What is the Companies House in UK?

Any individual who wants to establish a company in the United Kingdom must apply for UK company incorporation with the Companies House. Without the approval of the Companies House, a company cannot be established anywhere in the United Kingdom, whether it’s in Northern Ireland, Wales, England or Scotland. Let’s find out more about what is the Companies House in the UK in this post.

Companies House: Definition

Formed in 1844, Companies House is the official registrar of companies in the UK. It is responsible for regulating and administrating the public limited, private limited, private unlimited, chartered and other companies in the UK. This agency, as well as British company law in general, are governed by the provisions of the Companies Act 2006 of the UK. 

Companies House mandates all the companies registered in the UK to file documents such as statutory accounts, annual accounts, confirmation statements and change of address notifications. If a company appoints new directors, secretaries or officers, the same must be notified to the Companies House by filling out a form. The Companies House stores the data of companies and makes them available as part of the public record so that anyone can monitor and access details of any company running in the UK.

Functions of Companies House

The main functions of the Companies House are:

• Forming and dissolving limited partnerships
• Preserving and archiving data in compliance with the Companies Act
• To make corporate information publicly available

Different Ways to Register with the Companies House

Those who seek company registration in England or Wales are required to register with the Companies House located in Cardiff, the capital of Wales. Those who seek company registration in Scotland must register with the office in Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland. For northern Irish companies, the concerned office for company registration is Companies House office located in Belfast. Additionally, there is also a central London office which can be reached out to through post.

To apply for company registration in a hassle-free manner and from the comfort of your home, you can register with the Companies House online. Once company registration process is done, the Companies House will issue you a Certificate of Incorporation, showing that your company is legally registered in the UK.

Details included in Certificate of Incorporation issued by Companies House

The certificate of incorporation granted by the companies house to the companies in UK consists of the following information:

• Registered name
• Registered number
• Date of incorporation
• Whether the company is limited or unlimited, and if limited, whether by shares or guarantee
• Whether the company is private or public
• Whether the company’s registered office is based out of England, Wales, Scotland, or Northern Ireland

Penalties for non-compliance with Companies House

You must keep the Companies House updated about the current information regarding your company. In case of any inaccuracies or late filing, the Companies House will charge penalties. If the annual accounts are submitted after the deadline, an automatic financial penalty charge will be applicable. In certain circumstances, company officers can be subject to prosecution if they withhold information from the agency. 

Conclusion

Companies House is the government body responsible for administering company information in the UK. It issues the certificate of incorporation to all the newly registered companies in the United Kingdom. If you want to obtain company registration in the UK as quickly and easily as possible, you can connect with Licensebox consultants. We will help you in receiving the certificate of incorporation from the Companies House effortlessly, so that you can run your business in the UK without any hassle.