Company Guides
How to set up a limited company in the UK. From the incorporation process to ongoing tasks such as dealing with Companies House, and maintaining your company records.
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Forming a company – what is the meaning of ‘limited liability’?
In what sense do any shareholders and directors have limited liability should things go wrong with the business? What does this mean in reality, and in what circumstances might a director still be found liable?
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What is the Companies Act 2006?
The Companies Act 2006 contains more than 1,300 sections, replaces the 1985 Act. It aims to modernise company law, simplify legislation, enhance the rights of shareholders, ease the administration burden for companies, and codify the duties of company directors.
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What is share capital, and what types of share can be issued?
To get a business off the ground, it’s vital to have some cash reserves. This is where shareholders come in: by paying cash up front in return for a portion of ownership, they hope for a future higher value of the shares they now own. The cash they pay to buy ownership is known as ‘share capital’.
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What is a shareholders’ agreement?
If you’re starting up a business for the first time, you can choose which business structure most suits your needs. A limited company offers liability protection for its directors and is usually most tax efficient route to take. Here we look at the advantages (and disadvantages) offered by incorporating.
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What is a limited liability partnership (LLP)?
A limited liability partnership (LLP) is a business model that shares some characteristics with both a limited company and a regular partnership while possessing unique features of its own.
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What is a sole trader? How to register as self-employed
In this guide, we explain what makes a person a sole trader, what sort of obligations they’ll have to carry out and how they can register with the tax authorities.
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Business structures: limited company, sole trader, partnership, LLP
If you want to start a business in the UK, you will typically work as a sole trader, as an unincorporated partnership, via your own limited company, or via an LLP. Of these business structures, the sole trader and limited company routes are the most commonly taken, for a number of reasons.
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How to choose a suitable limited company name
Choosing a name for your limited company is a big deal – it is going to be the name that underpins everything you do in your business. It will carry your reputation and guarantee how memorable you are to future customers. However, there are rules you should be aware of when making your choice.
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What is the function of Companies House?
Companies House is the government body responsible for administrating company information in the UK. As a company owner, you will interact with the agency when you first form a company, submit accounts or your Confirmation Statement, or make changes to the data stored about your business.
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What are the Articles and Memorandum of Association?
When you first register a new limited company, you need to provide (or adopt) Articles of Association, which act as the company’s ‘rule book’, together with an initial list of subscriber via a Memorandum of Association.
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What is a Community Interest Company (CIC)?
A Community Interest Company (CIC) is an enterprise set up to make a profit for the benefit of the wider community. CICs first appeared in 2005.
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How to you set up a business ‘partnership’?
You may decide to set up a business with one or more other self-employed individuals. Here, we look at how you can form a partnership, how your new joint venture will be taxed, and how to protect the partners in case things go wrong.