Companies House
The Companies House is a government body that deals with all the limited companies (“LTDs”) and limited liability partnerships (“LLPs”) registered in the UK.
When you have to deal with the Companies House if you’re an individual:
As an individual taxpayer, you will only deal with the Companies House if:
- you’re setting up an LTD or LLP
- you’re a company director and need to submit your company’s Annual Return, change of address, or statutory accounts
- you’re closing an LTD or LLP.
If you’re a sole trader, you do not need to register with the Companies House. Instead, you simply register as a self-employed with HMRC and complete an annual Self Assessment tax return.
However, you might have to file a Self Assessment with HMRC if you’re a company director as well:
- if you’re taking out dividends (on which you need to calculate and pay dividend tax)
- if you’re selling your company or closing it down and claiming Entrepreneur’s Relief
- but you won’t need to do a Self Assessment anymore just because you’re a director (this is a new rule, since 2018).
If you’re not sure which legal structure to choose, read more about the differences between sole traders and limited companies.