificates or company registers.
Companies House also do not offer additional services such as a Registered Office Address Service or Confirmation Statement Services that are included in some of our packages.
If you use an accountant to set up your company, prices will vary. However, typically, they will charge in excess of £250 per company.
After you set up your limited company, you will receive a digital copy of the certificate of incorporation, memorandum and articles of association, share certificate(s), and the company registers with the first entries.
Depending on the package you opt for, you can also receive a hard copy of the certificate of incorporation, memorandum and articles of association, and share certificate(s).
A limited company is owned by its members. These are more commonly referred to as shareholders. Members/shareholders who are named at the time of a company’s incorporation are also known as subscribers.
A limited company provides several benefits to its owners, including:
- Limited liability - shareholders are financially protected if the company accrues debt.
- Prestigious business structure - a limited company is an esteemed business model that will appeal to customers, partners, and investors.
- Tax efficiency - it will depend on circumstance; however, it is generally considered to be the most tax-efficient business structure (particularly when compared to the sole trader model).
- Brand protection - when you set up a limited company, you are stopping anyone else from using your company name (or a similar name).
- Easy set-up - companies can be formed online in as little as 24 hours.
Absolutely. A limited company can be formed by just one person who would be the director and shareholder (and usually also a person with significant control). Whilst you can form a company with one person, there is no limit on the number of people you choose to involve
Yes, you do not need to live in the UK to form a UK limited company. If you are at least 16 years old and not disqualified, you can form a company regardless of nationality or location.
Quality Company Formations provide a Non-Residents Package which is ideal for overseas customers who wish to form a UK limited company, as it provides the required address services and free international delivery of company documents. It also provides a WorldFirst UK business bank account, which is the simplest and quickest banking solution for non-UK residents.
The answer to this question depends on your requirements:
- If you're operating on a tight budget you may wish to choose the Basic Package.
- Do you need high quality printed company documents? The Privacy Plus and Fully Inclusive Packages will provide these.
- Do you need privacy and do not want to display your home address on the public record? The Privacy, Privacy Plus and Fully Inclusive Packages provide registered office and service addresses.
- If you need VAT registration - you may wish to consider the Fully Inclusive Package.
- You may have a need for one of our specialist company formation packages, e.g. an LLP, or a limited by guarantee company for your charity business.
Why not give our friendly Customer Service Team a call at 020 3908 0044, who will be happy to hear from you and discuss your new company requirements.
Yes absolutely. Please call our Customer Service Team at 020 3908 0044 and one of company experts will process your company formation order with you by telephone.
The best way to open a business bank account for your limited company is to let us make the application for you, with one of our 7 banking partners, including Barclays, NatWest, HSBC, ANNA, Zempler, Tide, and Monzo.
All of our company incorporation packages include a business banking option. Simply choose your desired bank account when you reach the Banking Partners page during the company application process. As soon as your company has been formed, your chosen bank will contact you directly to provide you with instructions to open your bank account. Once you have completed your application with your chosen bank, your business bank account will be open within minutes or days - depending on which bank you have chosen.
You must issue at least one share to form a limited company. If there is more than one shareholder, you must issue at least one share per person. Most new companies issue up to 100 Ordinary shares of £1 each. Issuing 100 share at £1 means you have flexibility to issue shares to other shareholders in the future and your liability is limited to £100.
The registered office and service address are legally required to form a limited company or LLP, and both are displayed on the public record. The registered office is the official address of a company, and the service address is the official address of a company director, PSC, company secretary or LLP member.
We provide a Registered Office Service and a Service Address Service, as many customers prefer to keep their home address private. All official government mail is sent to these addresses and as part of our service we will forward this mail to you by scan and email free of charge.
The business address is not a required address to register a limited company. The forwarding of your general business correspondence by scan and email is charged at £1 per item. Items of value which are forwarded by post will be charged at the cost of the Royal Mail postage rates plus a 15% handling fee.
The benefit of the Business Address Service is to provide a prestigious location and enhanced corporate image for your company.
A SIC code or Standard Industrial Classification code is used to categorise a company's business activity. To register a limited company or LLP you must choose at least one SIC code, although you can choose up to four. Do not worry if you do not know the SIC code relevant to your business activity, Quality Company Formations provide a simple SIC code search tool where you can choose your SIC code or codes.
As soon as your new company has been registered at Companies House, we will send you an order fulfilled email. Within this email you will receive a voucher code and instructions on how to set up your new domain name.
All company formation agents have a legal obligation to check Proof of ID and Address; however, most customers do not need to do anything, as we carry out digital checks using the information supplied in your online company application form.
Those customers who require to provide ID can do so in a matter of minutes using their mobile phone and a simple App which we will provide. This App is supplied free of charge.
It is a simple process to close a limited company. Quality Company Formations offer a Company Dissolution Service at a cost of £89.99 + VAT. This cost includes the Companies House fee, filing the DS01 form and providing the Board Resolution to approve the dissolution of the company.
Your company is 10 times less likely to be rejected
We provide a free check of all new company registration orders for omissions and errors
- greatly reducing the chances of rejection by Companies House.
Less chance of rejection
Our checking process reduces the average rejection rate of UK company applications, from 10% to just 1%
Perfect documents
We are able to fix typos and errors before they appear on the finished company documents.
...and it's free!
QCF review our clients' company applications, and handle the rejections free of charge.