Do you want to register a company as a sole trader, but you’re not sure what you need to do? Our Sole Trader Registration package gives you everything you need, and we’ll take care of the whole process, including filling in your paperwork and submitting it to HMRC.

Please note that sole trader registration requires a National Insurance (NI) number.

If you are ready to register as a sole trader, click on “order now” and follow the instructions to submit the form online.

Our company formation specialists will contact you and take care of the filing procedures and legal formalities of sole trader registration.

Set Up a Sole Trader Company in the UK

The process to register as a sole trader in the UK is one of the easiest ways to start a business, and it’s even easier with our sole trader registration service. But if you’re not sure whether you should register as a sole trader or as a limited company, we’re here to help.

A sole trader is a self-employed person who runs their own business with no employees. Legally, there’s no distinction between you and your business. There are many benefits to becoming a sole trader, including:

Freedom of choice — As a sole trader, you can choose who you work with, when you work and how you want to run your business. You have complete control over every aspect of your business without the responsibility of employees.
Privacy — When you register as a limited company, your business’s financials will be available to anyone on the public register. But as a sole trader, you can keep all of your financial information private.
Tax is straightforward — One of the most worrying elements of being self-employed is tax. If this is your first time being self-employed, it’s likely you’ve never dealt with self-assessment tax returns. Fortunately, they’re easy to complete and even easier with the help of an accountant.

If you’re interested in registering as a sole trader, get in touch with us today. We can help you make sure that becoming a sole trader is the right choice for you and answer any questions you might have

Once you’re ready to register, we’ll take care of everything by handling your paperwork and submitting it to HMRC. Once you’re all set up, we continue to support your business with free guides, ongoing support and a free consultation with an accountant.

When you register a company, you may come across a number of different terms, including limited by guarantee. A company limited by guarantee (LBG) is an alternative type of company structure used primarily by non-profit organisations. A company that is limited by guarantee does not usually have shares or shareholders but instead has members who act as guarantors.

What do I get in your limited by guarantee company package?

• Limited by guarantee company setup
• Companies House filing fee
• Email copy of your certificate of incorporation
• Email copy of your memorandum and articles of association
• Email copy of guarantor certificates
• Email copy of your company register with first entries
• Help with opening a business bank account (optional)
• Online company manager
• Maintenance of statutory books
• Printed certificate of incorporation
• Printed guarantor certificates
• Bound memorandum and articles of association
• A free consultation with a chartered accountant
• Free lifetime customer support

When should I choose the limited by guarantee package?
This package is ideal for anyone setting up a non-profit company, such as membership organisations, clubs, and workers’ co-operative or sports associations.

Is this the right package for setting up a charity?
No. This package is not suitable for setting up a charity. To set up a charitable organisation, you will need charity articles, which are available with our limited by guarantee with charity articles package .

How is a guarantor different from a shareholder?
The main difference between a guarantor and shareholder is that a shareholder would take profits from the company. A guarantor, under normal circumstances, will not take profits, and instead, any profit is re-invested into the company.

What are the benefits of forming a limited by guarantee company?
A limited by guarantee company provides limited financial liability to the company owners (guarantors). This means their personal finances are legally protected if the company encounters financial difficulties or gets sued, making it a popular and secure option for non-profit organisations.

When you register a company , you have various options, including a Limited Liability Partnership (LLP). An LLP enables professionals such as accountants, architects, solicitors and medical practitioners in partnership to benefit from limited liability.

What businesses usually operate as LLP?
Limited liability partnerships are typically formed by professionals, including accountants, architects, solicitors and medical practitioners. In some cases, registering an LLP offers more advantages than a limited company, and today, many family-owned businesses use the LLP model. If you have specific questions on the tax implications and benefits, please seek advice from a tax consultant.

What are the basic requirements to form an LLP?
You must have a registered address (also known as your principal place of business)
An LLP must have at least two members or partners. There is no upper limit on the number of partners in an LLP
An LLP must appoint “general” and “limited” partners
An LLP must register with Companies House
Who are the officers of an LLP?
In a limited company, a business will have a director (or directors) and, sometimes, a secretary. In a limited liability partnership, however, the company will have at least one “general partner” and one “limited partner”. General and limited partners have different responsibilities and levels of liability for any debts the business can’t pay. All partners pay tax on their share of the profits.

