What is Companies House? How to incorporate a company and what the public register shows

If you have a limited company, or you are looking to set one up, you will have come across Companies House. In short, Companies House is the official register of companies for the UK: a public database where every limited company is recorded and where anyone can look up information about it. This article explains what Companies House is, how you use it to incorporate a company, the choice you have to make about your articles of association, and what information about your company ends up on the public register.

Companies House: the UK register of companies

Companies House is the official register of companies for the UK. The easiest way to think of it is as a database of UK companies. Any person can go on the Companies House website and find out information about a specific limited company registered in the UK.

That public access cuts both ways. It is useful when you want to check a company you are about to do business with. It also means that anyone, including your customers, suppliers and competitors, can look up your own company.

Scottish vs English company numbers (SC)

A small detail that often confuses people: companies that are registered in Scotland have a registration number that starts with SC, for Scotland. Companies registered in England do not have that prefix. So if you see a company number beginning with SC, you know you are looking at a Scottish company.

How to incorporate a company at Companies House

If you are thinking of incorporating a limited company, Companies House is where it happens. The process is:

• Step 1: choose how to apply. Go on the Companies House website, or submit a form by post.
• Step 2: complete the questionnaire. Companies House asks for the details it needs to register the company.
• Step 3: pay the fee. There is a fee for incorporation.
• Step 4: receive your certificate of incorporation. If you have applied online, Companies House will, within 24 to 48 hours, email you a certificate of incorporation. That certificate is the proof that your company now exists as a separate legal person.

If you are moving from being a sole trader, the wider process, including registering with HMRC and opening a business bank account, is covered in sole trader to limited company.

Model vs bespoke articles of association

As part of the questionnaire you fill out while registering your company, you will be asked to choose either model articles of association or bespoke ones.

The articles of association are the rules for how the company is run. The model articles are the standard set provided by law; bespoke articles are drafted for your particular company. Which is best depends on what you intend to do with the company, who the shareholders are and how decisions need to be taken. If you are not sure which to choose, or want to understand what the articles actually do, see what are articles of association and model articles of association.

What information does Companies House hold?

Once your company is registered, Companies House holds a range of information about it on the public register. This includes:

• The name and address of the company, alongside its registration number.
• The insolvency status of the company, so whether or not it is insolvent.
• The articles of association. Your company's rulebook is a public document, which is one reason people think carefully about what goes into bespoke articles. If you ever need to retrieve them, see how to find articles of association on Companies House.
• The details of the directors and shareholders of the company.
• Any charges that have been placed on the company, for example security given to a lender.
• The company's accounts.
• Any special resolutions that have been passed by the shareholders.

In practice this means that the ownership, management, financial position and constitution of your company are all visible to anyone who looks. If confidentiality on a particular point matters to you, it is worth knowing in advance what will and will not be public.

Next steps

If you are about to incorporate, decide whether model or bespoke articles suit your company before you fill in the Companies House questionnaire, because the articles you choose become a public document. If you already have a company, look it up on the register and check that the information held about it is accurate. A corporate solicitor can help you decide on the right articles and keep your filings in order.