Limited Company Guides

How to set up and run a limited company. From incorporation to dealing with ongoing administration. Here are our most popular guides:
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Limited, Sole Trader, Partnership or LLP? – the main business structures.
Set up a Company – the key steps in the incorporation process.
Articles / Memorandum of Association – what these documents do.
Company Naming – your name must abide by various rules and conventions.
Types of Limited Company – not all are private limited companies.
Registered Office Address – every limited company must have one.
Certificate of Incorporation – when is this used for, and what information does it contain?
Ltd Company Advantages – How being limited compares to other structures.
Share Capital – how different types of shares can be issued.
Limited Liability – what does this term mean in practice for directors?
Directors – who can become a company director?
Ltd vs Self Employed – we compare the key features of each structure.

Limited company or sole trader – compare business structures

Going self-employed as a sole trader, or setting up your own limited company are the two most popular ways to start up a new business. However, there are significant differences between these two types of business structure which you can compare here.

incorporation certificate limited company uk

What is a Certificate of Incorporation?

After you have registered a new company in the UK, and your application has been processed and approved, Companies House will send you a formal certificate of incorporation.

Limited companies – what are pre-emptive rights?

Pre-emptive rights, also known as rights of pre-emption, means that the current shareholders in a company should always have first refusal on any new shares being issued, whether this arises through the transfer, allotment, or transmission of shares.

Can anyone become a limited company director?

Although almost anyone can hold the position, certain individuals are disqualified from running a company. So what exactly are the rules governing the appointment of a company director?

Where do you have to display your company name?

There’s a lot to think about when you set up a limited company to fully comply with rules under the Companies Act 2006, one such obligation is how and where you should display your company name.

How many limited companies are there in the UK?

After sole trader status, the limited company is the most popular business structure in the UK. Here we look at how many there are on the official register, and how the number of incorporated businesses have grown massively over the past decade.

Forming a company – what is a statement of capital?

A statement of capital is an official form which gives details of a company’s issued shares and their status at a specific date. It’s part of the documentation that has to be completed during the company incorporation process.

Company directors – what is a ‘service address’?

Since new legislation was introduced in October 2009, Companies House requires directors of UK registered companies to provide two addresses: a service address, and their usual residential address.

What are a company’s statutory registers?

All companies must keep up-to-date statutory registers and ensure they are available for inspection on request. Statutory registers include important information about the company such as the names of members and how many shares each one holds.

What are different classes of shares used for?

Many companies still have just the one class of shares – ordinary shares. However, there are many different classes of shares, and even ordinary shares can have different features.