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What it costs to register a UK company
The statutory fee, the agent fee, and the recurring costs that decide what a company really costs in year two.
Companies House charges a statutory fee of £100 to incorporate digitally, £124 by paper, or £156 same-day. A formation agent charges its own fee on top — ours starts at £12.99 plus VAT. The costs that matter more are the recurring ones: address renewals, the confirmation statement, and accounts.
The fee you cannot avoid
Companies House sets and collects its own fee and it goes to them, not to any agent. It is the same whether you file directly or through us, and any agent quoting a single blended number is making it harder for you to compare them.
The agent fee
This is the part that varies, from a pound or two to several hundred. A very low headline fee is a loss-leader recovered on renewals and on bank referral commission. There is nothing wrong with that model provided you can see the renewals before you buy — which is usually the part that is hard to find.
Year two is the real number
Registered office and service address renewals, the confirmation statement with its own £50 Companies House fee, accounts preparation, and any filing you need during the year. Add those up before you compare formation prices, because that is what you will actually pay every year.
What should be free
Checking a name. Changing your registered office to or away from a provider. Being told that what you are about to buy is the wrong thing for you.
Where to go next
Check a name first
Statutory rules, then the Companies House register. Free, and no email required.
Check a company name What it costs