You can form a company via Companies House, hire an accountant, or use a company formation agent. How muct does each option cost?
Limited Company Guides
Explore our essential guides to setting up and running a limited company.
A limited company is one of the most popular ways to run a business in the UK. It offers a clear separation between the company and its owners, which can provide both tax advantages and legal protection.
Many professional contractors also use limited companies, but the structure is equally common among small business owners of all kinds.
While directors take on extra legal responsibilities compared with sole traders or umbrella company workers, most of the routine administration can be handled by a specialist accountant.
Start here
- If you only have 5 minutes, read 10 steps you need to take to set up a limited company + FAQs
- How much does it cost to set up a limited company?
- Limited vs umbrella – advantages and disadvantages of each business structure
- More detailed guides on LimitedCompanyHelp.com.
How limited company shares work: shareholders, rights and responsibilities
If you work through a limited company, you are not the business, even if you are the company’s sole owner. But how do shares work, who can be a shareholder, and what are your rights and responsibilities?
In what sense is your liability limited if you run a company?
One of the main attractions of contracting via your own company is that the liability of its shareholders is limited. So, to what extent is the liability of company directors limited?
How do I switch from being a sole trader to a limited company?
Many freelancers become sole traders when starting out in business, seeing this as the right option for them at the time. What happens if you want to form a company in the future?
How to close or pause your limited company (including career breaks)
Thinking of taking a career break from contracting? Find out what to do with your limited company – strike off, MVL, or make it dormant until you are ready.
Does a limited company need a separate bank account?
If you incorporate a new limited company for contracting, do you have to set up a separate bank account?
Running a limited company – what is a confirmation statement? [2025 guide]
How to file a confirmation statement and what information you have to provide, including details about any “People with Significant Control” (PSCs).
Limited companies – what are SIC codes used for?
A Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) code is used to identify the business activity of your company, such as ‘Information technology consultancy activities.’
Failing limited companies must be on guard for militant creditors
This year’s peak of PSCs going to the wall may have passed. But creditor patience and HMRC understanding are also now things of the past.
What is a service address if you’re a limited company director?
Companies House maintains data about all UK limited companies, including the home addresses of company directors. The ‘service address’ concept affords privacy to individuals who wish to keep their residential address private.