Why form an LLP?
The main benefit of registering a limited liability partnership is that the members’ (or partners’) private assets are protected. In the case that the business fails, the partners will only lose the money they have invested; their private assets will stay secure. If something goes wrong in an unregistered partnership, on the other hand, all partners can be held liable for the debts of other partners. As such, an LLP offers more security to its partners and can prevent the business from substantially affecting a partner’s personal finances should it fail.

What are the statutory responsibilities of an LLP?
An LLP has various responsibilities, including:

Maintaining statutory registers, including a register of LLP members and PSCs (Persons of Significant Control)
Filing accounts
Trading — the company cannot be registered as dormant
Filing a confirmation statement with Companies House
Existing until it is formally terminated (via dissolution or a similar process)

How long does it take to register an LLP?
Our LLP formation application process is entirely online. Typically, your LLP will be registered within three to six hours, but this time can vary depending on the workload of Companies House on the day.

If I plan to employ others, should I choose an LLP or LTD company?
If your business has two or three members who draw similar salaries and make similar contributions, registering an LLP might be the best option for you. However, if you are likely to employ people whose payroll will be higher than the owners’ salary, a limited company may suit you better. We recommend seeking advice from a tax consultant to discuss your options.

How does partnership work in an LLP?

Partners’ responsibilities

You must appoint at least one “general partner” and one “limited partner”. A partner can be an individual or a company. Whether you are a general or limited partner affects your liability for the partnership’s debts and your responsibilities.

You cannot be a general and a limited partner at the same time, and all partners are equally responsible for any debts or obligations until the partnership has been officially registered.

Limited partners
As a limited partner, you:

Contribute an amount of money or property to the business when it’s set up
Are liable only for debts up to the amount you’ve contributed
Can’t manage the business
Can’t remove your original contribution
Must register for self-assessment with HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC).

General partners
As a general partner you:

Are liable for any debts the business can’t pay
Control and manage the business
Can make irreversible (“binding”) decisions for the business
Can apply for your business to act as an authorised contractual scheme (ACS).

You must:

Register the business with Companies House
Register the business for self-assessment with HMRC — you must also register separately as an individual
Register the business for VAT if you expect to have an annual turnover of more than £85,000
Act for the business if it’s wound up and dissolved
Send accounts to Companies House if the general partner is a limited company.

Is a formal partnership agreement required for an LLP?
It is not a legal requirement to have a partnership agreement, but we highly recommend it, as it will help to prevent any partnership disputes in future.

A flat management company — or property management company — is any company set up under the Companies Act to operate for the benefit of residents (or tenants), rather than run as a business for profit. It is also sometimes called a right to manage company, where residents can jointly run a property (for example, a block of flats).

A flat management company can be registered as a company limited by shares or a company limited by guarantee. Both of the company types offer limited liability for its members, subject to the company trading properly in line with insolvency legislation.

Should I choose limited by shares or limited by guarantee for my flat management company?
The main advantage of using a guarantee company is that no stamped (or stamp exempt) transfer is needed for changing members (on sale of the related lease). The articles simply allow for the membership of the outgoing member to terminate automatically. There is no need for any document to be signed by the member giving up their membership, and the new owner of the lease can be added in the place of the outgoing member.

The limited by shares structure is normally suited to businesses for profit, but with correctly drafted articles, this model can also work well for flat management companies. When a property changes hands, the leaseholders’ related share should be transferred by a stock transfer form and recorded in the register of members. This can be done with just a token payment and no stamp duty is payable.

What else is required to set up a flat management company?
Similar to any other business, a flat management company will have a structure. This will usually comprise one or more directors and a company secretary. The leaseholders of the flat act as members of the company and will take on these responsibilities. They must also deal with the running, repair and maintenance of the common parts of the building, either themselves or by appointing an agent to carry out the day-to-day work.

It’s also important to note that residents appointed as directors of the company will have legal responsibilities. These include sending details to Companies House about any changes to the company, such as when directors are added or removed. They must also file the company’s annual accounts and a confirmation statement every year.

For detailed advice on this, including how to deal with the landlord of a property, you can contact the Leasehold Advisory Service .

What’s included in this package?
Formation of your new UK private limited by shares company
Flat management articles of association
Super-fast online service (no signatures or paperwork required)
Digital copies of all company documents (certificate of incorporation, memorandum and articles of association, share certificates, company register with first entries, and minutes of meeting)
Registered office (London, HA4)
Director’s service address (London, HA4 for 1 officer)
Web authentication code
Printed copies of official documents
Corporate hijack protection
Pre-submission review

Optional free extras
Free business bank account (with cashback offers)
Free business startup and marketing guides
Free consultation with an accountant
Free £75 Google Ads voucher
Free business phone number
Free digital marketing consultation
Free .co.uk domain name
Free online company manager account (web portal)
Free customer support for the life of your company

Do you want to incorporate your new limited company with bespoke articles of association? You can do so with the BERKELEY & LORDS bespoke articles of association package.

