The company registration cost in the UK is still one of the lowest in Europe. Companies House charges £100 to register a limited company online, there is no minimum share capital, one person can be the only director and shareholder, and a clean application is usually registered within 24 hours.
The hard part is knowing the real number. The online fee was £12 until April 2024, then £50, and it doubled again to £100 on 1 February 2026, so many guides quote figures that are out of date. The filing fee is also the smallest cost of year one. The address, the yearly confirmation statement, the accountant and the bank account all cost more.
This is where we come in. We form your UK limited company ourselves from €350, with the £100 Companies House fee included. That covers the name check, identity verification guidance, the articles, the filing and a bank-ready file. One team, one clear price and a company formed within a week.
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UK Company Incorporation
Binderr
Corporate tax
19% (small profits) / 25% (main rate)
Time to Incorporate
1 Week
Cost
€350 (no pre-payment)
Why the UK Company Formation Cost Is So Low
The UK company formation cost is low because the rules are simple, and the UK company registration cost at Companies House is a flat £100. The government fee is fixed, there is no capital to deposit and no local director to pay, and the registry works online. Most of what you pay in year one is for services you choose, not for the state.
A £100 UK Company Registration Fee
For a UK private limited company, the Companies House incorporation fee in 2026 is £100 online. The UK company registration fee is a single payment for the whole application, which keeps the UK company registration cost among the lowest in Europe. It is the same for a one-person company and a company with ten shareholders, and the same in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. Companies House charges no yearly licence fee on top.
No Minimum Share Capital
A private limited company can be formed with one share worth £1. Nothing has to be paid into a bank before the company is registered, unlike in Malta, where €1,165 of share capital is needed with 20% paid up.
Set Up a UK Limited Company From €350
A UK limited company is quick and cheap to form when the file is right. This is what we do for you.
- We form it ourselves: Name check, articles, statement of capital and filing by one team.
- £100 fee included: The Companies House fee sits inside our price.
- Identity checks guided: Every director and PSC is verified before filing.
- No minimum capital: Start with one share, no deposit needed.
- Formed within a week: Companies House usually registers a clean file within 24 hours.
- Bank-ready file: Documents prepared for your business account from day one.
- No back-and-forth emails: One contact runs your file from start to finish.
One Director Is Enough
The company needs one director aged 16 or over and one shareholder, and they can be the same person. There is no requirement for a company secretary, a local director or a nominee, so there is no extra person to pay.
Registered in About 24 Hours
Companies House usually registers an online application within 24 hours. A same-day service exists for £156 if you file through software by 3pm on a working day. Fast registration keeps the UK company set up costs low, because you are not paying an address or an adviser while you wait. See how long it takes to register a UK company for the full timings.
Free Registrations With HMRC
Registering for Corporation Tax, VAT and PAYE with HMRC costs nothing. The company gets its Unique Taxpayer Reference within 15 working days of incorporation, and it must tell HMRC within 3 months of starting to trade.
UK Companies House Incorporation Fees in 2026
The UK Companies House incorporation fees in 2026 depend on how you file, not on the size of the company, and the Companies House incorporation fees in the UK in 2026 are the same for every type of limited company. Online costs £100, paper costs £124 and same-day costs £156. These fees apply from 1 February 2026 and are published on GOV.UK. To incorporate a company online, the Companies House fee in 2026 on GOV.UK is £100, whether you use the government service or software.
Companies House service | Fee from 1 February 2026 |
|---|---|
Online incorporation (GOV.UK or software) | £100 |
Same-day incorporation (software, by 3pm) | £156 |
Paper incorporation | £124 |
LLP incorporation (online) | £100 |
UK establishment of an overseas company (paper) | £124 |
Confirmation statement (online) | £50 a year |
Confirmation statement (paper) | £110 a year |
Same-day change of company name | £85 |
Administrative restoration of a struck-off company | £341 |
The online Companies House incorporation fee in the UK in 2026 is the one almost everyone pays, so it is the figure to use for the UK company registration cost. The same-day and paper routes cost more and suit very few companies. After formation, the yearly £50 confirmation statement is the only fee a normal company pays, because annual accounts are filed free. UK company formation fees at Companies House in 2026 are therefore £100 once and £50 a year.
