Registering a limited company directly with Companies House costs £100 online or £124 by post, and a same-day incorporation, available only through filing software, costs £156. Those fees rose on 1 February 2026, doubling the previous £50 online fee, so many cost guides written before then are now out of date. The Companies House fee is only the statutory part of the bill: identity verification, a registered office, data protection registration and professional help can all add to it, and the company then carries an annual £50 confirmation statement fee for as long as it exists.
The Companies House incorporation fee
The fees are set by the Registrar of Companies (Fees) (Amendment) Regulations 2025, which came into force on 1 February 2026. For a company incorporating in 2026/27 the position is:
| Route | Fee | Typical timing |
|---|---|---|
| Online (GOV.UK service or filing software) | £100 | Usually registered within 24 hours |
| Same-day incorporation (software filing) | £156 | Same day |
| Paper form IN01 by post | £124 | 8 to 10 days |
Online applications are paid by debit or credit card; postal applications are paid by cheque made out to Companies House. The same fees apply to a limited liability partnership. If a bank or overseas counterparty later asks for a certificate of incorporation, Companies House charges £22 for one by post, or £65 for the same-day service.
Identity verification: free, but compulsory
Identity verification is now a legal requirement for directors and people with significant control. When you register a new company, you are asked for each director's Companies House personal code as part of the registration filing, and you only receive that code once you have verified. Verifying through GOV.UK One Login is free of charge. The alternative is to have an Authorised Corporate Service Provider (ACSP), such as an accountant or solicitor, verify you, and they may charge for doing so. The practical cost here is time rather than money: an incorporation application cannot be completed without the personal codes, so verification should be done before the application is started.
Other set-up costs to budget for
- Registered office address. Every company must have one in the part of the UK where it is registered, and it must be an "appropriate" address; a PO Box can no longer be used. The address is published on the register, so founders who do not want their home address public often pay a provider for a registered office service;
- Data protection fee. A company that processes personal data may have to pay a data protection fee to the Information Commission, which replaced the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) on 30 September 2026. The tier 1 (micro organisation) charge is £52, reduced by £5 if paid by direct debit;
- Formation agent or accountant. Optional, but many founders use one for bespoke articles, multiple share classes or a shareholders' agreement. The agent's package price normally includes the £100 Companies House fee, so check whether it is quoted inclusive or on top;
- Business bank account. Not a Companies House requirement, but in practice essential because the company's money belongs to the company, not to its directors; bank fees vary by provider;
- VAT registration. Free, and only compulsory once taxable turnover over the last 12 months exceeds £90,000, or is expected to exceed it in the next 30 days.
Corporation tax registration is free and can be done at the same time as the incorporation. HMRC normally issues the company's Unique Taxpayer Reference afterwards; if it has not arrived 15 working days after registration, it can be requested online.
Worked example: first-year cost of a simple company
Priya forms a one-director, one-shareholder consultancy online using standard model articles. She verifies her identity through GOV.UK One Login and uses a registered office service so that her home address stays off the public register.
| Item | Cost |
|---|---|
| Companies House online incorporation | £100 |
| Identity verification via GOV.UK One Login | £0 |
| ICO data protection fee (tier 1, by direct debit) | £47 |
| Corporation tax and VAT registration (VAT not yet required) | £0 |
| Registered office service | Provider's price |
| Statutory minimum before optional services | £147 |
Had she filed on paper, the incorporation line would be £124; had she needed the company the same day, £156. The bigger variable is professional help: a formation package with tailored articles and an accountant for the first year's accounts and tax return will cost far more than the statutory fees, but it is also where most of the long-term value sits.
The costs that follow in year two and beyond
Incorporation is a one-off, but the company immediately takes on recurring obligations. The confirmation statement fee is £50 online or £110 on paper, paid with the first statement in each 12-month period; it was £34 before 1 February 2026. Annual accounts must be filed with Companies House and a Company Tax Return with HMRC every year, even when the company makes a loss. Filing accounts or the tax return late brings penalties from both Companies House and HMRC, and missing filings is the most common way a new company slides towards strike-off. Voluntary strike-off, if the company is later closed, costs £13 online.
For most owner-managed businesses the running costs, chiefly bookkeeping, accounts and payroll for the director's salary, dwarf the formation fee within the first year. It is worth pricing those before choosing between a company and self-employment; our comparison of sole trader vs limited company sets out the trade-offs, and what a limited company is covers the annual obligations in more detail.
Sources: Companies House fees; Registrar of Companies (Fees) (Amendment) Regulations 2025; Set up a limited company; Verifying your identity for Companies House; Limited company formation: registered office rules; Data Protection (Charges and Information) Regulations 2018, reg 3; Register for VAT.
If you would rather have the formation, identity checks and first-year compliance handled together, Acumon's company formation service covers incorporation and set-up, and our accountants for limited companies can take on the accounts and tax that follow.