Register a company in the UK

The simple, hassle free way to register a company

Starting a business? You can register a Limited Company for free and open a business account with ANNA at the same time. It’s quick, easy and free!

Company name

Simple pricing

We offer several pricing options for your company registration

Useful add-ons for your new business

Additional services you might need to accompany your company registration with ANNA

Virtual office address

Use the Prime London address for all mail, including official government correspondence. Keep your personal address private and avoid spam and scam letters. Same-day mail scanning straight to your email

from £15 per month

+Taxes

All essential taxes for small businesses covered. Take the stress out of tax admin by letting ANNA do the work for you

£3 per month for 3 months
£24 per month after that

VAT Registration

We’ll take care of the paperwork and submit the HMRC application on your behalf

£39.90 one-off fee

Confirmation statement filing

ANNA can help you to file your company’s confirmation statement (annual return) with Companies House, to make sure it’s 100% accurate and completed before the deadline

£49.90 per filing

PAYE registration

We’ll process PAYE registration with HMRC on your behalf and help you obtain necessary documents to pay yourself or your employees a salary

£39.90 one-off fee

Director management service

We handle adding or removing company directors, ensuring you meet all legal requirements, update Companies House records, and keep everything running smoothly

£29.90 one-off fee

Company cancellation cover

Have changed your mind and decided you no longer need your company? We’ll close it for you within the first 12 months of forming it

£49.90 one-off fee

Share management services

We’ll manage the issue and transfer of your shares, update Companies House records and keep your shareholding structure up-to-date to ensure compliance with all legal requirements

£79.99 one-off fee

Add-ons available during sign up. Prices shown do not include VAT

Register a company in 3 quick simple steps

Choose your company name

Tell us about yourself and your new company

Get your company registration and business account

The reviews are in

Do I need a business bank account?

Limited companies need business accounts

If you operate as a Limited Company, you’re legally obliged to have a separate business account for your business finances

Why register a company?

When you start a new business there are a few options you can take. The most common are operating as a sole trader or a Limited Company.

To operate as a Limited Company, you need to register with Companies House. That usually costs £50, but we’ll do it for you for free when you select our Enhanced or Total Support plan.

We can register your company in 5 minutes and you should receive your certificate of incorporation within hours.

What company types are there and which one should I choose?

There are a number of different company types available in the UK.

Private Limited Company (Ltd) by shares: A company owned by private shareholders with limited liability, meaning their personal assets are protected if the company faces financial difficulties.
Company Limited by Guarantee: Typically used by non-profit organisations, members' liability is limited to a predetermined amount they agree to contribute in the event of the company being wound up.
Public Limited Company (PLC): A company whose shares are publicly traded on the stock exchange, allowing the general public to become shareholders.
Community Interest Company (CIC): A company established to benefit the community or pursue social and environmental objectives, with profits reinvested for public good rather than distributed to shareholders.
Limited Liability Partnership (LLP): A hybrid between a partnership and a limited company, offering limited liability protection to its partners.

The most common of these company types is a Private Limited Company (Ltd) by shares. There are over 2 million such companies in the UK. At the moment ANNA is currently only registering single director Private Limited Companies limited by shares.

Can I set up a business with multiple directors?

Yes, you can establish a business with multiple directors (or shareholders) through ANNA’s business formation service. You can also open an ANNA business account with multiple directors simultaneously.

How many directors does a limited company need?

A limited company typically needs at least one director, but can have more if you want. There’s no limit to how many directors a single company can have, but at ANNA we have a limit of registering up to four directors. If you need to register more, drop us a message at formations@anna.money

What documents do I need to register my company?

Registered office address

You'll need a registered UK office address, where official communications, like letters from Companies House, can be sent. You can also choose a virtual office address provided by ANNA’s partners. They can forward your post.

Business details

We'll need some basic details, including a brief description of what your company does, and some government-friendly SIC codes. You can change these later if needed.

Director and shareholder information

You’ll need to provide your name, nationality, date of birth, occupation, address and proof of identity.

I’ve completed the registration process, now what?

After you finish the application we submit it on your behalf to Companies House. It takes 1–3 days for most of the companies to confirm their registration and we’ll send you your documents as soon as that happens.

Your next step is to open a business account. It’s mandatory for limited companies in the UK to have their own separate bank account.

What is a virtual office?

