As a director of a limited company, you must:

• follow the company's rules, shown in its articles of association
• keep company records and report changes
• file your accounts and your Company Tax Return
• tell other shareholders if you might personally benefit from a transaction the company makes
• pay Corporation Tax
• register for Self Assessment and send a personal Self Assessment tax return every year

You don't need to register for Self Assessment or send a tax return if your company is a non-profit organisation (eg, a charity) and you didn't get any pay or benefits, like a company car.

You can hire other people to manage some of these things day-to-day (eg, an accountant) but you're still legally responsible for your company's records, accounts and performance.

You may be fined, prosecuted or disqualified if you don't meet your responsibilities as a director.

How you take money out of the company depends on what it's for and how much you take out.

Salary, expenses and benefits

If you want the company to pay you or anyone else a salary, expenses or benefits, you must register the company as an employer - see how to register as an employer.

The company must take Income Tax and National Insurance contributions from your salary payments and pay these to HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC), along with employers' National Insurance contributions.

If you or one of your employees make personal use of something that belongs to the business, you must report it as a benefit and pay any tax due.

Dividends

A dividend is a payment a company can make to shareholders if it has made a profit.

You can't count dividends as business costs when you work out your Corporation Tax.

Your company must not pay out more in dividends than its available profits from current and previous financial years.

You must usually pay dividends to all shareholders.

To pay a dividend, you must:

• hold a directors' meeting to 'declare' the dividend
• keep minutes of the meeting, even if you're the only director

Dividend paperwork

For each dividend payment the company makes, you must write up a dividend voucher showing the:

• date
• company name
• names of the shareholders being paid a dividend
• amount of the dividend

You must give a copy of the voucher to recipients of the dividend and keep a copy for your company's records.

Tax on dividends

Your company doesn't need to pay tax on dividend payments. But shareholders may have to pay Income Tax if they're over £5,000 - read more on paying tax on dividends.

Directors' loans

If you take more money out of a company than you've put in - and it isn't salary or dividend - it's called a 'directors' loan'.

If your company makes directors' loans, you must keep records of them. There are also some detailed tax rules about how directors' loans are handled - see director's loans.

You must report certain changes to Companies House.

Changing your company's registered office address

You must tell Companies House if you want to change your company's registered office address. If the change is approved, they will tell HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC).

Your company's new registered office address must be in the same part of the United Kingdom that the company was registered (incorporated).

For example, if your company was registered in Northern Ireland and England, the new registered office address must be in Northern Ireland or England.

Your address won't officially change until Companies House has registered it.

Other limited company changes you must report

You must tell HMRC if:

• your business' contact details change - for example, your name, business name or your personal or trading address
• you appoint an accountant or tax adviser

You must tell Companies House within 14 days if you make changes to:

• the address where you keep your records, and which records you keep there
• directors or their personal details, like their address
• company secretaries (appointing a new one or ending an existing one's appointment)

You must tell Companies House within a month if you issue more shares in your company.

How to report changes to Companies House

You can:

• use the Companies House online service
• fill in and send paper forms

Changes that shareholders must approve

You may need to get shareholders to vote on the decision if you want to:

• change the company name
• remove a director
• change the company's articles of association

This is called 'passing a resolution'. Most resolutions will need a majority to agree (called an 'ordinary resolution'). Some might require a 75 per cent majority (called a 'special resolution').

Companies House has more details about the types of changes and resolutions you must report to them.

Your new company name won't take effect until it's registered by Companies House - they'll tell you when this happens.

Shareholder voting

When you're working out whether you have a majority, count the number of shares that give the owner the right to vote, rather than the number of shareholders.

You don't necessarily need to have a meeting of shareholders to pass a resolution. If the right amount of shareholders have told you they agree, you can confirm the resolution in writing. But you must write to all shareholders letting them know about the decision.

You must keep:

• records about the company itself
• financial and accounting records

You can hire a professional (eg an accountant) to help with your tax.

HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) may check your records to make sure you're paying the right amount of tax.

Records about the company

You must keep details of:

• directors, shareholders and company secretaries
• the results of any shareholder votes and resolutions
• promises for the company to repay loans at a specific date in the future ('debentures') and who they must be paid back to
• promises the company makes for payments if something goes wrong and it's the company's fault ('indemnities')
• transactions when someone buys shares in the company
• loans or mortgages secured against the company's assets

You must tell Companies House if you keep the records somewhere other than the company's registered office address.

Register of 'people with significant control'

You must also keep a register of 'people with significant control' (PSC). Your PSC register must include details of anyone who:

• has more than 25 per cent shares or voting rights in your company
• can appoint or remove a majority of directors
• can influence or control your company or trust

You still need to keep a record if there are no people with significant control.

GOV.UK provide more guidance on keeping a PSC register if your company's ownership and control isn't simple.

Accounting records

You must keep accounting records that include:

• all money received and spent by the company
• details of assets owned by the company
• debts the company owes or is owed
• stock the company owns at the end of the financial year
• the stocktakings you used to work out the stock figure
• all goods bought and sold
• who you bought and sold them to and from (unless you run a retail business)

You must also keep any other financial records, information and calculations you need to prepare and file your annual accounts and Company Tax Return. This includes records of:

• all money spent by the company, for example receipts, petty cash books, orders and delivery notes
• all money received by the company, for example invoices, contracts, sales books and till rolls
• any other relevant documents, for example bank statements and correspondence

You can be fined £3,000 by HMRC or disqualified as a company director if you don't keep accounting records.

How long to keep records

You must keep records for six years from the end of the last company financial year they relate to, or longer if:

• they show a transaction that covers more than one of the company's accounting periods
• the company has bought something that it expects to last more than six years, like equipment or machinery
• you sent your Company Tax Return late

HMRC has started a compliance check into your Company Tax Return

If your records are lost, stolen or destroyed

If you can't replace your records after they were lost, stolen or destroyed you must:

• do your best to recreate them
• tell your Corporation Tax office immediately
• include this information in your Company Tax Return

You need to check that the information Companies House has about your limited company is correct every year. This is called a confirmation statement (previously an annual return).

Check your company's details

You need to check the following:

• the details of your registered office, directors, secretary and the address where you keep your records
• your statement of capital and shareholder information if your company has shares
• your SIC code (the number that identifies what your company does)
• your register of 'people with significant control' (PSC) - you'll need to include this the first time you file a confirmation statement

Check the Companies House register.

Send your confirmation statement

Send your confirmation statement online or by post. It costs £13 to file your confirmation statement online, and £40 by post.

If you need to report changes

You can report changes to your statement of capital, shareholder information and SIC codes at the same time.

You can't use the confirmation statement to report changes to your company's officers, registered office address or the address where you keep your records - file those changes separately.

When it's due

You'll get an email alert or a reminder letter to your company's registered office when your confirmation statement is due.

The due date is usually a year after either:

• the date your company incorporated
• the date you filed your last annual return or confirmation statement

You can file your confirmation statement up to 14 days after the due date.

You can be fined up to £5,000 and your company may be struck off if you don't send your confirmation statement.

There are certain rules you need to follow when promoting your limited company.

Signs

You must display a sign showing your company name at your registered company address and wherever your business operates. If you're running your business from home, you don't need to display a sign there.

For example, if you're running three shops and an office that's not at your home, you must display a sign at each of them.

The sign must be easy to read and to see at any time, not just when you're open.

Stationery and promotional material

You must include your company's name on all company documents, publicity and letters.

On business letters, order forms and websites, you must show:

• the company's registered number
• its registered office address
• where the company is registered (eg Northern Ireland)
• the fact that it's a limited company (usually by spelling out the company's full name including 'Limited' or 'Ltd')

If you want to include directors' names, you must list all of them.

If you want to show your company's share capital (how much the shares were worth when you issued them), you must say how much is 'paid up' (owned by shareholders).

There are different rules for what you need to include on invoices.

As a director of a limited company, you must:

• follow the company's rules, shown in its articles of association
• keep company records and report changes
• file your accounts and your Company Tax Return
• tell other shareholders if you might personally benefit from a transaction the company makes
• pay Corporation Tax
• register for Self Assessment and send a personal Self Assessment tax return every year

You don't need to register for Self Assessment or send a tax return if your company is a non-profit organisation (eg, a charity) and you didn't get any pay or benefits, like a company car.

You can hire other people to manage some of these things day-to-day (eg, an accountant) but you're still legally responsible for your company's records, accounts and performance.

You may be fined, prosecuted or disqualified if you don't meet your responsibilities as a director.

How you take money out of the company depends on what it's for and how much you take out.

Salary, expenses and benefits

If you want the company to pay you or anyone else a salary, expenses or benefits, you must register the company as an employer - see how to register as an employer.