The Companies House Online Incorporation Fee in the UK
The Companies House online incorporation fee in the UK is £100, whether you file through the GOV.UK service or through software. The Companies House incorporation fee online in 2026 (GOV.UK) is the fee most founders pay. Same-day registration costs £156, needs software and must be submitted by 3pm on a working day. Paper costs £124 and takes 8 to 10 days, so it is the slowest route and more expensive than online. Our guide on how to register a UK company online walks through the online service.
The Same Fee Across the UK
The company registration fee in the UK is the same in England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, so the Companies House registration fee in the UK in 2026 does not depend on where you register. The only rule that changes is the registered office: it must be in the same part of the UK where the company is registered.
What Companies House Does Not Charge For
Filing annual accounts is free. Identity verification through GOV.UK One Login is free. Registering with HMRC is free. The UK Ltd company registration fee of £100 and the £50 confirmation statement are the only regular Companies House charges most companies ever meet. That is why UK company registration fees in 2026 are still low, even after two increases.
Companies House Incorporation Fee History in the UK
The Companies House incorporation fee history in the UK shows two big increases in under two years. The online fee went from £12 to £50 on 1 May 2024, then from £50 to £100 on 1 February 2026. Any guide that quotes £12 or £50 as the current Companies House incorporation fee in the UK is out of date, and so is any cost to set up a limited company in the UK in 2024 that still appears in older guides.
Filing | Until 30 April 2024 | 1 May 2024 to 31 January 2026 | From 1 February 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|
Online incorporation | £12 on the web, £10 by software | £50 | £100 |
Same-day incorporation | £30 | £78 | £156 |
Paper incorporation | £40 | £71 | £124 |
Confirmation statement (online) | £13 | £34 | £50 |
Confirmation statement (paper) | £40 | £62 | £110 |
Over two years, the online incorporation fee rose more than eightfold and the yearly confirmation statement almost fourfold. The rest of the UK company set up costs did not rise at the same pace, so the fee is still a small part of the first-year total. The historical Companies House incorporation fee in the UK matters only when you read an older guide.
The UK Companies House Online Incorporation Fee in 2024
Until 30 April 2024, the UK Companies House online incorporation fee, 12 pounds on the web service, was the figure most founders knew, and software filing cost £10. On 1 May 2024 it rose to £50, and the same change took same-day filing to £78 and paper to £71. So the UK Companies House online incorporation fee in 2024 was £12 for four months and £50 for the rest of the year. The £12 figure is still the one most old guides show.
UK Company Registration Fees Through 2025
UK company registration fees did not change in 2025. The Companies House incorporation fee online in 2025 (GOV.UK) stayed at £50 for the whole year, the same through software, and the confirmation statement stayed at £34.
The Current Companies House Incorporation Fee in the UK in 2026
The UK Companies House incorporation fee in 2026 is £100 online, double the 2025 figure, and the current Companies House incorporation fee in the UK applies to every company type. The Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act 2023 gave Companies House new duties: identity verification for every director and person with significant control, checks on company names and addresses, and powers to query and remove information. Identity verification became mandatory on 18 November 2025, and the fees rose to pay for that work. The fee is the same £100 whether you file through GOV.UK or through software.
UK Company Incorporation
Binderr
Corporate tax
19% (small profits) / 25% (main rate)
Time to Incorporate
1 Week
Cost
€350 (no pre-payment)
Cost of Setting Up a Limited Company in the UK in 2026
With us, the cost of setting up a limited company in the UK starts from €350, paid once, for a standard private company limited by shares, holding and trading companies included. That price includes the £100 Companies House fee, the structure advice, the name check, identity verification guidance, the model articles, the statement of capital, the PSC details, the filing and a bank-ready file, all confirmed in writing before you pay. Layered groups, regulated firms and high-risk activities are quoted separately and can cost more.
