Guide to Running a UK Company

With kind permission from Companies House we have created a number of help pages with information taken from their Guidance Notes. These help explain some of the key responsibilities in running your new company. Further information is available by telephone (0870 755 4545) or email (info@companyregistrations.com).

It is a requirement of the Companies Act 1985 (as amended by the 1989 Act) that all UK registered companies maintain various registers which comprise a permanent record of Directors and Shareholders etc. Any changes in the company's officers or share-holding along with certain other matters must be recorded in these registers and noted in the company's minute book, which is also a requirement of the Acts. In addition, there are various standard forms and returns that must, in many circumstances be properly executed and filed at Companies House.

Directors have a personal responsibility to ensure that all such filings are made on time, and registers and minute books are updated promptly and correctly. Failure to do so may result in public notices being issued against the company and/or its officers, which may seriously damage the company's creditworthiness, and in extreme cases, personal prosecutions can be and often are taken against the directors of the company. Such prosecutions carry severe fines and can lead to disqualification and a criminal record.

For this reason, many of our clients opt for our Annual Compliance Service which takes the headache out of filing Annual Returns and other statutory documents.

The Guide to Running a UK Company is divided into five sections: