How to change your company name on Companies House 

Whether you’re rebranding, merging or feel like your current name isn’t quite right, you’ll need to change your company name on Companies House. 

How, you ask? Well, it’s a straightforward process, if you follow our advice.😉

But, before we dive into the details, let’s get acquainted with Companies House. 

What is Companies House? 

Companies House is the government body that oversees all limited companies (LTDs) and limited liability partnerships (LLPs) in the UK. 

If you’re starting a limited company, you must register with Companies House to get things off the ground. 🚀

How do I register with Companies House?

Registering your company with Companies House is simple and can be done through HMRC’s website. 

Depending on your business, you may also need to register for VAT. The process usually takes 24 hours, and the registration fee of £50 can be paid by debit or credit card. 

Prefer paper? You can also register by post for £71, payable by a cheque made out to ‘Companies House’. This takes a bit longer (8-10 days). If you don’t feel like doing it yourself, you can use an agent or third party to register for you. 

To register, you’ll need to provide at least three pieces of personal information about yourself, your shareholders or guarantors, such as: 

• Town of birth 📍
• Mother’s maiden name
• Father’s first name 
• Telephone number 📞
• National Insurance number
• Passport number

Once registered, you’ll receive a ‘certificate of incorporation’, which confirms the company legally exists, along with the company number and formation date. 

With your company registered, you’ll soon receive a Companies House authentication code, a 6-digit number that’s like your digital signature for operating your business online.  It’s essential for managing your company’s activity and keeping all your details up to date, like your company’s name! 

Why do I need a Companies House authentication code? 

Great question! A Companies House authentication code comes in handy when making changes to your company like its name. But, it’s not a one-trick pony, here are some more uses for it: 

• Filing your year-end accounts ✏️
• Filing your confirmation statement 
• Closing your company ❌

So, now that we can agree it’s important, let’s find out where you can find it. 

How to find your Companies House authentication code

Anyone with a company should own an authentication code. So, what do you do when you want to change your company’s name and you can’t find it? 🫠

If you forgot it or need a quick reminder, here’s what to do: 

Your Companies House authentication code should arrive within a few days – any longer and you should double-check that your physical and email addresses are correct. If everything looks normal, contact Companies House and they’ll send you a code reminder.

How do I change my limited company name? 

Now that you have your authentication code, you can change your company name. There are two ways you can do this:

Before choosing your new name, you must make sure it follows all the rules for company names, for example:  

• Your name can’t be the same as another registered company’s name.
• It can’t be too similar to another company’s name or trade mark. 👀
• It must usually end in either ‘Limited’ or ‘Ltd’.

How do I register this change? 

You can register your name change either online or by post.

Registering online:

To change your name by special resolution only, use the Companies House online service. It costs £20 to file, or £83 for the same-day service.

Registering by post:

If applying by special resolution: 

1. Download and complete the NM01 form 📥
2. Attach a copy of the resolution to your application 📎
3. Send the completed form and a £30 cheque to the address on the form ✉️

If registering with permission from the Articles of Association:

1. Download and complete the NM04 form 📥
2. Send the completed form and a £30 cheque to the address on the form ✉️

What is a confirmation statement for Companies House?

Once your company name is sorted, you’ll need to stay on top of your confirmation statement (CS01), an official document for all companies and LLPs registered in the UK. It’s how Companies House ensures your Company’s details are up to date. 👌

The deadline for filing your confirmation statement is within 14 days after the end of your 12-month review period, so we’d recommend filing it as soon as you’ve changed your company’s name! If you miss this window, your confirmation statement will be considered overdue. 🫠 

On the flip side, you can also file early to notify Companies House of any changes, like your name. 

If you have an overdue confirmation statement, don’t worry! Just follow the same steps as if you were filing it on time:

While there are no penalties for late filing, there is an annual fee for submitting your confirmation statement – £34 online or £62 by post. 

A quick note on fees 

Your payment period is separate from your review period. This means you only need to pay the annual fee with your first confirmation statement in a 12-month period. After that, you can file as many confirmation statements as you like within that period without paying extra. 

For example, if your payment period runs from 1st January 2024 to 31st December 2024, and you file your statement early on 1st August 2024, you’ll pay the fee. But, if you file again on 1st December 2024, e.g. to inform Companies House that you’ve changed your limited company’s name, you won’t need to pay until the next payment period.