The fee that businesses have to pay to register a limited company with Companies House is to increase significantly from 1 May 2024.
Companies House is putting up its registration fee for businesses from 1 May this year. Business owners currently pay just £12 to register a limited company online; from May, that fee is to rise to £50. In addition, Companies House fees will increase to £34 for confirmation statement filing, more than double the current charges of £13.
Other methods of registering a limited company have new fees too:
- Digital: £50
- Incorporation via software: £50
- Same-day incorporation via software: £78
- Paper incorporation: £71
There are also new fees for limited liability partnerships and overseas companies. These increases will add to the cost of starting a business in the UK.
"It's important to remember that Companies House don't make any money by increasing their fees. They are justifying this increase by spending more money protecting the integrity of the public register. If these changes lead to more accurate information on Companies House, there will be a decrease in fraud and overall benefit to the reputation of UK companies. Having said this, the fee increases … may put some people off starting a company. Any increase in fees is clearly unfortunate and hits small businesses proportionally the hardest." Joseph Murray, start-up advisor at Start Up A-Z.
Written by Rachel Miller.