Free limited company formations with Crunch

Your first step is to decide on what you’d like to call your new company, then use our search box above to check your preferred name is available. After that we’ll transfer you to our Crunch Formations site where you can begin the quick and simple process of forming your limited company with our online application. The self-service formation process costs just £10, but if you sign up to a paid Crunch account when you form, we'll refund your formation fee! There are no hidden costs and you'll find we're even cheaper than doing it directly with Companies House!.

If you choose to become a Crunch limited company accountancy client with one of our great value packages of online accountancy software and expert advice and support, we will even do it all for you as part of your onboarding process.

We explain everything in our Knowledge article about setting up a limited company, but it's pretty simple really. You need to decide on a name for your new business and check its available and meets the rules on naming a UK company. Then you need to decide who will be the shareholders and company directors and how many shares they should have. You can also decide on who will be the company secretary if you're going to have one. You'll need to make sure that all the directors meet the criteria for being a company director and understand their directors' responsibilities.

You'll need to make a list of all the people who have significant control over the company (known as a person of significant control or PSC) and store it as your psc register - more details on our article: what is a psc register.

You'll need to provide at least three pieces of personal information about yourself and your shareholders, for example:

• town of birth

• mother’s maiden name

• father’s first name

• telephone number

• National Insurance number

passport number.

Absolutely - if you become a Crunch limited company accountancy client, we can set up your limited company as part of our onboarding process. For a small additional fee, we’ll register your company for you and deal with all the setup and registration with HMRC and Companies House on your behalf. This includes registering you for all the relevant taxes such as Corporation Tax and VAT if you think your turnover will be above the VAT registration threshold. The fee will be agreed as part of your initial setup costs. Speak to one of our friendly advisors or book a callback using the details at the top of the page for more information.

There are differences to each structure, particularly when it comes to tax and administration issues. Speak to one of our friendly advisors or book a callback using the details at the top of the page for more information. Our jargon-free article will help you understand each option and decide which is right for you: sole trader, limited company, or umbrella company.

Yes there are - most importantly it needs to be unique, there cannot be another company with the same name (or too similar name) registered at Companies House. Use our name checker at the top of the page to see if your chosen name is available. We’ve got a helpful article to make naming your company just a little easier. We cover ways to come up with a great name, sensitive words or phrases you can’t use, the difference between limited or Ltd, and loads more. Read our article on finding a great company name.

Crunch Formations will let you set up a new private limited company, we do not set up limited liability partnerships. You can find out more about the difference in our setting up a limited company article.

There’s more to running a limited company than just forming the company. Our handy article takes you through all the steps as well as explaining the other things you need to think about - such as having a business plan, a business bank account, the right business insurance, what records you need to keep, and how to stay on top of everything. Find out about how to set up a limited company. If you're interested in how Crunch can help you stay on top of your business finances with our limited accountancy packages, speak to one of our friendly advisors or book a callback using the details at the top of the page for more information.

As a limited company director, you’ll have certain responsibilities. You’re required to file various forms and returns to both Companies House and HMRC. Knowing what to file (and when) can get a bit confusing. At Crunch, we love to be helpful, so we’ve pulled all your company director responsibilities into a simple, easy-to-read article. If you're interested in how Crunch can help you stay on top of your business finances with our limited company accountancy packages, speak to one of our friendly advisors or book a callback using the details at the top of the page for more information.

If you become a Crunch client on one of our limited company accountancy packages then we can act as your company registered office for you. We will pass on all your official correspondence from HMRC or Companies House. We can also arrange a Director's Service Address so that you can keep your personal address private. Head over to our requirements of a registered office article for more information.

You do need to give your personal address to Companies House when you set up a new private limited company. But you don't have to use your home address on anything that is made public. See our question above for details of our Registered Office and Service Address options.

Setting up a limited company, but confronted by scary-looking questions regarding shares and share value? Don’t worry, it’s not as confusing as it seems. We’ve got an article that explains all about company shares, share value and share capital when you’re registering a limited company. If you're interested getting expert advice and support for questions like this as well as how Crunch can help you stay on top of your business finances with our limited company accountancy packages, speak to one of our friendly advisors or book a callback using the details at the top of the page for more information.