The government fee to set up a UK limited company is £100 if you register online with Companies House, or £124 by post (checked September 2026). After that, the company pays £50 a year to file its confirmation statement online (Companies House fees, updated 2 July 2026). Those are the only fixed government costs of incorporating and keeping a company on the register.
If you live outside the UK, most of your costs come from other businesses. You’ll need a UK registered office service, possibly an identity check through an agent, a bank or fintech account, and an accountant. This page keeps the two apart. Government fees are verified against GOV.UK. Third-party prices are taken from the providers’ own pages, named, and dated, and where we couldn’t find a published price we say so rather than guess.
An earlier version of this page gave the Companies House fee as £12 and the confirmation statement as £13. Both were out of date, and we’ve corrected them.
On this page: Government fees · Third-party costs · A first-year budget · Figures older guides get wrong
Government fees (verified)
| What | Who charges | Fee |
|---|---|---|
| Register a company online | Companies House | £100 |
| Register a company on paper (form IN01) | Companies House | £124 |
| Same-day registration (through software only) | Companies House | £156 |
| Confirmation statement, at least once a year | Companies House | £50 online, £110 on paper |
| Filing annual accounts | Companies House | No fee listed for a UK company |
| Change of company name | Companies House | £20 online, £30 on paper |
| Closing the company (voluntary strike-off) | Companies House | £13 online, £18 on paper |
| Identity verification through GOV.UK One Login | Companies House | Free |
| VAT registration | HMRC | No fee on HMRC’s registration pages |
| Data protection fee, if the company must pay it | Information Commissioner’s Office | £52 (tier 1), £78 (tier 2), £3,763 (tier 3) |
Sources: Companies House fees; GOV.UK: Verifying your identity; GOV.UK: Register for VAT; ICO: Guide to the data protection fee. All checked on 17 September 2026.
Why guides disagree about the fee
The incorporation fee has risen twice recently. Companies House fees went up on 1 May 2024 (GOV.UK announcement), when “the Government has set the incorporation fee at £50” (analytical paper to SI 2024/155). On 1 February 2026 it rose to £100 online, £124 on paper and £156 for same-day registration, and the confirmation statement went to £50 online and £110 on paper (Changes to UK company law: fee changes). Any guide that quotes £12 or £50 to register was written before those dates.
Notes on the government fees
- Online registration is “usually registered within 24 hours”. Paper takes 8 to 10 days (GOV.UK: Register your company).
- Identity verification is free through GOV.UK One Login, but from abroad that route works only with a “biometric passport from any country” (GOV.UK). Without one, you’ll pay an agent (see below). Every director needs a personal code before the company can be registered. Our UK Ltd identity verification guide explains the process.
- The data protection fee applies to organisations that use personal information, unless an exemption applies. The ICO says “not all controllers must pay a fee. Many can rely on an exemption.” Tier 1 covers organisations with turnover up to £632,000 or no more than 10 staff, and paying by direct debit takes £5 off. Use the ICO’s self-assessment to check whether your company has to pay.
Third-party costs
These aren’t set by the government, and prices change often. Where we quote a price, it comes from that provider’s own page on 17 September 2026. It’s an example so you can budget, not a recommendation. We haven’t used these providers.
Registered office address (required)
Every company needs a UK registered office. Since March 2024 it has to be an “appropriate address”: post sent there must come to the attention of someone acting for the company, delivery must be able to be confirmed, and PO boxes aren’t allowed (GOV.UK: registered office rules). If you live abroad, you’ll pay a provider for this.
| Example provider | Published price | What the page says is included |
|---|---|---|
| Your Company Formations, London registered office | £29 a year, “the same every year” (the page doesn’t say whether VAT is added) | Statutory mail scanned and emailed free. UK forwarding free; international forwarding charged at Royal Mail rates. The page says non-UK residents can use it. |
| 1st Formations, London Registered Office | £39 a year; renewal “£39.00 +VAT” | Government and court mail scanned and emailed free. International forwarding at “Royal Mail rates plus 15%”. Not for general business mail. Says it serves overseas customers. |
Before you pick the cheapest, ask:
- Which mail is covered? The 1st Formations service above, for example, handles only government and court mail. Ask how bank letters and customer post are dealt with, and what they cost.