The company must take Income Tax and National Insurance contributions from your salary payments and pay these to HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC), along with employers' National Insurance contributions.

If you or one of your employees make personal use of something that belongs to the business, you must report it as a benefit and pay any tax due.

Dividends

A dividend is a payment a company can make to shareholders if it has made a profit.

You can't count dividends as business costs when you work out your Corporation Tax.

Your company must not pay out more in dividends than its available profits from current and previous financial years.

You must usually pay dividends to all shareholders.

To pay a dividend, you must:

• hold a directors' meeting to 'declare' the dividend
• keep minutes of the meeting, even if you're the only director

Dividend paperwork

For each dividend payment the company makes, you must write up a dividend voucher showing the:

• date
• company name
• names of the shareholders being paid a dividend
• amount of the dividend

You must give a copy of the voucher to recipients of the dividend and keep a copy for your company's records.

Tax on dividends

Your company doesn't need to pay tax on dividend payments. But shareholders may have to pay Income Tax if they're over £5,000 - read more on paying tax on dividends.

Directors' loans

If you take more money out of a company than you've put in - and it isn't salary or dividend - it's called a 'directors' loan'.

If your company makes directors' loans, you must keep records of them. There are also some detailed tax rules about how directors' loans are handled - see director's loans.

You must report certain changes to Companies House.

Changing your company's registered office address

You must tell Companies House if you want to change your company's registered office address. If the change is approved, they will tell HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC).

Your company's new registered office address must be in the same part of the United Kingdom that the company was registered (incorporated).

For example, if your company was registered in Northern Ireland and England, the new registered office address must be in Northern Ireland or England.

Your address won't officially change until Companies House has registered it.

Other limited company changes you must report

You must tell HMRC if:

• your business' contact details change - for example, your name, business name or your personal or trading address
• you appoint an accountant or tax adviser

You must tell Companies House within 14 days if you make changes to:

• the address where you keep your records, and which records you keep there
• directors or their personal details, like their address
• company secretaries (appointing a new one or ending an existing one's appointment)

You must tell Companies House within a month if you issue more shares in your company.

How to report changes to Companies House

You can:

• use the Companies House online service
• fill in and send paper forms

Changes that shareholders must approve

You may need to get shareholders to vote on the decision if you want to:

• change the company name
• remove a director
• change the company's articles of association

This is called 'passing a resolution'. Most resolutions will need a majority to agree (called an 'ordinary resolution'). Some might require a 75 per cent majority (called a 'special resolution').

Companies House has more details about the types of changes and resolutions you must report to them.

Your new company name won't take effect until it's registered by Companies House - they'll tell you when this happens.

Shareholder voting

When you're working out whether you have a majority, count the number of shares that give the owner the right to vote, rather than the number of shareholders.

You don't necessarily need to have a meeting of shareholders to pass a resolution. If the right amount of shareholders have told you they agree, you can confirm the resolution in writing. But you must write to all shareholders letting them know about the decision.

You must keep:

• records about the company itself
• financial and accounting records

You can hire a professional (eg an accountant) to help with your tax.

HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) may check your records to make sure you're paying the right amount of tax.

Records about the company

You must keep details of:

• directors, shareholders and company secretaries
• the results of any shareholder votes and resolutions
• promises for the company to repay loans at a specific date in the future ('debentures') and who they must be paid back to
• promises the company makes for payments if something goes wrong and it's the company's fault ('indemnities')
• transactions when someone buys shares in the company
• loans or mortgages secured against the company's assets

You must tell Companies House if you keep the records somewhere other than the company's registered office address.

Register of 'people with significant control'

You must also keep a register of 'people with significant control' (PSC). Your PSC register must include details of anyone who:

• has more than 25 per cent shares or voting rights in your company
• can appoint or remove a majority of directors
• can influence or control your company or trust

You still need to keep a record if there are no people with significant control.

GOV.UK provide more guidance on keeping a PSC register if your company's ownership and control isn't simple.

Accounting records

You must keep accounting records that include:

• all money received and spent by the company
• details of assets owned by the company
• debts the company owes or is owed
• stock the company owns at the end of the financial year
• the stocktakings you used to work out the stock figure
• all goods bought and sold
• who you bought and sold them to and from (unless you run a retail business)

You must also keep any other financial records, information and calculations you need to prepare and file your annual accounts and Company Tax Return. This includes records of:

• all money spent by the company, for example receipts, petty cash books, orders and delivery notes
• all money received by the company, for example invoices, contracts, sales books and till rolls
• any other relevant documents, for example bank statements and correspondence

You can be fined £3,000 by HMRC or disqualified as a company director if you don't keep accounting records.

