Register a Company Limited by Guarantee
Set up not-for-profit company limited by guarantee today.
Order online or by telephone.
Company Limited by Guarantee
Setting up a company limited by guarantee is the choice of not-for-profit organisations — such as clubs, sporting associations and community projects —that need limited liability status to protect their members.
Please note: These packages are not suitable to form a charity company - see 'Charity' tab above.
What’s included
Standard
£69.99Providing a company limited
by guarantee using our model Articles.
Bespoke
£89.99Apply for 'Limited' name exemption
or the use of a sensitive word in the
company name. You can also use
your own Articles or edit our model Articles.
Companies House £50.00 Filing Fee
A limited by guarantee company, usually formed within 24 hours - subject to Companies House workload
Companies House £50.00 Filing Fee
Take 5 minutes to complete our online application form, and we will review and forward it to Companies House with your filing fee of £50.00. Your new company will usually be ready within 24 hours, although this is subject to Companies House workload.
Apply for 'limited' name exemption
Use your own Articles or edit our model Articles to include your company's objects required for 'limited' name exemption
Apply for 'limited' name exemption
You may apply for exemption to use of the word 'limited' in your company name with this package.
To qualify for 'limited' name exemption, the company’s objects should be for the promotion or regulation of commerce, art, science, education, religion, charity or any profession. The Articles should include a non-profit clause, prohibit the payment of dividends or return of capital to the members, and in the event of the business being wound up, the company's assets will be transferred to another body with similar objects, or which promotes a charity.
This package allows clients to upload their own Articles or download and edit our model Articles and so comply with Companies House requirements for exemption to use 'limited' in the company name.
Use of the words Association, Benevolent, Federation, Foundation, Society or Trust in the company name
Use your own Articles or edit our model Articles to include your company's objects and use these sensitive words
Use of the words Association, Benevolent, Federation, Foundation, Society or Trust in the company name
To be permitted to use any of the above words, the Articles should include objects that reflect the specific purpose of the company and a non-profit distribution clause, which provides that any profits should be used to further the objects of the company and not paid to the members as dividends. In most instances the Articles should also include a one member, one vote clause.
This package allows clients to upload their own Articles or download and edit our model Articles and so comply with Companies House requirements to use the above mentioned 'sensitive' words.
Bespoke Articles
This package provides you with the facility to upload your own bespoke Articles
Bespoke Articles
During the company application process, you can choose to upload your own Articles, or use our model Articles. If you choose to use our Articles, you will need to download them from our website, inserting your company's specific objects, before re-uploading to include the document in your company application.
Digital Certificate of Incorporation
Your Certificate of Incorporation delivered by email
Digital Certificate of Incorporation
We will send you a digital PDF version of your company's Certificate of Incorporation. This is the document which verifies the company is officially registered with Companies House.
Printed Certificate of Incorporation
A high quality printed Certificate of Incorporation
Printed Certificate of Incorporation
We will send you a printed version of your company's Certificate of Incorporation. This is the document which verifies the company is officially registered with Companies House.
Digital Memorandum & Articles of Association
A copy of your Mem & Arts delivered by email
Digital Memorandum & Articles of Association
A digital copy of your company's Memorandum & Articles of Association. These documents are required to form a company under the Companies Act 2006.
The Memorandum lists the subscribers to the company and confirms their intention to incorporate and take at least one share each.
The Articles of Association defines the rules which govern how the company will be run.
Printed Memorandum & Articles of Association
A high quality printed & bound copy of the Mem & Arts
Printed Memorandum & Articles of Association
A printed and bound copy of your company's Memorandum & Articles of Association. These documents are required to form a company under the Companies Act 2006.
The Memorandum lists the subscribers to the company and confirms their intention to incorporate and take at least one share each.
The Articles of Association defines the rules which govern how the company will be run.
Digital Guarantor Certificate(s)
Your guarantor certificate(s) delivered by email
Digital Guarantor Certificate(s)
A digital version of your guarantor certificates sent by email. These official documents provide evidence of your ownership of the company.
