How to open a UK limited company

You can incorporate yourself on gov.uk. Most of our clients would rather a formation agent check the name, file the paperwork, and give them a registered office that is not their home address.

1st Formations and Rapid Formations both do that job, including a registered office, a director service address, VAT and PAYE registration, and the first confirmation statement. Pick one. You do not need both. Hydra does not file the company for you. We introduce the agent. After the company exists, HydraTax is where we keep the filings, the books, and the payroll.

The same week, open the business account the company will be paid into. Tide is the one we walk new directors through first. If you already bank with NatWest, Mettle is the other account worth a look, because it is often paired with bookkeeping software.

Do not trade through a personal account while you “wait to see if it works”. The company is a separate legal person. Its money should land in its own account.