There is no second charge for the Companies House filing. The formation price is only the start, though: the UK company formation cost in year one also includes the running costs in the table, which shows the first 12 months for a simple UK limited company.
Cost item | When it is paid | Typical amount | What it covers |
|---|---|---|---|
Company incorporation with Binderr, Companies House fee included | Once, before filing | From €350 | Advice, name check, identity verification guidance, articles, statement of capital, PSC details, the £100 filing and the bank file |
Identity verification | Once per person, before filing | Free through GOV.UK One Login | A personal code for each director and PSC |
Registered office service | Each year, if you have no suitable UK address | Quoted with your setup, against published prices of about £22 to £85 a year for the address alone | The appropriate UK address for official post |
ICO data protection fee | Each year, if the company handles personal data | £52 or £78 for most small companies | Registration with the Information Commissioner's Office |
Confirmation statement | Within 14 days after the first anniversary | £50 online | The yearly check of the company's details |
Accounts and Company Tax Return | First accounts within 21 months, then yearly | About £1,000 to £2,500 a year for a compliance-only package, as a planning range | Statutory accounts for Companies House and the tax return for HMRC |
Business account with our banking partners | Monthly, once the account is open | About €30 to €100 a month on a published plan | A multi-currency account with real IBANs |
Realistic first-year total | Year one | About €2,000 to €5,000 for a simple UK limited company, before VAT, payroll or licence costs | Our price, year-one filings, accounting and an account |
The total cost to set up a limited company in the UK in 2026 moves most with the accountant, the bank plan and whether the company registers for VAT or runs a payroll. A holding company with no trading sits at the bottom of the range. A trading company with VAT returns and staff sits at the top. Sterling amounts are converted at recent rates, and your written quote is the figure that counts.
UK Limited Company Formation Cost in 2026 by Profile
What the company does and where its owners live move the UK limited company formation cost in 2026 more than any fee. The same UK company formation cost applies at formation for all five profiles; the running costs are what differ.
Company profile | Realistic first year | What drives the cost |
|---|---|---|
One-person company run by a UK-resident director | About €2,000 to €4,500 | Compliance-only accounting, the yearly filings and a modest account plan |
Company owned and run from abroad | About €2,200 to €5,000 | A registered office service, post forwarding and a multi-currency account |
Holding company with no trading | About €2,000 to €4,000 | Simple accounts and a tax return, with no VAT or payroll |
Trading company with VAT and payroll | About €3,000 to €5,500 | Monthly bookkeeping at about £150 to £250 a month, VAT returns and director payroll |
Regulated or high-risk company | Quoted separately | Licence, capital and specialist banking, priced case by case |
Read more: how to set up a limited company in the UK.
UK Company Incorporation
Binderr
Corporate tax
19% (small profits) / 25% (main rate)
Time to Incorporate
1 Week
Cost
€350 (no pre-payment)
Costs of Setting Up a Limited Company in the UK Explained
The first-year table gives the ranges, and the cost of setting up a company in the UK depends mostly on these items. This section explains the costs of setting up a limited company in the UK one by one: what each cost is, when it is legally required and what makes it higher or lower.
Registered Office Address
Every UK company needs an appropriate registered office, and since 4 March 2024 a PO box does not count. The address must be in the same part of the UK as the company. If you have no UK address, a registered office service costs about £22 to £85 a year for the address alone, and more with mail scanning and forwarding. It is one of the company set up costs in the UK that Companies House does not charge but the law still requires. Our guide to UK registered office address rules explains what qualifies.
Registered Email Address
Since 4 March 2024, every company must also give Companies House a registered email address. It is not shown on the public register and costs nothing, but it has to be an address someone reads.
Identity Verification
Every director and every person with significant control must verify their identity before the company can be registered. Verifying through GOV.UK One Login is free and can be done from any country with a passport. An authorised corporate service provider can verify you instead, for a fee.
