Share capital is the total nominal value of the shares a company has issued, recorded in a statement of capital at Companies House.
A private company has no minimum. A public limited company needs at least £50,000 issued, with a quarter of the nominal value paid up, before it can be issued a trading certificate. Nominal value is not market value — it is the amount a shareholder is liable for on an unpaid share.
Related terms
- Nominal value — Nominal value is the face value assigned to a share — commonly £1 or one penny — which sets what the holder owes the company if the share is unpaid.
- Public limited company (PLC) — A public limited company may offer shares to the public, and needs £50,000 of issued share capital, two directors and a qualified company secretary.
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