About company formation agents
Here’s an overview of the type of help that’s available when your business is in the
early stages of formation, if you don’t want to go the DIY route.
As a new business owner, the main reason that you’d use a company formations agent to register your business with Companies House is to save yourself time and effort.
If you are about to set up your own company, the formations process may look quite daunting. The details that you provide to Companies House need to be accurate, to avoid the need for corrections later on.
Company formation agents carry out hundreds of company formations every week in accordance with the Companies Act 2006. Companies House provides a list of trusted and approved formation services that they have worked with for many years.
The agent will offer you a straightforward process of registration and provide you with on-the-spot professional guidance. They will also be able to help you throughout the formations process and after your company has been registered.
The cost of using an agent, and the process
A postal application to register a company can actually cost about two-thirds more than using an agent to handle the process for you, so it’s low cost, dependent on the add-ons you may choose. Most offer pricing structures according to what you need.
You will be given a secure online service, to ensure that your sensitive data is fully protected. Your formation details and documents will be managed professionally, and you will receive a full set of original documents, usually within a week of your company being formed.
Can I register my company myself?
It is entirely possibly for you to carry out a company formation by yourself, and many do.
But whether you are considering forming your company by yourself or through an agent, you will need to have a few things ready in advance of your registration:
- a company name: this must be available
- a company secretary: optional since October 2009
- articles of association: contains information on the management of the company
- at least one company director: they must be at least 16 years of age
- Companies House form IN01: you can download this from the Companies House website
- memorandum of association: drafted by yourself
- shareholder(s): for a small startup company a director will usually act as both
- a PSC register (persons of significant control)
If you’re using a professional formations agent, you will have help with putting all of these things together.
For a list of Companies House approved agents, see Gov.uk.
About the author
Your Company Formations is a Companies House approved company formation agent.
See also