Guides and tools

Everything here is free and based on official Companies House, GOV.UK and HMRC sources. Each fee, deadline and rule links to the page it comes from, and the full list is on sources.

Starting a company

Pick a name that's available, check you can get the domain and that nobody has trade-marked it, then register. The registration guide walks through each step.

Running a company

Once registered, a company files a confirmation statement every year and accounts every year, and its directors must verify their identity with Companies House. Use the company search to see any company's next deadlines.

Tools

• Company name checker Check whether a UK company name is available under the Companies House "same as" rules.
• Company search Look up any live UK company by name or company number: status, incorporation date and filing deadlines.
• Business name generator Get name ideas from your keywords, each one checked against every live UK company.
• Domain name checker See whether the .co.uk, .uk and .com domains for your business name are free.
• VAT number checker Check that a UK VAT number is in a valid format, then confirm it with HMRC.

Guides

• Company name rules How Companies House decides whether two names are the "same as" each other, with worked examples.
• How to register a limited company What you need to set up a private limited company, what it costs and how long it takes.
• Companies House identity verification Who has to verify, the deadlines, and how to do it with GOV.UK One Login or an agent.
• Companies House personal code What your personal code is, where to find it, and when directors and PSCs must give it.
• Companies House fees Every Companies House fee in one table: registering, confirmation statements, name changes and copies.
• Business bank accounts Six UK business accounts for a new limited company, compared on fees, FSCS protection and who can open one.
• Confirmation statement What a confirmation statement is, when yours is due, what it costs, and a deadline checker.
• Dormant companies What counts as dormant, and what a dormant company still has to file with Companies House and HMRC.
• How to change a company name The ways to change your company name, the fees, and what to update afterwards.
• Registered office address The rules for a registered office address, how to change it, and the alternatives to your home address.
• UK trade mark search How to check a name against the UK trade marks register, and how registering a trade mark works.