How long to keep records

You must keep records for six years from the end of the last company financial year they relate to, or longer if:

• they show a transaction that covers more than one of the company's accounting periods
• the company has bought something that it expects to last more than six years, like equipment or machinery
• you sent your Company Tax Return late

HMRC has started a compliance check into your Company Tax Return

If your records are lost, stolen or destroyed

If you can't replace your records after they were lost, stolen or destroyed you must:

• do your best to recreate them
• tell your Corporation Tax office immediately
• include this information in your Company Tax Return

You need to check that the information Companies House has about your limited company is correct every year. This is called a confirmation statement (previously an annual return).

Check your company's details

You need to check the following:

• the details of your registered office, directors, secretary and the address where you keep your records
• your statement of capital and shareholder information if your company has shares
• your SIC code (the number that identifies what your company does)
• your register of 'people with significant control' (PSC) - you'll need to include this the first time you file a confirmation statement

Check the Companies House register.

Send your confirmation statement

Send your confirmation statement online or by post. It costs £13 to file your confirmation statement online, and £40 by post.

If you need to report changes

You can report changes to your statement of capital, shareholder information and SIC codes at the same time.

You can't use the confirmation statement to report changes to your company's officers, registered office address or the address where you keep your records - file those changes separately.

When it's due

You'll get an email alert or a reminder letter to your company's registered office when your confirmation statement is due.

The due date is usually a year after either:

• the date your company incorporated
• the date you filed your last annual return or confirmation statement

You can file your confirmation statement up to 14 days after the due date.

You can be fined up to £5,000 and your company may be struck off if you don't send your confirmation statement.

There are certain rules you need to follow when promoting your limited company.

Signs

You must display a sign showing your company name at your registered company address and wherever your business operates. If you're running your business from home, you don't need to display a sign there.

For example, if you're running three shops and an office that's not at your home, you must display a sign at each of them.

The sign must be easy to read and to see at any time, not just when you're open.

Stationery and promotional material

You must include your company's name on all company documents, publicity and letters.

On business letters, order forms and websites, you must show:

• the company's registered number
• its registered office address
• where the company is registered (eg Northern Ireland)
• the fact that it's a limited company (usually by spelling out the company's full name including 'Limited' or 'Ltd')

If you want to include directors' names, you must list all of them.

If you want to show your company's share capital (how much the shares were worth when you issued them), you must say how much is 'paid up' (owned by shareholders).

There are different rules for what you need to include on invoices.

As a director of a limited company, you must:

• follow the company's rules, shown in its articles of association
• keep company records and report changes
• file your accounts and your Company Tax Return
• tell other shareholders if you might personally benefit from a transaction the company makes
• pay Corporation Tax
• register for Self Assessment and send a personal Self Assessment tax return every year

You don't need to register for Self Assessment or send a tax return if your company is a non-profit organisation (eg, a charity) and you didn't get any pay or benefits, like a company car.

You can hire other people to manage some of these things day-to-day (eg, an accountant) but you're still legally responsible for your company's records, accounts and performance.

You may be fined, prosecuted or disqualified if you don't meet your responsibilities as a director.

How you take money out of the company depends on what it's for and how much you take out.

Salary, expenses and benefits

If you want the company to pay you or anyone else a salary, expenses or benefits, you must register the company as an employer - see how to register as an employer.

The company must take Income Tax and National Insurance contributions from your salary payments and pay these to HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC), along with employers' National Insurance contributions.

If you or one of your employees make personal use of something that belongs to the business, you must report it as a benefit and pay any tax due.

Dividends

A dividend is a payment a company can make to shareholders if it has made a profit.

You can't count dividends as business costs when you work out your Corporation Tax.

Your company must not pay out more in dividends than its available profits from current and previous financial years.

You must usually pay dividends to all shareholders.

To pay a dividend, you must:

• hold a directors' meeting to 'declare' the dividend
• keep minutes of the meeting, even if you're the only director

Dividend paperwork

For each dividend payment the company makes, you must write up a dividend voucher showing the:

• date
• company name
• names of the shareholders being paid a dividend
• amount of the dividend

You must give a copy of the voucher to recipients of the dividend and keep a copy for your company's records.