- What identity documents do they need from you, and can you provide them from where you live?
- Does the address let the company “make or receive business supplies” there? For VAT, HMRC says “a registered, serviced or virtual office alone is not enough to create a business establishment”. See VAT below.
Each director also needs a service address, and it appears on the public register (GOV.UK). Providers sell these too. We didn’t find a price we could confirm on a provider’s page, so we don’t quote one.
Identity verification through an agent (only if you can’t use One Login)
If you don’t have a biometric passport, an Authorised Corporate Service Provider (ACSP) can verify you “from any country” and “may charge a fee” (Companies House). One published example: Your Company Formations charges “£24.99 + VAT per person” as a standalone service, and says it includes verification for up to four officers in its formation packages (its verification page). Before paying any agent, check them against the GOV.UK list of ACSPs.
A formation agent (optional)
You don’t need one. You can register directly with Companies House for £100. Agents charge for doing the filing and usually bundle in an address, identity checks or documents. Their packages vary too much for a price range to mean anything, so compare what each one actually includes against the government fees above. If an agent files for you, ask whether they’re a registered ACSP. Companies House says filing on behalf of clients will require ACSP registration “no earlier than November 2027” (Changes to UK company law).
Bank or fintech account
For a founder abroad, the fee matters less than whether the account will accept you. HSBC’s Small Business Banking Account says “you’ll need to be a UK tax resident”, and Barclays says “at least one person on the application must be a UK resident”. Fintechs have their own residence lists. Our guide to a UK limited company for non-residents sets out each provider’s eligibility rules with sources. Once you know which ones cover where you live, here’s what they charge:
| Provider | Published price (checked 17 September 2026) |
|---|---|
| Tide | Free plan with no plan fee and 5 transfers a month included; Smart £12.49 a month; Pro £27.49 a month; Max £69.99 a month (Tide pricing). The page doesn’t say whether prices include VAT, or what extra transfers cost. |
| Wise Business | One set-up fee of £50, and no monthly fee shown (Wise Business pricing). Check the same page for transfer and conversion fees. |
| Revolut Business | Basic from £10 a month; Grow from £30; Scale from £90 (Revolut Business plans). |
| Airwallex | Explore: £0, or £19 a month unless you deposit at least £10,000 a month or keep a £10,000 balance; Grow £49 a month (Airwallex pricing). |
Mercury, which some guides list, only serves companies “formed and registered in the United States”, so it isn’t an option for a UK Ltd (Mercury).
Accountant and software
Accountants’ prices vary with the work, so we don’t quote a range. Ask for a fixed quote that lists these:
- Annual accounts for Companies House. From 1 April 2028, these can only be filed using commercial software (GOV.UK).
- The Company Tax Return (CT600). Your first accounts may need two tax returns, because a return can’t cover more than 12 months (GOV.UK).
- The confirmation statement, if they file it for you. The £50 fee is on top.
- VAT returns, if the company is registered. They’re usually due every 3 months (GOV.UK).
- Payroll, if the company pays you a salary. It must register as an employer first (GOV.UK).
If you do it yourself, budget for the cost of mistakes too. Late accounts start at a £150 penalty, and a late Company Tax Return starts at £200 (GOV.UK, GOV.UK).
VAT: free to register, but it may start sooner than you think
HMRC’s registration pages don’t mention a fee. The £50 to £150 that older guides quote is what an agent might charge to fill in the form. The real cost is in when you have to register, and in quarterly returns from then on.