Accountant and Tax Filings
Every company files annual accounts with Companies House and a Company Tax Return with HMRC, even with no income. Most owners pay an accountant for this, and it is usually the largest line in the company set up costs in the UK after the bank plan. A compliance-only package runs at about £1,000 to £2,500 a year as a planning range, and monthly bookkeeping for a trading company adds about £150 to £250 a month.
ICO Data Protection Fee
A company that handles personal data, such as customer names and emails, usually pays the Information Commissioner's Office a yearly fee. Most small companies pay £52 or £78.
Confirmation Statement
The confirmation statement costs £50 a year online or £110 on paper, every year the company exists. Over five years it costs more than the incorporation fee itself, which is why the UK company registration cost is not only a year-one number.
UK Company Formation Cost From €350
The UK company formation cost is easy to control when one team handles everything. Here is what our price includes.
- Companies House fee included: The £100 filing sits inside our price.
- Everything checked first: A rejected filing means paying again, so we get it right once.
- Clear pricing, no surprises: One starting price, confirmed in writing before you pay.
- Trusts and regulated firms: Quoted separately, with the reasons shown.
- Deadlines on our calendar: Confirmation statement and accounts dates set from day one.
- Formed within a week: No weeks of paying for an address while you wait.
Yearly Companies House Fees and Penalties
After formation, the Companies House registration fees in the UK in 2026 come down to one yearly charge: the £50 online confirmation statement. The larger risk is the penalty for filing late, which can cost many times the fee.
The Yearly Confirmation Statement
The Companies House registration fee a limited company in the UK pays each year is the confirmation statement, at £50 online or £110 on paper. At current rates, the Companies House registration fee for a limited company in the UK is £100 to form and £50 a year after that, and the Companies House registration cost in the UK in 2026 stops there for most companies. It is due within 14 days after each anniversary of incorporation, even if nothing has changed.
Late Filing Penalties
Filing | Deadline | Late penalty |
|---|---|---|
Confirmation statement | At least every 12 months, plus 14 days to file | A fine of up to £5,000 and a risk of strike-off |
First annual accounts | 21 months after incorporation | £150 to £1,500, doubled if late two years running |
Later annual accounts | 9 months after the year end | £150 to £1,500, doubled if late two years running |
Company Tax Return | 12 months after the accounting period ends | £200, another £200 at 3 months, and £1,000 for a third late return in a row |
Corporation Tax payment | 9 months and 1 day after the period ends | Interest on the unpaid tax |
The accounts penalty rises with how late the filing is: £150 up to one month, £375 up to three months, £750 up to six months and £1,500 after that.
HMRC Penalties Doubled in 2026
For Company Tax Returns due on or after 1 April 2026, HMRC doubled its fixed penalties. A return one day late now costs £200, and £400 in total at three months. A third late return in a row costs £1,000, or £2,000 if it is more than three months late. At six and twelve months, HMRC can also add 10% of any unpaid tax.
UK Company Incorporation
Binderr
Corporate tax
19% (small profits) / 25% (main rate)
Time to Incorporate
1 Week
Cost
€350 (no pre-payment)
UK Company Registration Cost for Non-Residents in 2026
The UK company registration cost for non-residents in 2026 is the same £100 Companies House fee, and our price from €350 is the same too. The UK company formation cost does not depend on where you live: a founder in Dubai, Lagos or Berlin pays the same as one in London. Living abroad changes three other costs instead: the address, the post and the bank account.
Registered Office and Post Forwarding
A founder abroad has no UK address, so the company needs a registered office service, which is the main extra in the UK company registration cost for non-residents in 2026. Post forwarding or mail scanning adds to the yearly cost, and official letters from HMRC and Companies House must reach you quickly.
Identity Verification From Abroad
Identity verification through GOV.UK One Login works from any country with a passport and a phone, and it is free. If the online check does not work for your document, an authorised corporate service provider can verify you for a fee.