Tax on dividends

Your company doesn't need to pay tax on dividend payments. But shareholders may have to pay Income Tax if they're over £5,000 - read more on paying tax on dividends.

Directors' loans

If you take more money out of a company than you've put in - and it isn't salary or dividend - it's called a 'directors' loan'.

If your company makes directors' loans, you must keep records of them. There are also some detailed tax rules about how directors' loans are handled - see director's loans.

You must report certain changes to Companies House.

Changing your company's registered office address

You must tell Companies House if you want to change your company's registered office address. If the change is approved, they will tell HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC).

Your company's new registered office address must be in the same part of the United Kingdom that the company was registered (incorporated).

For example, if your company was registered in Northern Ireland and England, the new registered office address must be in Northern Ireland or England.

Your address won't officially change until Companies House has registered it.

Other limited company changes you must report

You must tell HMRC if:

• your business' contact details change - for example, your name, business name or your personal or trading address
• you appoint an accountant or tax adviser

You must tell Companies House within 14 days if you make changes to:

• the address where you keep your records, and which records you keep there
• directors or their personal details, like their address
• company secretaries (appointing a new one or ending an existing one's appointment)

You must tell Companies House within a month if you issue more shares in your company.

How to report changes to Companies House

You can:

• use the Companies House online service
• fill in and send paper forms

Changes that shareholders must approve

You may need to get shareholders to vote on the decision if you want to:

• change the company name
• remove a director
• change the company's articles of association

This is called 'passing a resolution'. Most resolutions will need a majority to agree (called an 'ordinary resolution'). Some might require a 75 per cent majority (called a 'special resolution').

Companies House has more details about the types of changes and resolutions you must report to them.

Your new company name won't take effect until it's registered by Companies House - they'll tell you when this happens.

Shareholder voting

When you're working out whether you have a majority, count the number of shares that give the owner the right to vote, rather than the number of shareholders.

You don't necessarily need to have a meeting of shareholders to pass a resolution. If the right amount of shareholders have told you they agree, you can confirm the resolution in writing. But you must write to all shareholders letting them know about the decision.

You must keep:

• records about the company itself
• financial and accounting records

You can hire a professional (eg an accountant) to help with your tax.

HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) may check your records to make sure you're paying the right amount of tax.

Records about the company

You must keep details of:

• directors, shareholders and company secretaries
• the results of any shareholder votes and resolutions
• promises for the company to repay loans at a specific date in the future ('debentures') and who they must be paid back to
• promises the company makes for payments if something goes wrong and it's the company's fault ('indemnities')
• transactions when someone buys shares in the company
• loans or mortgages secured against the company's assets

You must tell Companies House if you keep the records somewhere other than the company's registered office address.

Register of 'people with significant control'

You must also keep a register of 'people with significant control' (PSC). Your PSC register must include details of anyone who:

• has more than 25 per cent shares or voting rights in your company
• can appoint or remove a majority of directors
• can influence or control your company or trust

You still need to keep a record if there are no people with significant control.

GOV.UK provide more guidance on keeping a PSC register if your company's ownership and control isn't simple.

Accounting records

You must keep accounting records that include:

• all money received and spent by the company
• details of assets owned by the company
• debts the company owes or is owed
• stock the company owns at the end of the financial year
• the stocktakings you used to work out the stock figure
• all goods bought and sold
• who you bought and sold them to and from (unless you run a retail business)

You must also keep any other financial records, information and calculations you need to prepare and file your annual accounts and Company Tax Return. This includes records of:

• all money spent by the company, for example receipts, petty cash books, orders and delivery notes
• all money received by the company, for example invoices, contracts, sales books and till rolls
• any other relevant documents, for example bank statements and correspondence

You can be fined £3,000 by HMRC or disqualified as a company director if you don't keep accounting records.

How long to keep records

You must keep records for six years from the end of the last company financial year they relate to, or longer if:

• they show a transaction that covers more than one of the company's accounting periods
• the company has bought something that it expects to last more than six years, like equipment or machinery
• you sent your Company Tax Return late

HMRC has started a compliance check into your Company Tax Return

If your records are lost, stolen or destroyed

If you can't replace your records after they were lost, stolen or destroyed you must:

• do your best to recreate them
• tell your Corporation Tax office immediately
• include this information in your Company Tax Return

You need to check that the information Companies House has about your limited company is correct every year. This is called a confirmation statement (previously an annual return).

