Startup company formation

Set up a UK limited company properly, share structure, founder shares, registrations and the decisions that are expensive to unwind later.

• Incorporation with a share structure that suits future funding

• Founder shares issued early, at nominal value, with the tax point considered

• Articles, share classes and vesting discussed before filing

• PAYE, VAT and corporation tax registrations as needed

• Registered office and Companies House record set up correctly

• Bookkeeping, banking and first-year deadline calendar

Founder shares are cheapest and cleanest when issued at incorporation, at nominal value, before the company has value. Issuing equity to a co-founder after a raise creates an employment-related securities charge on the difference between price paid and market value.

Ordinary share capital structure matters for SEIS, EIS and EMI eligibility. Preference rights, multiple classes or an offshore parent introduced early can quietly disqualify reliefs worth six figures.

New companies must register for corporation tax within three months of starting to trade, file a confirmation statement annually, and keep the PSC register accurate. Companies House identity verification requirements now apply to directors and PSCs, so allow time for it.

Thresholds, rates and deadlines quoted here reflect the 2026/27 UK position. Check current GOV.UK guidance, or ask us, before you rely on them for your own company.

We start by looking at the last filed accounts, your current records and your filing dates, then confirm a fixed scope and fee in writing.

Once the work is live you get reminders ahead of each deadline, a named person to ask questions, and a plain-English summary when the figures are ready, not a PDF with no explanation.