Register a Company Limited by Guarantee
Set up not-for-profit company limited by guarantee today.
What is a company limited by guarantee?
A company limited by guarantee is a legal structure commonly adopted by non-profit organisations and associations serving charitable, social, or community-driven purposes.
Unlike companies limited by shares, a company limited by guarantee does not have shareholders or share capital, and profits are usually reinvested into achieving the company’s objectives. Its members act as guarantors, committing to pay a nominal amount towards the company’s debts in the event of its liquidation.
Benefits of forming a company limited by guarantee include the limited liability of members, and potential tax benefits.
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Frequently asked questions
You will be forming a private company limited by guarantee.
The company will need at least one director, one guarantor and, generally, one person with significant control (PSC). One person can take on all these roles, or they can be shared amongst multiple people (although a PSC is typically also a guarantor).
A limited by guarantee company is owned by its guarantor(s), who have agreed to pay a specific sum if the company were to accrue debts or become insolvent.
By uploading your own articles of association to your company formation application (or editing the model articles that we provide) you can:
- Apply for exemption from including the word ‘Limited’ or ‘Ltd’ in your company name, which otherwise is compulsory
- Apply to use the following words as part of your company name: Association, Benevolent, Federation, Foundation, Society, or Trust
The company you form through this package can be registered with the Charities Commission after incorporation, provided you upload suitable articles of association. Suitable articles need to include charitable objects clause, an asset lock clause, and a clause that prohibits the distribution of profits.
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, and guarantor details (can be the same person as the director).
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 and it can take longer.
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.
A SIC code or Standard Industrial Classification code is used to categorise a company's business activity. To register a company limited by guarantee you must choose between one and four SIC codes that best describe what your company’s activities will be. 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 verify the identity of all customers, directors, guarantors and PSCs of the companies we incorporate.
Once your order has been submitted we will send personalised links to your email for you where you and any other directors or PSCs will be able to provide your ID. The process should only take a couple of minutes and is 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.