Entity Formation in the UK

Ready for a permanent UK presence? We help you incorporate a limited company the right way, and stay alongside you for the accounting, payroll, and compliance that follow. Independent advice, including telling you when it is too early.

  • Independent advice
  • Vetted partners
  • Honest Timing

What forming a UK limited company means

A private limited company (Ltd) is the standard vehicle for a permanent UK business presence. When you form one, you become the legal employer and operator in the UK, with full control and no per-employee EOR fees, in exchange for the setup and the ongoing obligations.

01

Your Own Company

A limited company makes you the legal employer and operator in the UK, with full control of employment terms and a local brand presence.

02

Lower Cost at Scale

No per-employee EOR fees. For permanent, proven headcount, owning the entity is more cost-effective than ongoing EOR arrangements.

03

Setup Takes Weeks

Incorporation at Companies House can be same-day, but you cannot run payroll until you are registered with HMRC for PAYE. Timing the move matters, which is why many companies bridge with an EOR first.

How forming a UK company works, step by step

From structuring the company to operating it compliantly.

01 — Structure & prepare

We confirm a limited company is right for you, then prepare the incorporation documents, reserve the company name, and arrange your registered UK office address.

02 — Capital & notarisation

The company is filed with Companies House (share capital can be as little as GBP 1), usually same-day online, with directors and a person of significant control recorded.

03 — Register the company

Corporation tax, PAYE, and VAT accounts are set up with HMRC, so you can operate and employ compliantly.

04 — Operate & stay compliant

Business bank account, then ongoing accounting, payroll, filings, and annual reporting, all of which we can run for you.

What forming a UK company costs

Two kinds of cost: the one-off formation, and the ongoing operating obligations. UK formation is cheap and fast; the real cost is the ongoing accounting and compliance. We give you a clear figure before you commit.

Share capital & formation

A UK limited company can be formed with share capital as low as GBP 1. This is equity you own, not a fee. The Companies House registration fee is small, and incorporation is usually same-day.

Corporate tax

Corporation tax is 25% main rate, with a 19% small profits rate for profits under GBP 50,000 and marginal relief between GBP 50,000 and GBP 250,000.

VAT

Standard VAT is 20%, with registration once taxable turnover passes GBP 90,000 and quarterly returns under Making Tax Digital.

Ongoing Obligations

Accounting, monthly payroll (PAYE and National Insurance), VAT and corporation tax filings, and annual accounts and confirmation statement, all of which we can manage for you.

Why form your UK company through Bradford Jacobs

Why companies incorporate in the UK through us rather than a one-off formation agent.

We advise you on the best time to incorporate

We are independent: we assess what you actually need, place you with the right vetted partner, secure pricing you will not get going direct, and stay on your side to escalate or renegotiate. You get advice, not a product pitch.

  • Independent advice
  • Vetted partners only
  • On your side at renewal

End-to-end, not just the paperwork

We do not disappear after registration. We stay on for the accounting, payroll, and compliance, so your company runs, not just exists.

  • Beyond registration
  • Ongoing compliance
  • One team throughout

The right specialists, in place

Accounting and tax partners we have vetted and worked with, coordinated for you, so the process moves and nothing gets missed.

  • Vetted specialists
  • Coordinated for you
  • Nothing gets missed

Two decades of formations

Two decades forming and running entities across Europe. Every UK company director and person with significant control must now complete identity verification at Companies House, a requirement that took effect in November 2025 with enforcement ramping up through the rest of 2026, and one that trips up first-time overseas directors more than almost anything else in the process. We handle it before it becomes a delay.

  • Company formations
  • Notary & tax partners
  • Traps avoided

We run it after you form it

Incorporation is the start, not the finish. We stay on for accounting, payroll, tax filings, and annual accounts, so your company operates from day one without you building a local finance function.

  • Full back office
  • Accounting & payroll
  • Annual accounts

The Ltd trap familiarity hides

A growing business hits a good quarter and someone says, let us just set up a proper UK company. It sounds responsible, and UK incorporation is genuinely quick, but the obligations that follow are real. Here is what people expect against what happens in practice.

Employment & payroll obligations

Expectation: it is just a quick Companies House filing. Reality: you also need HMRC registration for PAYE, corporation tax and VAT, a registered UK office, director and PSC obligations, and you cannot run payroll until PAYE is set up.

Tax, filing & reporting obligations

Expectation: we can always reverse it. Reality: dissolving a UK company needs a formal striking-off or liquidation. And once it exists, the obligations do not stop: annual accounts, the confirmation statement, monthly RTI payroll filings, corporation tax and VAT returns, and director duties. None of this is a reason not to form a company. It is a reason to form it at the right time, with the right partners already in place.

What we handle for your UK company

Beyond incorporation, we can run the full back office for your UK company.

Compliant payroll

Compliant UK payroll and employment administration, issued and maintained for you.

Payroll & filings

Monthly payroll run, with income tax and National Insurance calculated, withheld, and filed to HMRC each month.

Statutory benefits

All statutory benefits administered: 5.6 weeks’ leave, statutory sick pay, pension auto-enrolment, parental leave, notice and redundancy.

Compliance & support

Ongoing HR compliance and a single point of contact, for the life of the engagement.

Forming a UK company: your questions answered

Straight answers on forming and running a UK limited company.

How long does it take to form a UK company?

Companies House incorporation is often same-day. But HMRC registration for PAYE takes longer, and you cannot run payroll until that completes, which is why timing matters and why many companies bridge with an EOR first.

A UK limited company can be formed with share capital as low as GBP 1. This is equity you own, not a fee. The real cost is the ongoing accounting and compliance, which we can run for you.

Yes. A UK limited company can be fully owned and directed by non-residents. You will need a registered UK office address and to complete the Companies House filing, both of which we arrange.

Form a company when you have permanent, proven headcount and want full control, and the per-head savings justify the ongoing costs. Use EOR while you are still validating the market or need people working quickly. Most companies start with EOR and incorporate later. We advise on the crossover.

Accounting, monthly RTI payroll, corporation tax and VAT returns, and annual accounts plus the confirmation statement to Companies House. We can run all of it so the company stays compliant without you building a local finance function.

Yes, and it is how most companies use us. Beyond incorporation we provide ongoing accounting, payroll, and compliance, so your UK company operates smoothly from day one without hiring locally for back office.

Ready to form your company in the UK?

Tell us your plans for the UK and we will tell you honestly whether now is the time to incorporate, then handle it end to end if it is, usually scoped within a day. No formation-mill upsell, just the right call.

Tax, company, and labour data verified June 2026 (HMRC, Companies House, PwC). Figures change; we confirm the current position when we scope your formation.