Check your company's details

You need to check the following:

• the details of your registered office, directors, secretary and the address where you keep your records
• your statement of capital and shareholder information if your company has shares
• your SIC code (the number that identifies what your company does)
• your register of 'people with significant control' (PSC) - you'll need to include this the first time you file a confirmation statement

Check the Companies House register.

Send your confirmation statement

Send your confirmation statement online or by post. It costs £13 to file your confirmation statement online, and £40 by post.

If you need to report changes

You can report changes to your statement of capital, shareholder information and SIC codes at the same time.

You can't use the confirmation statement to report changes to your company's officers, registered office address or the address where you keep your records - file those changes separately.

When it's due

You'll get an email alert or a reminder letter to your company's registered office when your confirmation statement is due.

The due date is usually a year after either:

• the date your company incorporated
• the date you filed your last annual return or confirmation statement

You can file your confirmation statement up to 14 days after the due date.

You can be fined up to £5,000 and your company may be struck off if you don't send your confirmation statement.

There are certain rules you need to follow when promoting your limited company.

Signs

You must display a sign showing your company name at your registered company address and wherever your business operates. If you're running your business from home, you don't need to display a sign there.

For example, if you're running three shops and an office that's not at your home, you must display a sign at each of them.

The sign must be easy to read and to see at any time, not just when you're open.

Stationery and promotional material

You must include your company's name on all company documents, publicity and letters.

On business letters, order forms and websites, you must show:

• the company's registered number
• its registered office address
• where the company is registered (eg Northern Ireland)
• the fact that it's a limited company (usually by spelling out the company's full name including 'Limited' or 'Ltd')

If you want to include directors' names, you must list all of them.

If you want to show your company's share capital (how much the shares were worth when you issued them), you must say how much is 'paid up' (owned by shareholders).

There are different rules for what you need to include on invoices.

As a director of a limited company, you must:

• follow the company's rules, shown in its articles of association
• keep company records and report changes
• file your accounts and your Company Tax Return
• tell other shareholders if you might personally benefit from a transaction the company makes
• pay Corporation Tax
• register for Self Assessment and send a personal Self Assessment tax return every year

You don't need to register for Self Assessment or send a tax return if your company is a non-profit organisation (eg, a charity) and you didn't get any pay or benefits, like a company car.

You can hire other people to manage some of these things day-to-day (eg, an accountant) but you're still legally responsible for your company's records, accounts and performance.

You may be fined, prosecuted or disqualified if you don't meet your responsibilities as a director.

How you take money out of the company depends on what it's for and how much you take out.

Salary, expenses and benefits

If you want the company to pay you or anyone else a salary, expenses or benefits, you must register the company as an employer - see how to register as an employer.

The company must take Income Tax and National Insurance contributions from your salary payments and pay these to HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC), along with employers' National Insurance contributions.

If you or one of your employees make personal use of something that belongs to the business, you must report it as a benefit and pay any tax due.

Dividends

A dividend is a payment a company can make to shareholders if it has made a profit.

You can't count dividends as business costs when you work out your Corporation Tax.

Your company must not pay out more in dividends than its available profits from current and previous financial years.

You must usually pay dividends to all shareholders.

To pay a dividend, you must:

• hold a directors' meeting to 'declare' the dividend
• keep minutes of the meeting, even if you're the only director

Dividend paperwork

For each dividend payment the company makes, you must write up a dividend voucher showing the:

• date
• company name
• names of the shareholders being paid a dividend
• amount of the dividend

You must give a copy of the voucher to recipients of the dividend and keep a copy for your company's records.

Tax on dividends

Your company doesn't need to pay tax on dividend payments. But shareholders may have to pay Income Tax if they're over £5,000 - read more on paying tax on dividends.

Directors' loans

If you take more money out of a company than you've put in - and it isn't salary or dividend - it's called a 'directors' loan'.

If your company makes directors' loans, you must keep records of them. There are also some detailed tax rules about how directors' loans are handled - see director's loans.

You must report certain changes to Companies House.

Changing your company's registered office address

You must tell Companies House if you want to change your company's registered office address. If the change is approved, they will tell HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC).

Your company's new registered office address must be in the same part of the United Kingdom that the company was registered (incorporated).

For example, if your company was registered in Northern Ireland and England, the new registered office address must be in Northern Ireland or England.

Your address won't officially change until Companies House has registered it.