Banking for Founders Abroad
Most UK banks want a UK-resident director, so founders abroad usually open with a partner that accepts owners anywhere. Plan for a monthly plan of about €30 to €100 instead of a free high street account. Read our guide to UK company formation for non-residents, and check UK VAT registration for non-resident companies before your first sale.
Set Up a UK Company From Abroad
A UK company can be formed and run from any country. This is how we keep it simple for founders abroad.
- No residency rule: Directors and shareholders can live anywhere.
- No travel needed: Identity verification and signatures happen online.
- Same price abroad: From €350 with the Companies House fee included.
- UK address arranged: A registered office quoted with your setup.
- Bank file ready: Our partners open accounts for owners abroad in days.
- Tax residence planned: We flag where the company will be managed.
Business Bank Account Costs for a New UK Company
A new UK company needs its own business account, and the cost depends on who can open one. High street banks charge £0 to £10 a month but usually want a UK-resident director. Our partners charge about €30 to €100 a month and accept owners anywhere, with much lower costs for currency and international payments.
Feature | UK banks | Our partners |
|---|---|---|
Opening time | Same day to about 7 days for a simple UK-owned file; weeks for owners abroad | Usually 2 to 4 days from a complete file |
Who they accept | At least one UK-resident director, often UK tax residence | Owners and directors anywhere |
Monthly cost | £0 to £10, often free for 12 to 24 months | About €30 to €100 on a published plan |
International payments | £15 to £17 online | About €5 to €25 to send |
Foreign exchange | Up to 2%, built into the rate | About 0.25% to 1.0% over the interbank rate |
Why UK Banks Are Slow With New Companies
A new company has no trading history, so the bank relies on the people. It runs a credit search on each director, checks where they live and asks where the money came from. A founder who lives abroad often fails the residence rule before the business is looked at.
Faster Accounts Through Our Banking Partners
Our partners are licensed electronic money institutions that open multi-currency accounts for UK companies owned from anywhere, usually within a few business days. For a company that trades in more than one currency, the lower currency margin often saves more than the monthly fee costs. Read more: how to open a UK business bank account and free business bank accounts in the UK.
Equals Money
Business Bank Account
Time to onboard
2 Days
Account opening fee
Free
Monthly fee
€30
3S Money
Cross-border payments
Time to onboard
4 Days
Account opening fee
Free
Monthly fee
Starting from € 100
How to Cut the Cost of Company Registration in the UK
The cost of company registration in the UK is fixed at Companies House, but the rest of the first-year budget is not. In 2026, the Companies House limited company registration cost in the UK is £100 online, and nothing you do lowers it. These five habits keep the UK company registration cost and the running costs down.
File Online
An online application costs £100 and a paper one £124, and online is also faster. The UK company registration fee is lowest online. There is no reason to file on paper for a standard company.
Skip Same-Day Unless You Need It
Same-day registration costs £156, £56 more than the standard route, and saves a day at most. Use it only when a contract or a deadline really needs the company that day.
Get the Details Right the First Time
A rejected application means fixing it and filing again. Before you submit, check and reserve the UK company name, and confirm the registered office, the SIC code and every person's identity code.
Keep a Filing Calendar
Late filing penalties cost more than any fee on this page, including the UK company registration cost itself. Put the confirmation statement, the accounts deadline and the tax return deadline in a calendar on the day the company is formed.
Choose One All-In Price
A low headline price that leaves out the Companies House fee, the identity checks or the bank file costs more in the end. The UK company formation cost with us starts from €350, with the £100 Companies House fee included. See also cheap and free UK company formation options.
UK Company Set Up Costs vs Ireland, Cyprus and Malta
Founders weighing the UK company set up costs often compare an EU company: Ireland for trading, and Cyprus or Malta for holding structures. We form all four, so the choice turns on tax, EU access and price.