Our standard service will register your company at Companies House using our standard memorandum and articles of association. While this is fine for most business types, some directors may want to use customised articles. If you plan on creating customised articles for your business, this is the package for you.

What Are Bespoke Articles of Association?
Your business’s articles of association document your company’s constitution and form a guide to how you will manage the day-to-day operations. They outline all aspects of how your business will operate, including:

• The rights, liability and duties of members
• The power and responsibilities of directors
• How profits are distributed
• Details of director appointments and removals
• How decisions are made
• Administrative duties.

Most new private limited companies use standard articles of association, but certain new businesses require tailored articles. If you’re setting up a limited company that has more than one share class or multiple shareholders, it may be worth considering creating bespoke articles of association. This lets you ensure the document reflects your agreements and tailors it specifically to your business’s needs.

If you’re planning to develop your articles of association from scratch, you should seek legal advice to avoid errors that can cause problems later on and slow down registration timeframes.

If you are supplying custom articles to incorporate a limited company, please ensure that they are in the right format:

• The document must be in Microsoft Word (.doc/.docx) or PDF format
• The text must be legible and the font clear
• The proposed new company name must be clearly written on the document.

What’s Included in the Bespoke Articles of Association Package?

• Formation of your new UK private limited company
• Bespoke memorandum and articles of association
• Super-fast online service (no signatures or paperwork)
• Digital copies of all company documents (certificate of incorporation, memorandum and articles of association, share certificates, company register with first entries and minutes of meeting)
• Registered office (London, HA4)
• Director’s service address (London, HA4 for one officer)
• Web authentication code
• Printed copies of official documents
• Corporate hijack protection
• Pre-submission review.

Optional Free Extras
Free business bank account (with cashback offers)
Free business startup and marketing guides
Free consultation with an accountant
Free £75 Google Ads voucher
Free business phone number
Free digital marketing consultation
Free domain name
Free online company manager account (web portal)
Free customer support for the life of your company.

Bespoke Articles of Association FAQs

Is It Necessary for Every Company to Have Articles of Association?
When you set up a limited company , you are legally required to create a memorandum and articles of association. At the time of formation, you will submit both of these documents to Companies House alongside your application to register your business.

Are Bespoke Articles of Association Legally Binding?
Yes. Your company’s articles of association are legally binding on the company and all of its members. For this reason, if you are creating bespoke articles of association, you should have them checked by a legal professional.

What’s the Difference Between MoA and AoA?
When you are forming your business, you’ll need to submit a memorandum and articles of association. While these are relatively similar in that they outline your business’s details, they have independent purposes:

Your memorandum of association is a legal statement that outlines the details of your company’s founders and your intention to incorporate a limited company.

Your articles of association are a more detailed document that outlines how your business will run and who will be involved.

Are a Company’s Articles of Association Publicly Available?
Business owners should be aware that the information in their company’s articles of association is public and can be viewed freely by anyone. If there are items it would prefer to remain private, this is often done by creating a shareholders agreement. A shareholders agreement is not publicly available, so it can include information that shareholders wish to keep hidden from public view.

How Do I Get a Copy of My Articles of Association?
When you use BERKELEY & LORDS bespoke articles of association package, we will supply you with both digital and hard copies of your memorandum and articles of association. However, if you misplace them, we are more than happy to help you obtain new documents. Alternatively, you can replace copies of your articles through Companies House.

This company type is suitable for charitable organisations and not-for-profit companies such as clubs, associations, sports clubs, membership clubs, educational bodies and voluntary organisation. It’s perfect for organisations that can’t set up a traditional limited by guarantee company.

What’s included in this package?

• Formation of your new UK limited by guarantee company
• Charity articles of association
• Super-fast online service (no signatures or paperwork required)
• Digital copies of all company documents (certificate of incorporation, memorandum and articles of association, and company register with first entries)
• Web authentication code
• Printed copies of official documents
• Pre-submission review

Optional free extras

• Free business startup and marketing guides
• Free consultation with an accountant
• Free £75 Google Ads voucher
• Free business phone number
• Free digital marketing consultation
• Free .com or .co.uk domain name
• Free online company manager account (web portal)
• Free customer support for the life of your company

Exemption from having ‘limited’ or ‘Ltd’ at the end of your company’s name
If the objects of your limited by guarantee company are charitable, you can be exempt from having the word “Limited” or “Ltd’ at the end of your company’s name. During the application process, you will be asked to tick a box requesting the name exemption. At the of the application process, you will be asked to download our limited by guarantee company articles of association. You can then insert the objects of your organisation and upload the edited document. The amended articles will be submitted electronically with your application.

