If you’re running a business from home, you may be hesitant to have your house as your registered office address.
Your registered office address will be a matter of public record because it is listed on the public register of companies with Companies House. But the good news is, you can keep your home address private if you want to.
Every UK Limited Company must have a registered office address
When you set up your company, you must choose a physical location in the UK to which official documents can be sent.
This can be any address you trade from, which is all well and good if you have business premises (such as an office or warehouse). Its a bit different if you’re running a micro-business from home. For one, it may feel like an invasion of privacy, since your home address will be available to the public via Companies House. Secondly, it may not be the most practical option if you’re renting a property and likely to be moving often. You may even find that your landlord won’t allow you to use your home address.
These kinds of micro-businesses have become a key driver fuelling the UK economy in recent years. It’s very likely we’ll see more and more businesses run from home following the COVID-19 pandemic.
What is the difference between a registered office address and a business address
Your registered office address legally has to be included on your website, letters and invoices. It is listed publicly at Companies House. Your business address is where you actually run your business from. You will still have to provide your business address for things like VAT registration, but you can keep it private.
Your accountant can provide you with a registered office address
Though your residential address is where you’ll do business, it doesn’t have to be your registered office address. What other options are there?
You can rent a PO box and choose this as your correspondence address but you cannot have it as your registered office address. There are many businesses out there that provide registered office address services. Although they can be a really good option make sure you know what you are committing to, and check for any hidden costs.
There is another option you may not have considered: using your accountant’s address.
At Starfish Accounting we offer registered office services in order to provide our clients with these many benefits:
Your home address remains private
Choosing a separate location to your home protects your privacy and that of your family.
It adds credibility to your company
It demonstrates to your customers and suppliers that you’re serious about your business and your financial management.
You can avoid the majority of junk mail
Registered offices attract junk mail. We filter that junk for you so you only need to worry about your company’s official government post.
We can forward all your business post to you
Not only your official government post. No need for you to worry about the postage cost as we manage that as part of the service.
We review all that dreaded correspondence from both HMRC and Companies House
Those important letters will never be overlooked. Don’t run the risk of fines and penalties for failing to file those key statutory documents.
The price of the service is fully deductible for tax purposes
Which means, in effect, HMRC pays for a portion of the cost (subject to the rate of Corporation Tax you pay).
We offer three levels of registered office services
We offer three different levels of registered office services: Essential, Full and Premium to cater for the different needs of companies. The principle remains the same for each level – your physical post is forwarded onto you once a month (after any junk mail has been filtered out) and an engraved brass plaque with the company name will be displayed at our offices, to comply with the legal requirement.
Option 1: Essential Registered Office
This option is best for business owners who are simply looking for a professional solution to their official Registered Office address. Note, during your first year the monthly fee is slightly higher than the ongoing monthly fee to include the set up costs such as ordering the brass plaque.
Option 2: Full Registered Office
This is our most popular option because it ensures you never miss an essential statutory deadline and so avoid fines and penalties. This includes:
- Everything the Essential Registered Office solution provides.
Plus:
- A scan and email service of all the mail addressed to your registered office, when received, and emailed over to you.
- Filing of your confirmation statement (a statutory requirement for all companies to deliver to Companies House once a year) saving you the cost on essential company secretarial services.
Option 3: Premium Registered Office
This is the best option for busy business owners who don’t want any of the hassle of company secretarial work, particularly as the government keeps changing the rules. This includes:
- All services offered in the Full Registered Office level
Plus:
- Full company secretarial services – dealing with share allotments and transfers, changes in company directors and dividend board minutes.
- Answering any questions you have, at any time, on any aspect of your responsibilities under the Companies Act – so that you always have complete peace of mind.
- It’s also a perfect option for companies that are dormant, i.e. have no ‘significant accounting transactions’ during the accounting period, as it includes preparing and filing fully dormant accounts.
It’s easy to get set up, and we notify Companies House and HMRC for you
We’d hate to offer you a service that simplifies your business admin, and then make the admin of setting it up complicated!
Registering Starfish Accounting as your business address needn’t be a hassle. We take care of all the admin for you, notifying Companies House and HMRC.
So, if you’re considering setting up a Limited Company from home and don’t want your residential address to be on public record, have a chat with us about your options. You may already be operating from home and be fed up the hassle of dealing with the post. There’s no shame in that! Let’s see which option is best for you.
