Register Your UK Company the Right Way — with Chartered Accountants, Not an App
Formation apps and volume agents file your paperwork, then leave you alone with corporation tax, VAT, PAYE and the new identity-verification rules. TaxDigit is a regulated chartered accountancy practice and a Companies House authorised agent: we form your company properly, verify your identity in-house, set up every tax registration, and stay with you as your accountant — one transparent fixed fee, no renewal traps.
Is Your Company Name Available?
Checked live against the official Companies House register — the same data every formation agent uses, free and instant.
Live search of the Companies House register. An available name is not reserved until your incorporation is filed — we can usually file the same working day. Sensitive words (e.g. “Bank”, “Chartered”, “Royal”) may need approval — we handle that for you.
The Gaps Every Formation Website Leaves — and How We Close Them
We studied what Tide, ANNA, 1st Formations and Mint Formations actually include. The pattern is the same: a cheap headline price, then software, subscriptions and renewal fees — and no accountant anywhere.
A Chartered Accountant, Not a Chatbot
Banking apps answer tax questions with blog links and AI chat. Your TaxDigit formation is handled and reviewed by a chartered accountant who is personally reachable — before and after incorporation.
Any Share Structure
Tide accepts single-shareholder companies only and ANNA caps you at four people. We form companies with multiple share classes, spouses, investors, holding companies and property SPVs — with advice on the right structure.
Tax Set Up on Day One
Corporation tax (UTR), VAT and PAYE registrations are part of the job, not upsells. You start trading compliant, with a salary-and-dividend plan that fits the current tax year.
No Renewal-Fee Treadmill
The £2.99 formation becomes registered-office renewals, compliance subscriptions and confirmation-statement fees. We quote one transparent fixed fee and tell you exactly what year two costs.
Identity Verification, Done In-House
As a Companies House authorised agent (ACSP) we verify directors and PSCs ourselves — a legal requirement since November 2025 — with a person guiding you, not a selfie app rejecting your photo at midnight.
Year One Fully Covered
First accounts, corporation tax return, confirmation statement, payroll and VAT returns — handled by the same firm that formed your company. Nothing falls between two providers.
| What you actually get | TaxDigit — Chartered Accountants | Banking apps (Tide, ANNA) | Formation agents (1st Formations, Mint) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Who does the work | Regulated chartered accountancy practice | Software + support chat | Volume filing agent |
| Multiple shareholders & share classes | Yes — any legal structure, with advice | Tide: single shareholder only; ANNA: max 4 people | Filed, but no structuring advice |
| Corporation tax, VAT & PAYE registration | Included in your package | Higher tiers or software subscription | Paid add-ons |
| Tax-planning advice (salary & dividends) | Yes — from your accountant | Blog articles / AI chat | Not offered |
| Companies House identity verification (ECCTA) | Done by us as an ACSP, with human help | App-based self-service | Self-service upload |
| First-year accounts & tax return | Handled by the same firm | Paid software (from ~£13.99/month) or not offered | Dormant accounts only / referrals |
| Ongoing cost model | One transparent fixed fee | Monthly subscriptions & account fees | Annual renewal fees on addresses & filings |
| Someone to call | Named accountant — Guildford office, +44 1483 230 777 | In-app chat | Call centre, office hours |
Comparison based on each provider’s published website and pricing, July 2026. Companies House filing fee (£100 for digital incorporation since 1 February 2026) applies to every provider.
Everything Included When We Register Your Company
One engagement covers the incorporation and the first-year obligations the apps leave you to discover on your own.
New Law: Every Director Must Now Verify Their Identity
Under the Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act, identity verification with Companies House became mandatory for all new directors and PSCs on 18 November 2025. Existing directors must verify during the transition period ending November 2026 — most with their next confirmation statement.
TaxDigit is an authorised Corporate Service Provider (ACSP): we complete the verification for you and obtain your Companies House personal code as part of your formation — and we can verify directors of companies you already own. No GOV.UK One Login struggles, no rejected selfies.
From Name to Trading Company in Four Steps
Most incorporations are approved within one working day of filing.
Check & reserve your name
Use the free checker above. We confirm the name is safe to use — including trademark and sensitive-word pitfalls the register alone will not show you.
Tell us about your business
Complete the short form below — who is involved, what the company will do, and which services you need. Upload your ID securely to speed things up.
We verify & file
Identity verification in-house (ACSP), then your incorporation is filed with Companies House. You receive your certificate, usually the next working day.
Trade from day one
UTR, VAT and PAYE set up, bank account introduced, deadlines diarised — and your accountant already knows your business.
Start Your UK Company Now
Tell us the essentials — a chartered accountant (not a sales team) reviews every enquiry and replies within one working day with a fixed quote.
UK Company Registration — Your Questions Answered
Straight answers from chartered accountants — the details the comparison sites gloss over.
How much does it cost to register a company in the UK?
Companies House charges a £100 filing fee for digital incorporation (since 1 February 2026). Formation websites add their own fee on top — and typically recover a cheap headline price later through subscriptions and renewals. TaxDigit quotes one fixed, all-in fee covering the filing fee, identity verification, tax registrations and advice, agreed before we start.
How long does it take to register a limited company?
Most digital incorporations are approved by Companies House within 24 hours of filing on a working day. Identity verification is completed first — as an ACSP we do this the same day you send your documents.
How do I check if my company name is available?
Use the free checker on this page — it searches the live Companies House register. Remember that availability on the register is not the whole story: “same as” and “too like” rules, sensitive words and existing trademarks can still block or endanger a name. We check all of these before filing.
Do I need an accountant to set up a limited company, or is an app enough?
Anyone can file the form. What the apps do not do is choose the right share structure, register you for the right taxes at the right time, plan salary and dividends, or take responsibility when something is wrong. A chartered accountant does all of that — and at TaxDigit the formation itself costs no more than the agents’ bundled packages.
What is Companies House identity verification, and does it apply to me?
Since 18 November 2025, every new director and person with significant control must verify their identity with Companies House, and existing directors must verify during the transition period ending November 2026. As an authorised agent (ACSP) we complete the verification and obtain your personal code for you — for new companies and existing ones.
Can I register a UK company if I live abroad?
Yes — there is no UK-residency requirement for directors or shareholders. You will need a UK registered office (we provide one), identity verification (we are authorised to verify non-UK residents), and often a slightly different banking route, which we guide you through. We act for founders across Europe, the Middle East and beyond.
Can I keep my home address off the public register?
Yes. Use our registered office and director’s service address instead of your home. Unlike the volume agents, ours is not an anonymous London mailbox shared with thousands of companies — it is a real accountancy office that forwards what matters and files what is due.
What happens after my company is registered?
Within your first year you must file a confirmation statement (£50 Companies House fee), register for and pay corporation tax, run payroll if you take a salary, and possibly register for VAT at the £90,000 threshold. This is exactly the point where app-based providers hand you a blog post. We simply do it — it is included in how we work.
Sole trader or limited company — which is right for me?
It depends on your profit level, risk, plans to reinvest, and how you pay yourself. As a rough guide, incorporation starts to pay for itself as profits grow, but the calculation changed with recent dividend-tax and corporation-tax rules — we run your numbers both ways before you commit, free with any formation enquiry.
Why is TaxDigit different from Tide, ANNA, 1st Formations or Mint Formations?
They are software companies and volume filing agents; we are a regulated chartered accountancy practice and Companies House authorised agent. You get structuring and tax advice before filing, in-house identity verification, every tax registration done for you, and the same firm preparing your accounts at year end — for one transparent fixed fee with no renewal traps.