Can I use the word ‘charity’ in the company name?
The word “charity” is considered a sensitive word by Companies House, and it cannot be included in your company name until you are registered with the Charity Commission . The easier option for you is to register your company under another name, which will give you a company number. After that, you can apply to the Charity Commission to have your company added as a “registered charity”. This will then give you a separate charity number. At this point, you will be recognised as a charity and can simply change your company name to include the word “charity”. We can help you inform Companies House of your name change and handle all the paperwork for you.

Why use a limited by guarantee company for a charity?
When you register a company , you have multiple options. Registering as a limited by guarantee company will protect the people running the organisation from personal liability for the company’s debts. In a charitable company’s limited by guarantee model articles, the liability is limited to the amount of the guarantee set out in the model articles, which is normally just £1. Funding bodies, such as local authorities, may also insist that the charitable organisation be registered as limited by guarantee.

How is a charitable organisation limited by guarantee different from a limited by shares company?
A limited by guarantee company is similar to a company limited by shares in that it is registered at Companies House, ran by directors and must file accounts and a confirmation statement every year. The fundamental difference is that a limited by guarantee company will not have any shareholders but members who control it.

What are the pros and cons of setting up a charitable organisation limited by guarantee?
There are various pros and cons of setting up a charitable organisation as a limited by guarantee company. Whether you decide to opt for this option will depend on your needs and activities.

Pros

• Pay reduced business rates
• Reduced personal liability
• Receive tax relief
• Ability to receive certain types of grants and funding

Cons

• You must follow charity law, which includes informing the Charity Commission (and the public) about your work
• You can only do activities that are charitable in law
• A limited by guarantee charity is run by trustees who do not usually personally benefit from the organisation
• You must be independent — a charity can work with other organisations but must make independent decisions about how it carries out its charitable purposes. For members not comfortable with this, this can prove a disadvantage.

A company set up under the Companies Act to operate for the benefit of residents (or tenants) — rather than run as a business for profit — is known as a flat management (or property management) company. It is also sometimes called a right to manage company, where residents can jointly run a property, such as a block of flats.

A flat management company can either be registered as a company limited by shares or a company limited by guarantee. Both of the company types offer limited liability for its members, subject to the company trading properly in line with insolvency legislation.

Should I choose limited by shares or limited by guarantee?
The main advantage of using a guarantee company is that no stamped (or stamp exempt) transfer is needed on changes of members (on sale of the related lease). The articles can simply provide for the membership of the outgoing lessee to terminate automatically when they cease to hold the lease. There is no need for any document to be signed by the member giving up their membership, and the new owner of the lease can simply be added to the membership in the place of the outgoing member.

The limited by shares company is normally designed for profit-making enterprises, but with correctly drafted articles, it can also work well for flat management companies. When a property changes hands, the leaseholders’ related share should be transferred by a stock transfer form and recorded in the register of members. This can be done with just a token payment and no stamp duty is payable.

What else is required to set up a flat management company?
An arrangement must be made to deal with the running, repair and maintenance of the common parts of the building. The leaseholders of the flats act as members of the company — one or more will be appointed to act as directors and one will usually be the company secretary. They can also appoint an agent to carry out the day-to-day work or one may be specified in the leases with the freeholder.

Please note that residents who have agreed to become directors will have legal responsibilities. You must send details to Companies House about specific changes to the company when you make them, including adding or removing directors, and you must file the company’s annual accounts and a confirmation statement every year.

If you want detailed advice on this, including dealing with the landlord, please contact the Leasehold Advisory Service.

What’s included in this package?

• Formation of a new UK limited by guarantee company
• Flat management articles of association
• Super-fast online service (no signatures or paperwork required)
• Digital copies of all company documents (certificate of incorporation, memorandum and articles of association, and company register with first entries)
• Web authentication code
• Printed copies of official documents
• Pre-submission review

Optional free extras

• Free business startup and marketing guides
• Free consultation with an accountant
• Free £75 Google Ads voucher
• Free business phone number
• Free digital marketing consultation
• Free .com or .co.uk domain name
• Free online company manager account (web portal)
• Free customer support for the life of your company