UK-established businesses register once taxable turnover passes £90,000. A business with no UK establishment has no threshold and must register once it makes, or expects within 30 days to make, taxable sales in the UK (VAT Notice 700/1, section 9). HMRC says a UK company is normally established only if it can make or receive business supplies at its registered address, and that “a registered, serviced or virtual office alone is not enough”. A UK Ltd run from abroad through a registered office service may therefore have VAT costs from its first UK sale. Our UK company tax guide for non-residents explains this in more detail.
Insurance
Employers’ liability insurance is a legal requirement “as soon as you become an employer”, with at least £5 million of cover. The fine for not having it is £2,500 for every day you’re uninsured. There are exemptions, for example if you employ only close family members or someone based outside England, Scotland and Wales (GOV.UK: Employers’ liability insurance). Other business insurance is optional, and premiums depend on what you do, so we don’t quote them.
A first-year budget for a founder abroad
This uses only the figures above. Items without a published price are listed so you remember to get a quote.
| Item | Year 1 | Each later year |
|---|---|---|
| Companies House registration (online) | £100 | – |
| Confirmation statement (online) | – (first one is due about a year after incorporation) | £50 |
| Identity verification | £0 with a biometric passport and One Login; otherwise an ACSP fee per person (example: £24.99 + VAT) | Normally £0. You verify once unless Companies House asks again. |
| Registered office service | Examples: £29 or £39 + VAT | Same, at those providers’ stated renewal prices |
| Bank or fintech | £0 to £50 to open at the providers above, if they accept you; plan fees on top | £0 upwards, depending on plan |
| Data protection fee | £0 if exempt, otherwise usually £52 | Same |
| Accountant or software | Get a quote (may include two tax returns) | Get a quote |
| VAT returns, if registered | Get a quote | Get a quote |
The confirmation statement timing follows GOV.UK: the first review period starts on the date of incorporation (GOV.UK).
Leaving out the accountant, the lowest fixed first-year cost from the examples above is about £130: the £100 registration plus a £29 registered office, with free identity verification, a free account plan and no data protection fee. Few founders abroad will actually pay that little. Expect the accountant to be the largest single cost, and don’t count on the free account until the provider has accepted you.
Figures older guides get wrong
- “£12 to register online.” Out of date twice over. The fee was set at £50 from 1 May 2024, and it has been £100 since 1 February 2026.
- “£13 confirmation statement.” It’s now £50 online and £110 on paper.
- “£100 same-day service.” Same-day registration is £156, through software only.
- “Annual accounts filing £200–£500.” Companies House lists no fee for a UK company’s accounts. That figure is an accountant’s charge.
- “VAT registration fee £50–£150.” HMRC’s pages list no fee. That figure is an agent’s charge, and the bigger issue is the missing threshold for non-established companies.
- “Non-residents can open Wise, Revolut or Tide remotely.” Not as a blanket rule. Each provider’s eligibility depends on where you live; check the provider’s own page.
Where Bizstartz fits
Bizstartz works with founders outside the UK and U.S. who are choosing between a UK Ltd and a U.S. LLC. If you want to compare what each would really cost for your business and your country, book a free 30-minute consultation before you pay anyone. Banks, Companies House and HMRC make their own decisions, and nobody can promise you an account or an approval.
This page was researched with the help of AI tools and replaces our 2025 version, which had out-of-date Companies House fees and unsourced price ranges. Government fees link to GOV.UK or the ICO. Third-party prices link to the provider’s own page and were checked on 17 September 2026; they aren’t endorsements and they change often.
Related Guides
- UK Limited Company for Non-Residents: How to Form, Run and Bank a UK Ltd
- UK Limited Company Tax Guide for Non-Residents
- UK Ltd Identity Verification: What Directors and PSCs Must Do
- UK LTD Company Benefits: Why It’s a Smart Choice for Global Entrepreneurs
- UK LTD Company Advantages for Dropshipping (Complete 2025 Guide)
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