There is a lot of information you need to digest before you can decide whether starting a private limited company is right for you and a viable option. All of this information is available, but it's provided by a number of different official sources, each of which only offer guidance on their particular area. This page aims to bring together information that I've found useful.
Business Link
A government funded organisation that provides lots of useful information about business, including advice about starting one. Use their web site (or give them a call) to find your local business link, then contact you local business link for advice.
- Business Link – Business support, information and advice. The site includes some useful tools for gathering information and planning your startup.
- Starting up – Comprehensive advice on most aspects of starting a business.
- Local Business Link – Find your local business link.
- Business Link for Greater Manchester – Business Link for Greater Manchester
- Manchester Business Consortium – The business link for central Manchester. Call them and book a 2 hour pre-start awareness session before arranging a 1 hour one-on-one session.
Companies House
Companies House is responsible for company registration. Their web site provides a lot of information, but I often found it confusing due to their use of unfamiliar terminology (to a novice), reference of external information that required purchase (with no clear indication of what exactly to purchase) and cyclic dependencies (where one bit of information referenced a second bit, which referenced the first bit, etc). Also, I found that they were fairly useless at providing further information over the phone, even if it was to expand on the information provided on their site. In summary, read the information on their web site, do further research on the internet (the Business Link is very useful) and phone them with your fingers crossed.
- Companies House – The main functions of Companies House are to incorporate and dissolve limited companies examine and store company information delivered under the Companies Act and related legislation and make this information available to the public.
- Company Formation - GBF1 – This booklet is about requirements for the incorporation of private limited companies, public limited companies (PLCs) and unlimited companies. It explains the difference between these types of company and the formation documents, membership, capital and
- Directors and Secretaries Guide - GBA1 – Explains some of the main responsibilities of a company's officers and deals with some of the key requirements of the Companies Act 1985 in relation to the delivery of documents to Companies House.
HM Revenue & Customs (aka Inland Revenue)
Tax does have to be taxing.
Once you've registered your company with Companies House you'll have to contact HMRC and register for tax. Give them a call and request an information pack. Their web site provides a lot of useful information and is well structured. In contrast to Companies House, they were very helpful over the phone, but the bureaucracy is ridiculous - each area of tax is dealt with by a different department. I was referred to 4 different departments when I called with what I thought was a fairly simple question about whether to fund myself via the company or via my savings.
- HMRC – HM Revenue & Customs (aka Inland Revenue), responsible for collecting the bulk of tax revenue, as well as paying Tax Credits and Child Benefits.
- Register a new business – Advice from HMRC about registering a new business.
- Starting up in Business – Advice from HMRC about starting up in business.
Other useful links
See this document: Private Limited Company Links.
