Companies House

Companies House is the government organisation that monitors all dealings direct with the forming, dissolution of companies and the filing of legal forms on an annual basis.

Companies in the UK have to file their annual return each year, their accounts, changes in directors and shareholding and you can also find information on companies using their companies house direct webcheck service.

What is Companies House Direct ?

As companies house is the only place that holds the original filings of up to date company information you can access the date online using the standard webcheck service. This means you pay for each item you select where as companies house direct is a subscriptions based service to provide the same information but makes it easier to get hold of.

Anyone can access the basic company information but to perform more informed checks and to combat and align to money laundering regulations then perhaps this "direct" service is better for you. The same charges apply except you have to pay a £5 monthly fee then you can get instant online access to a wealth of information including: general company details, filing history document images, company reports, document packages, company appointments, personal appointments, mortgage index, certified documents and certificates, monitor service, dissolved companies disqualified directors and insolvency details.

What Does Companies House Do ?

The main function of companies house is to incorporate and disolve companies but each year each company also needs to send in an annual return. They are also required to make this information accessible to the public.

Sending in an Annual Return Form 363

Each year every company needs to submit an annual return form 363 or LLP 363 for limited liability partnerships. These days companies house want you to complete this online so the fee for online submissions is £15 and mail submissions is £30 - a fee you can not get out of. Failing to submit this form within 30 days is a criminal offence an the companies directors or secretary can be prosecuted for this. You will also be fined if the return is late from £150 to £1,500 for private limited companies and £750 to £7,500 for public companies depending on the length of the delay.

The company secretary will receive notice to complete the return at a particular date called the "made up date" and is required to submit back or online by another date after the made up date.

The annual return is really just ensuring the data companies house hold about the company are still accurate and cover directors and sharing holding. The information that is required is the name of the company, the company's registered number, the type of company whether it's private or public, the company's registered address, the address where certain company registers are kept - if different from the registered address, the principal business activities of the company, the name and address of the company secretary (if your company has opted to appoint or retain one), the name, residential address, date of birth, nationality and business occupation of all the company's directors and the company's made-up date.

If you complete the return form 363 online all you need to is check boxes if nothing has changed and then move onto the next page.

Companies House Addresses and Contact Information

Here are the contact details of companies house in the UK

Companies House Edinburgh

Companies house in Edinburgh is responsible for the registration and dissolving of Limited Companies based in Scotland.

New Address from 26th May 2009:
4th Floor, Edinburgh Quay 2, 139 Fountainbridge. Edinburgh EH3 9FF

LP - 4 Edinburgh 2 (Legal Post) or DX ED235 Edinburgh 1

Telephone: +44 (0)303 1234 500 or Fax: 029 20380900

Old Address: 37 Castle Terrace, Edinburgh EH1 2EB

Telephone: 0870 3333636 or Fax 029 20380900 Open Mon-Fri 8:30am - 17:30pm

Companies House Cardiff

Companies House in Cardiff is responsible for the registration and dissolving of Limited Companies based in England and Wales

Address: Crown Way, Cardiff. CF14 3UZ

Telephone: 0870 3333636 or Fax: 029 20380900
Open Monday to Friday 08.30am to 17.30pm

Companies House London

The companies house london address is the information centre for company enquiries.

Address: PO BOX 29019, 21 Bloomsbury Street, London. WC1B 3XD

Telephone: 0870 3333636 or Fax: 029 20380900
Open Monday to Friday 08.30am to 17.30pm

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