Other limited company changes you must report

You must tell HMRC if:

• your business' contact details change - for example, your name, business name or your personal or trading address
• you appoint an accountant or tax adviser

You must tell Companies House within 14 days if you make changes to:

• the address where you keep your records, and which records you keep there
• directors or their personal details, like their address
• company secretaries (appointing a new one or ending an existing one's appointment)

You must tell Companies House within a month if you issue more shares in your company.

How to report changes to Companies House

You can:

• use the Companies House online service
• fill in and send paper forms

Changes that shareholders must approve

You may need to get shareholders to vote on the decision if you want to:

• change the company name
• remove a director
• change the company's articles of association

This is called 'passing a resolution'. Most resolutions will need a majority to agree (called an 'ordinary resolution'). Some might require a 75 per cent majority (called a 'special resolution').

Companies House has more details about the types of changes and resolutions you must report to them.

Your new company name won't take effect until it's registered by Companies House - they'll tell you when this happens.

Shareholder voting

When you're working out whether you have a majority, count the number of shares that give the owner the right to vote, rather than the number of shareholders.

You don't necessarily need to have a meeting of shareholders to pass a resolution. If the right amount of shareholders have told you they agree, you can confirm the resolution in writing. But you must write to all shareholders letting them know about the decision.

You must keep:

• records about the company itself
• financial and accounting records

You can hire a professional (eg an accountant) to help with your tax.

HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) may check your records to make sure you're paying the right amount of tax.

Records about the company

You must keep details of:

• directors, shareholders and company secretaries
• the results of any shareholder votes and resolutions
• promises for the company to repay loans at a specific date in the future ('debentures') and who they must be paid back to
• promises the company makes for payments if something goes wrong and it's the company's fault ('indemnities')
• transactions when someone buys shares in the company
• loans or mortgages secured against the company's assets

You must tell Companies House if you keep the records somewhere other than the company's registered office address.

Register of 'people with significant control'

You must also keep a register of 'people with significant control' (PSC). Your PSC register must include details of anyone who:

• has more than 25 per cent shares or voting rights in your company
• can appoint or remove a majority of directors
• can influence or control your company or trust

You still need to keep a record if there are no people with significant control.

GOV.UK provide more guidance on keeping a PSC register if your company's ownership and control isn't simple.

Accounting records

You must keep accounting records that include:

• all money received and spent by the company
• details of assets owned by the company
• debts the company owes or is owed
• stock the company owns at the end of the financial year
• the stocktakings you used to work out the stock figure
• all goods bought and sold
• who you bought and sold them to and from (unless you run a retail business)

You must also keep any other financial records, information and calculations you need to prepare and file your annual accounts and Company Tax Return. This includes records of:

• all money spent by the company, for example receipts, petty cash books, orders and delivery notes
• all money received by the company, for example invoices, contracts, sales books and till rolls
• any other relevant documents, for example bank statements and correspondence

You can be fined £3,000 by HMRC or disqualified as a company director if you don't keep accounting records.

How long to keep records

You must keep records for six years from the end of the last company financial year they relate to, or longer if:

• they show a transaction that covers more than one of the company's accounting periods
• the company has bought something that it expects to last more than six years, like equipment or machinery
• you sent your Company Tax Return late

HMRC has started a compliance check into your Company Tax Return

If your records are lost, stolen or destroyed

If you can't replace your records after they were lost, stolen or destroyed you must:

• do your best to recreate them
• tell your Corporation Tax office immediately
• include this information in your Company Tax Return

You need to check that the information Companies House has about your limited company is correct every year. This is called a confirmation statement (previously an annual return).

Check your company's details

You need to check the following:

• the details of your registered office, directors, secretary and the address where you keep your records
• your statement of capital and shareholder information if your company has shares
• your SIC code (the number that identifies what your company does)
• your register of 'people with significant control' (PSC) - you'll need to include this the first time you file a confirmation statement

Check the Companies House register.

Send your confirmation statement

Send your confirmation statement online or by post. It costs £13 to file your confirmation statement online, and £40 by post.

If you need to report changes

You can report changes to your statement of capital, shareholder information and SIC codes at the same time.

You can't use the confirmation statement to report changes to your company's officers, registered office address or the address where you keep your records - file those changes separately.

When it's due

You'll get an email alert or a reminder letter to your company's registered office when your confirmation statement is due.

The due date is usually a year after either:

• the date your company incorporated
• the date you filed your last annual return or confirmation statement

You can file your confirmation statement up to 14 days after the due date.

You can be fined up to £5,000 and your company may be struck off if you don't send your confirmation statement.

