What Is a Correspondence Address? A Complete UK Guide

A correspondence address is the address you give to Companies House, HMRC, and other official bodies so they know where to send your post. 

An incorrect correspondence address can mean missed deadlines, legal notices you never see, and documents that count as served even though they never reached you.

This guide explains what a correspondence address is, how to make sure it’s valid, and how to change it if needed.

Key points

• You can use a virtual or physical address 📬
  A virtual office address service can work as long as it offers a genuine physical address where someone reliably monitors and forwards your correspondence. 
• Keep Companies House and HMRC updated when you move 🔄
  An outdated address can mean missing important letters, deadlines, or legal documents. Update your Companies House details within 14 days and remember to update HMRC separately.
• Your correspondence address can have legal consequences ⚖️
  Documents delivered to your service address can count as legally served, even if you never receive them. Keeping your address up to date prevents important documents from going unnoticed.
• ANNA can help with your business admin 🚀
  Use ANNA and its registered office address service to keep your home address off the public register and get business post scanned for you. The app also includes cash management, bookkeeping, and invoicing features to simplify your admin.

Company addresses 101

If you're a director, secretary, or person with significant control (PSC) of a UK limited company, you’ll come across three types of addresses: the registered office address, the correspondence (service) address, and the residential address. 

Here’s how they compare side by side:

Many directors simplify their setup by using the registered office as their correspondence address. There's nothing wrong with that, and it's common among small companies.

Just remember that if you ever change your registered office, your correspondence address doesn't automatically update.

Can you use a virtual address as your correspondence address?

Yes, you can use a virtual address, but only if it meets Companies House requirements and the provider can receive correspondence on your behalf.

A virtual office or professional business address can be useful if you work from home, move around for work, or don't want business correspondence arriving at your home. 

Before using a service, check exactly what it includes. Some providers only offer an address, while others actively manage your post.

💡 Did you know? 

When you open an ANNA business account, you can use the registered office address service and avoid having your home address appear on the public register. The service includes mail scanning, so you won't miss anything while out on a job or away from your desk.

Who needs a correspondence address?

The requirement to give a correspondence address applies to:

• Directors of a UK limited company, whether they're UK-based or living abroad
• Company secretaries, where a company has chosen to appoint one
• Persons with significant control, meaning anyone who owns more than 25% of shares or voting rights, or who otherwise controls the company
• Members of limited liability partnerships (LLPs)

Do sole traders need a correspondence address?

Sole traders don't fall under this rule, since they aren't registered with Companies House. 

If you're self employed and not running a limited company, your correspondence address is whatever address you've given HMRC for your Self Assessment record. 

Privacy isn’t an issue here, since your residential address isn’t publicly available. What matters is keeping HMRC updated if you move, so you don’t miss important tax letters or reminders.

How to update your address with HMRC

The most common route to updating your address is through your Personal Tax Account:

• Sign in to your Personal Tax Account using your Government Gateway details 
• Select the option to check or change your personal details 
• Choose to update your address and enter the new one 
• Confirm the change

You can also update your address by phone or by post, though the online route is usually faster and gives you confirmation straight away.

🧠 Good to know

Updating your address for one HMRC tax doesn't change it for the others. So if you're VAT-registered, or you run PAYE as an employer, you may need to update those records individually. 

What is a valid correspondence address?

Your correspondence address needs to:

• Be a full physical postal address (a PO box isn't accepted)
• Be somewhere you can receive mail addressed to you
• Include a full postcode

Unlike a registered office, which has to be in the same UK country where your company was incorporated, your correspondence address can technically be anywhere in the world. 

In practice, most directors choose a UK address, since it makes receiving statutory mail faster and more reliable.

How to change your correspondence address

Updating your correspondence address is straightforward and free. Here’s how to do it:

• Log in to your Companies House WebFiling account, or use the paper form
• Select the company and find the director or PSC record you want to update
• Enter the new correspondence address, and make sure it includes a full postcode
• Submit the change

You're required to notify Companies House of any change within 14 days. They generally update the public register within 24 hours of receiving your submission.

Removing an address from the public record

If your home address ended up on the public register at some point, whether as a correspondence address, a registered office, or on an old filing, you can apply to have it removed. 

Companies House has a specific SR01 form for removing an address from the public register and charges a £34 fee for each document you want changed. You’ll also need to provide a valid new address to replace the old one before you can remove it.

If privacy is a concern, it’s best to do this as soon as possible. Once removed, your home address will no longer appear in searches, but anyone who downloaded or archived the document before removal may still have a copy.

Why keeping your address up to date matters

Under section 1140 of the Companies Act 2006, documents delivered to your correspondence address count as legally served on you. This can apply even to legal documents that have nothing to do with your company.

That means an outdated correspondence address can cause real problems. If a court document, tax notice, or legal claim is sent to an address you no longer use, you could miss it, and the document would still count as legally served.

Take the hassle out of business admin with ANNA

ANNA can sort your company address, as well as many other essential business tasks:

• Keep your business and home addresses separate with ANNA's registered office address service, so official post gets picked up and sent to you digitally rather than piling up at an old address
• Manage your money with a dedicated UK business account and use Smart Pots to organise your cash for tax, payroll, and other obligations
• Automate your bookkeeping with transaction categorisation and receipt capture, so your records stay current without you lifting a finger
• Create and track invoices, keep on top of unpaid bills, and get reminders that chase payment for you
• Stay on top of tax with real-time estimates, deadline reminders, and filing support that flags what's due before it becomes urgent
• Handle VAT with built-in MTD-compatible filing and avoid having to buy separate bridging software
• Get support whenever you need it, with a team dedicated to answering questions about your addresses, filings, and other key matters

Register with ANNA today and get a registered office address, mail scanning, and your admin sorted in one place.