Factor | UK | Ireland | Cyprus | Malta |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Standard company tax | 19% small profits rate, 25% main rate | 12.5% trading, 25% non-trading | 15% flat | 35% headline, about 5% effective for non-resident shareholders after the refund |
VAT | 20% | 23% | 19% | 18% |
EU member | No | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Known for | Fast, low-cost formation | Trading and technology companies in the EU | EU holding companies with a wide treaty network | Holding structures and the shareholder refund |
Our price | From €350 | From €1,899 | From €1,200 | From €1,299 |
Time to incorporate | 1 week | 1 week | 1 week | 1 week |
The UK company formation cost is the lowest of the four, and the UK is the only one outside the EU single market. The EU options cost more, and they make sense when customers, contracts or a licence need an EU company.
UK vs Ireland
An Irish company pays 12.5% on trading profit, but it needs a company secretary, and if no director lives in the European Economic Area it needs a Section 137 bond. A UK company needs neither. Choose Ireland when your customers must contract with an EU company. See our Ireland company formation guide.
Ireland Company Incorporation
Binderr
Corporate tax
12.5% trading / 25% non-trading income
Time to Incorporate
1 Week
Cost
€1,899
UK vs Cyprus
Cyprus charges a flat 15% on company profit from 1 January 2026. That is below the UK's 25% main rate but above the 19% small profits rate. A Cyprus company costs more to run because every company needs an audit. Read about holding company formation in Cyprus.
Cyprus Company Incorporation
Binderr
Corporate tax
15% flat
Time to Incorporate
1 Week
Cost
€1,200 one-off
UK vs Malta
Malta taxes company profit at 35%, then refunds six sevenths of that tax to shareholders after a dividend, which brings the effective rate to about 5%. Malta also needs €1,165 of share capital with 20% paid up, and an audit every year. Read how to set up a Malta holding company.
Malta Company Incorporation
GCS Malta
Effective tax
~5% for non-resident
Time to Incorporate
1 Week
Cost
Starting from €1,299
Common Mistakes With Company Set Up Costs in the UK
Most founders who overspend on a UK company do it after formation, not at Companies House. These mistakes cause most of the extra cost.
Treating the £100 Fee as the Whole Cost
The filing fee is the smallest part of the company registration cost in the UK in year one. The Companies House incorporation cost in the UK in 2026 is £100, while the accountant alone can cost ten times that, before the address, the confirmation statement and the bank plan. Budget for the first year, not the first day.
Using Out-of-Date Fee Guides
Guides that quote £12 or £50 were written before May 2024 or before February 2026. The cost to set up a limited company in the UK in 2024 was lower at Companies House, but the Companies House registration fee in the UK in 2024 no longer applies. Check the date of any fee table, or use the figures on GOV.UK.
Forgetting the Yearly Confirmation Statement
The confirmation statement is due every year, even for a company that has not traded. Missing it can lead to a fine and to the company being struck off, and restoring it costs £341 at Companies House.
Missing the First Accounts Deadline
The first accounts are due 21 months after incorporation. It feels far away, which is why so many companies file late and pay £150 to £1,500.
Mixing Company and Personal Money
Paying company costs from a personal account makes the accounts harder and more expensive to prepare, and it can create a director's loan with its own tax charge. Open the company's own account as soon as it is formed.
Get a Quote for the Cost of Setting Up a Company in the UK
Not sure what your first year will cost? Tell us about the company and we give you one clear quote.
- Holding and group structures: Priced with every layer shown.
- Regulated and high-risk companies: Quoted separately, with the reasons.
- Founders abroad: Address, identity checks and banking planned together.
- First-year budget: Filings, accounting and banking costed before you commit.
- One point of contact: From the first question to the open account.
Bottom Line
In 2026, the UK company registration cost at Companies House is £100 online, and the confirmation statement is £50 a year. With us, the cost of setting up a limited company in the UK starts from €350 with that £100 fee included, so the cost of setting up a company in the UK is still low by European standards. A realistic first year for a simple company is about €2,000 to €5,000 once the address, the accountant and a business account are added. File online, keep a filing calendar and budget for the year, not the day. For the full process, read our UK company registration guide.
