Companies House

What is the Companies House PROOF service?

Last Updated: 25/03/2021 The PROOF (PROtected Online Filing) scheme is a free service provided by Companies House that helps protect your company from fraud. Registering your company for PROOF means that Companies House stop accepting paper forms (appointment changes, change of registered office, company name change etc) for your company.

What’s the difference between a Confirmation Statement and an Annual Account?

Undoubtedly one of the most common queries that we get here at Company Formation MadeSimple is about what the difference between two very important filing obligations are for a limited company. These are Confirmation Statements and Annual Accounts.

The Companies House status says my company is ‘Active’ – what does this mean?

When you form a limited company your company is placed on the Companies House register (Companies House are the UK’s registrar of companies). In this post we’re going to look at the ‘Status’ field on the register and explain why your company may have an ‘Active’ status.

Can a company change the SIC Code?

Yes it can. The Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) code is a five digit number that categorises a company’s nature of business.

What is the “Return of Allotment of Shares”?

The “Return of Allotment of Shares” is the process of adding new shares into a company. For example, a company formed with 1 share can complete a “Return of Allotment of Shares” (also known as the SH01 form) and increase the number of shares to a new amount.

Where’s my WebFiling Authentication Code?

The Webfiling Authentication Code is made up of 6 alphanumeric characters and enables you to make online updates to your company, through both our system and the Companies House system. With it you can file documents to; appoint a new director, resign a current one, change the registered office, add brand new shares, change your accounting reference date - and much more (all via online filing).

What happens if I miss my Confirmation Statement or Annual Accounts deadline?

All limited need to file a Confirmation Statement and Annual Accounts on a yearly basis. Even if they’ve never traded.

7 Limited by Guarantee questions answered by FreeAgent

We asked our friends over at FreeAgent seven common(ish) questions about the Limited by Guarantee (LBG) company structure - a structure commonly favoured by charities. Take a look, and remember to get in touch if you're interested in incorporating your own LBG company.

Think you’re stuck with your company name? Think again

Ah yes, the flamboyant company name. It seemed like a good idea at the time but now you're just not so sure.

4 ways to protect your limited company from fraud

Even if Halloween isn't here, it’s understandable to be fearful - who knows what ghouls and ghosts lurk in the darkness? In this blog post, we’re looking at a far more realistic threat - company fraud.

A quick guide to the Director’s Residential Address

During the limited company formation process you need to provide a number of different addresses: Registered office Shareholder address Person with significant control address Director’s service address Director’s residential address In this post we’re going to concentrate on the final address is this list; the director’s residential address. Whilst this is clearly where the director lives, there are still some important things that you should know about the address.

If I buy a company formation package do I have to complete the formation process on the same day?

Once you have picked and paid for your company formation package you can complete the formation at a time convenient to you, whether that’s straight after payment or even a few months later.