Set up a private limited company
Use this service to register your company with Companies House. You will be registered for Corporation Tax at the same time.
There’s a different way to register for Corporation Tax if you’ve already registered with Companies House.
You’ll get a ‘certificate of incorporation’. This confirms the company legally exists and shows the company number and date of formation.
You’ll need at least 3 pieces of personal information about yourself and your shareholders or guarantors, for example:
- town of birth
- mother’s maiden name
- father’s first name
- telephone number
- national insurance number
- passport number
It costs £12 and can be paid by debit or credit card. Your company is usually registered within 24 hours.
If you do not want to use ‘limited’ in your company name you must register by post.
You can also use this service to:
- register for PAYE to tell HMRC you’re employing staff (including yourself if you’re the only director)
- continue an application if you’ve already started registering
Register now
You’ll need to create a Government Gateway user ID and password for your company when you register it. You cannot use your personal Government Gateway ID.
Other ways to register
You can also register:
You’ll also need to register for Corporation Tax within 3 months of starting to do business.
Register by post
You can register by post using form IN01.
Postal applications take 8 to 10 days and cost £40 (paid by cheque made out to ‘Companies House’).
Send your application to the address on the form.
