Where to Register a Limited Company?

[Calpol]

I'm having a look for a a place to register my new company, I've done the Companies House search and everything but there's so many different sites that actually register it and I don't know which one to go with! Has anyone had any good or bad experiences with any in particular?

Thanks all 8)

 

[WoodAddict]

http://www.start.biz/home.htm

I used these. Not a limitted company but I had 2 seperate sole trader "trading as" names and never had a problem. They sent nice looking certificates too to hang on the wall 8)

HTH

 

[Russell]

I used my accountant, as a limited company you will need to report every year your end of year accounts. My accountant does all that for me all the correct procedures etc that are now required. It does not cost me too much an worth it because if your late you get fined.

 

[miles_hot]

Another vote for the accountant. I think you can also do it direct with Co house?

Miles

 

[Karl]

Do you have an accountant? If so, as others have said, best to get him to do it for you. You need various statutory forms (shareholders list, directors list, registered office form etc etc), Memorandum of Articles of Association etc. They are pretty standard forms but, if you don't know what goes where and when and, more importantly, how, best to leave it to somebody who knows.

Cheers

Karl

 

[Dibs-h]

Calpol

Do you have a name in mind for this Ltd Co? And is cost an issue?

The reason I ask - is that there are literally thousands of Co's out there pre-registered and sitting on the shelf and can be bought for as little as £200. It doesn't take much to acquire one and all the "bits & pieces" are sorted out for you.

Send me a PM if you want some advice\pointers.

HIH

Dibs

p.s. A Good accountant is very useful but not necessary and you do get what you pay for. With a Ltd Co - a savvy accountant may well buy a Co off the self for £200, send a form in to change the name and then charge you the best part of £500 (if you are lucky & more if not).

I'd talk to your bank (or a bank) about Business banking - as you'll need accounts for the Co once set up.

 

[paulm]

Last time I did this, admittedly a few years ago, think I paid around £50 doing it direct, certainly not hundreds, but you do need to do all the tax registrations and other stuff too, including possibly vat registrations, setting up bank accounts, choosing year end dates and so on, so probably best using an accountant but shop around so they don't overcharge you !

Cheers, Paul

 

[Escudo]

Cal,

I would endorse using your accountant for this service. I would say that as a practising Accountant but there are good reasons as mentioned above.

I usually charge around £500+ to form a company. This includes the formation fees but also the additional work of advising the various authorities, HMRC for Corporation Tax, VAT registration if appropriate, PAYE scheme. etc. and general advice on the advantages/disadvantages. Drawing up the first minutes and completing the Statutory books, all quite straight forward but time consuming paperwork, forms etc.

When I meet a client who has already formed a company, I generally have to spent time checking the set up to ensure this is appropriate which is avoided if I have controlled matters by forming the company myself. This can be false economy.

You will need to take advice on how to allocate shares, to discuss directors remuneration and dividend policy to maximise any tax savings. It also a good idea to get some guidance and coaching on bookkeeping if this is new to you.

Given the additional costs of operating as a company and the discipline required regarding drawings it is also important to be sure that it is the right vehicle for your circumstances.

Give me a shout if you need any further advice.

Good luck, Tony.

 

[Max Power]

Contact Companies House they will tell you what you need and will send you the necessary forms, the rest can be obtained from WH Smith very cheaply, certainly not rocket science.
Not sure of the current price but will be way cheaper than paying someone to do it

 

[ByronBlack]

I've registered four businesses and took a different approach with each - the first I got an acccountant (cost about 250), the second I did it via a website (cost about 99), the third I did it myself with some forms off the net, and the last one I got a mate to do it direct with companies house (cost - almost nothing).

If its your first business, I'd got the accountant route, otherwise I'd go direct to companies house, if you are a small company..

 

[oddsocks]

before (or after) you spend any money see if business link can give you vouchers for free advice

http://www.mybusinesslink.co.uk/

As an aside, I formed my own limited company last year (via madesimplegroup.com) - but mine was very simple and as it turned out wasn't needed as I found permanent employment but I still used businesslink to gain a £250 voucher session with an accountant to discuss the detail.

The cost for setting up the company was approx £35 and £10 recently to de-register it. I will still need to do my tax return as a director (of a company that never traded) but those forms and online IR have never caused me any issues.

I bought the pdf version of a book in Staples that has all the business forms and minutes you need, plus bought the online share certificates form templates. I used Alliance and Leicester for 2 years free banking so in all the total cost to me of setting up and closing the business has been approx £90 including web address and emails.

As a woody i even created the legally required sign at the head office (home) - but for more money I could have had the head office somewhere in london or with an accountant office.

I only set up the ltd company to assist in some contracting work but it never materialised and I took a permanent position, hence why i deregistered.

the most valuable aspect of the whole process was the business link voucher that gave me 2 hours with an accountant - if I had proceeded their advice would have been critical. The vouchers can be used for anything (e.g creating a business plan)

I may not have followed the best path, but i used advice from others that had been successful. If you intend to employ staff then no doubt the 'web prepackaged' route is more risky

Dave

 

[Calpol]

Thanks for all the replies folks! I was at my (new) accountant on Tuesday and he said to check Companies House obviously and let him know what to go with. I did it last night and it seemed to work [-o<, for a cost of £46 or thereabouts...

It's a very small business (just me) purely because I have a possible kitchen job very soon, else I would've waited a few more weeks to sort out some other stuff but I've wanted to do it for a while now so hopefully it'll all go smoothly and it's the right decision ...