Printed Guarantor Certificate(s)
Your guarantor certificates delivered by post
Printed Guarantor Certificate(s)
A printed version of your guarantor certificates sent by post. These official documents provide evidence of ownership of the company.
Free Pre-Submission Review
Our experts will check your order for mistakes
Free Pre-Submission Review
When it comes to company formation, administrative oversights can be costly and time-consuming. In order to prevent mistakes, our professional advisors conduct a thorough review of every single order before submitting it to Companies House.
Free Online Portal to Manage your Company
Including free lifetime company support by our experts
Free Online Portal to Manage your Company
We provide a free online customer area which allows you to monitor and update your company details from one place. This facility has a range of features including:
- Email reminders of key filing dates for your companies.
- The ability to easily make changes to officer details, company addresses, and file your Confirmation Statement online.
- Register a new company without having to re-enter all the same information.
- Import existing companies and control everything in one place.
- View payment history and renew services.
- Access and download your digital company documents at any time.
- Access and download your official government and business mail at any time.
- Manage your payment cards.
- Renew your annual subscription services.
- Purchase additional products and services from the Shop.
Free Domain Name
Get your own .com or .co.uk domain name for 1 year
Free Domain Name powered by IONOS
We have partnered with IONOS, one of the UK’s leading domain name providers, to offer you a free .com or .co.uk domain name for 1 year, to help establish the online presence of your new business.
How it works: As soon as your company is approved by Companies House, we will send you an order fulfilled email, including your exclusive link to the IONOS website. You can proceed to order your free .com or .co.uk domain or add a hosting plan to your basket for only £1 per month.
Please note: The price of a co.uk or .com domain will be £0.00 for one year. This offer is only available using the link in your order fulfilled email. The discount applies for the first year only and is not valid for renewals. Standard terms and conditions apply.
Setting up a company limited by guarantee is the choice of not-for-profit organisations — such as clubs, sporting associations and community projects —that need limited liability status to protect their members.
Please note: These packages are not suitable to form a charity company - see 'Charity' tab above.
Standard
£69.99Providing a company limited by guarantee using our model Articles.
What's included Order- Companies House £50.00 Filing Fee
- Digital Certificate of Incorporation
- Printed Certificate of Incorporation
- Digital Memorandum & Articles of Association
- Printed Memorandum & Articles of Association
- Digital Guarantor Certificate(s)
- Printed Guarantor Certificate(s)
- Free Pre-Submission Review
- Free Online Portal to Manage your Company
- Free Domain Name
Bespoke
£89.99Apply for 'Limited' name exemption or the use of a sensitive word in the company name. You can also use your own Articles or edit our model Articles.
What's included Order- Companies House £50.00 Filing Fee
- Apply for 'limited' name exemption
- Use of the words Association, Benevolent, Federation, Foundation, Society or Trust in the company name
- Bespoke Articles
- Digital Certificate of Incorporation
- Printed Certificate of Incorporation
- Digital Memorandum & Articles of Association
- Printed Memorandum & Articles of Association
- Digital Guarantor Certificate(s)
- Printed Guarantor Certificate(s)
- Free Pre-Submission Review
- Free Online Portal to Manage your Company
- Free Domain Name
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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We have formed over 350,000 companies with a 98% positive customer service rating.Read our verified company formation reviews.
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Pick up a free business bank account with your order
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.
FREE account for 12 months.
Frequently asked questions
You will be forming a private company limited by guarantee (with both our Standard and Bespoke Guarantee Packages).
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 limited by guarantee model is often associated with charities, however, we recommend our Charity Company Package if you want to apply to the Charity Commission for charity status, as it includes the necessary model charity articles.
The Limited by Guarantee Package is more appropriate for not for profit organisations such as clubs, sporting associations, and community projects
Yes absolutely. Please call our Customer Service Team on 020 3908 0044 and one of our company experts will process your company formation order with you by telephone.
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 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.