The virtual office service offers you a professional business address to use for your business activities and receive mail, all without disclosing your personal address. This address will be publicly displayed on Companies House and can be accessed by anyone. Although a virtual office is not a physical location where you can work from, you can register your business with a virtual office address and utilise it for all your business correspondence. The biggest advantage is that it helps keep your personal address private, preventing it from being listed on the public register. Additionally, using a virtual office address instead of your personal one can enhance the credibility of your contracts, website, and more.

We partner with Hoxton Mix to provide our virtual office services. Hoxton Mix is conveniently located in Shoreditch, London, and their virtual office service is particularly suitable for entrepreneurs, freelancers, and startups seeking a prestigious business address in the City of London. Enjoy the benefits of a sought-after address without the need to rent physical office space, and boost your professional image among potential clients.

What if someone sends mail to my virtual office address?

Hoxton Mix provide same day mail handling and forwarding service. They’ll also scan your official government documents and send them to you via email, giving you digital copies of all important business information. You can get your mail wherever you are – whether that’s at home in the UK or abroad on business – and your business address will remain the same regardless.

Official written communications will be scanned from the following organisations:

Companies House
HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC)
Government Gateway
Inland Revenue
Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO)
Court documents (including Tribunals Services)
Department of Work & Pensions (DWP)
Intellectual Property Office (IPO)
Office for National Statistics

Any mail received that doesn’t come from an official governmental body, or that cannot be scanned (like credit cards, parcels etc) can be forwarded on for an additional cost upon request. Any mail you don’t want forwarded on will be destroyed after 21 days.

Are company formation costs tax deductible?

The costs associated with the company incorporation are considered as one-off capital expenses or CapEx, which is the same as the cost of acquiring, upgrading, and maintaining the company's physical assets like property, equipment, buildings, technology, or even plant and machinery.

The capital expenses, unlike revenue expenses, are not tax deductible. For an expense to be deductible, it must be directly related to the trade. Examples of revenue expenses are salaries, rent, electricity and water bills, gas, advertising, phone bill, raw materials expenses etc. Company formation costs do not meet this criteria, because they happen before the company starts trading.

However, all the costs related to keeping the company's share register, the printing of annual accounts, the holding of shareholders’ annual meetings etc. are treated as trading expenses and are tax deductible.

In addition, if you paid for the company incorporation cost with your personal money, the company can reimburse you.

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ANNA business account

If you’ve registered your business with ANNA Company Registration, the fastest and easiest option is to open an ANNA business account. All you need to do is verify your ID and provide proof of address and your business account will be ready to go!

An ANNA business account is perfect for newly formed companies. You get a debit Mastercard, your own unique payment collection link and the ability to pay cash into your account, as well as local and international payments, an in-app invoice generator and receipt scanner, multiple expense cards for employees and up to 40% cashback on select categories.

ANNA +Taxes

ANNA can make business taxes a breeze. ANNA +Taxes ensure that you never miss a deadline, and we specialise in helping you minimize your tax burden so you don’t pay more than you have to.

ANNA +Taxes calculates your income, expenses, Corporation Tax and VAT, reminds you of your deadlines and can even file your taxes for you. And if you’ve got a question, you can ask our tax experts.

+Taxes is perfect for newly-formed companies as it allows you to start on the right foot. You can focus on growing your business and leave the paperwork and tax admin to us.

Registered Office address – don’t worry if you don’t have one – we can provide you with the virtual address
Business Activity – You need to tell Companies House about your new company's business activity. You do this by choosing a SIC code (Standard Industrial Classification code) which describes and classifies business activities e.g. manufacturing or agriculture
Director’s Details
- Full name
- Date of Birth (you must be at least 16 years old)
- Occupation
- Nationality
- Residential address (this isn’t kept on the public register)
- Service address (residential or other address)
Shareholders’ Details
- Full name
- Date of Birth
- Residential address (this isn’t kept on the public register)
- Service address (residential or other address)
- Nationality
- Nature of control (eg. The person holds more than 50% to 75% of shares.)
- Three Security Details (these act as an online signature)
- First three letters of mother’s maiden name
- First three letters of father’s forename
- First three letters of town of birth
Person with Significant Control (PSC) Details
- Full name
- Date of Birth
- Residential Address (this isn’t kept on the public register)
- Service Address (residential or other address)
- Nationality
- Nature of control (eg. The person holds more than 50% to 75% of shares.)

How long does it take?

It normally takes 1 business day, but in some cases it can take up to 48 hours. Companies House doesn’t operate over the weekends, so Friday applications might take longer.