There are certain rules you need to follow when promoting your limited company.

Signs

You must display a sign showing your company name at your registered company address and wherever your business operates. If you're running your business from home, you don't need to display a sign there.

For example, if you're running three shops and an office that's not at your home, you must display a sign at each of them.

The sign must be easy to read and to see at any time, not just when you're open.

Stationery and promotional material

You must include your company's name on all company documents, publicity and letters.

On business letters, order forms and websites, you must show:

• the company's registered number
• its registered office address
• where the company is registered (eg Northern Ireland)
• the fact that it's a limited company (usually by spelling out the company's full name including 'Limited' or 'Ltd')

If you want to include directors' names, you must list all of them.

If you want to show your company's share capital (how much the shares were worth when you issued them), you must say how much is 'paid up' (owned by shareholders).

There are different rules for what you need to include on invoices.

As a director of a limited company, you must:

• follow the company's rules, shown in its articles of association
• keep company records and report changes
• file your accounts and your Company Tax Return
• tell other shareholders if you might personally benefit from a transaction the company makes
• pay Corporation Tax
• register for Self Assessment and send a personal Self Assessment tax return every year

You don't need to register for Self Assessment or send a tax return if your company is a non-profit organisation (eg, a charity) and you didn't get any pay or benefits, like a company car.

You can hire other people to manage some of these things day-to-day (eg, an accountant) but you're still legally responsible for your company's records, accounts and performance.

You may be fined, prosecuted or disqualified if you don't meet your responsibilities as a director.

How you take money out of the company depends on what it's for and how much you take out.

Salary, expenses and benefits

If you want the company to pay you or anyone else a salary, expenses or benefits, you must register the company as an employer - see how to register as an employer.

The company must take Income Tax and National Insurance contributions from your salary payments and pay these to HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC), along with employers' National Insurance contributions.

If you or one of your employees make personal use of something that belongs to the business, you must report it as a benefit and pay any tax due.

Dividends

A dividend is a payment a company can make to shareholders if it has made a profit.

You can't count dividends as business costs when you work out your Corporation Tax.

Your company must not pay out more in dividends than its available profits from current and previous financial years.

You must usually pay dividends to all shareholders.

To pay a dividend, you must:

• hold a directors' meeting to 'declare' the dividend
• keep minutes of the meeting, even if you're the only director

Dividend paperwork

For each dividend payment the company makes, you must write up a dividend voucher showing the:

• date
• company name
• names of the shareholders being paid a dividend
• amount of the dividend

You must give a copy of the voucher to recipients of the dividend and keep a copy for your company's records.

Tax on dividends

Your company doesn't need to pay tax on dividend payments. But shareholders may have to pay Income Tax if they're over £5,000 - read more on paying tax on dividends.

Directors' loans

If you take more money out of a company than you've put in - and it isn't salary or dividend - it's called a 'directors' loan'.

If your company makes directors' loans, you must keep records of them. There are also some detailed tax rules about how directors' loans are handled - see director's loans.

You must report certain changes to Companies House.

Changing your company's registered office address

You must tell Companies House if you want to change your company's registered office address. If the change is approved, they will tell HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC).

Your company's new registered office address must be in the same part of the United Kingdom that the company was registered (incorporated).

For example, if your company was registered in Northern Ireland and England, the new registered office address must be in Northern Ireland or England.

Your address won't officially change until Companies House has registered it.

Other limited company changes you must report

You must tell HMRC if:

• your business' contact details change - for example, your name, business name or your personal or trading address
• you appoint an accountant or tax adviser

You must tell Companies House within 14 days if you make changes to:

• the address where you keep your records, and which records you keep there
• directors or their personal details, like their address
• company secretaries (appointing a new one or ending an existing one's appointment)

You must tell Companies House within a month if you issue more shares in your company.

How to report changes to Companies House

You can:

• use the Companies House online service
• fill in and send paper forms

Changes that shareholders must approve

You may need to get shareholders to vote on the decision if you want to:

• change the company name
• remove a director
• change the company's articles of association

This is called 'passing a resolution'. Most resolutions will need a majority to agree (called an 'ordinary resolution'). Some might require a 75 per cent majority (called a 'special resolution').

Companies House has more details about the types of changes and resolutions you must report to them.

Your new company name won't take effect until it's registered by Companies House - they'll tell you when this happens.

Shareholder voting

When you're working out whether you have a majority, count the number of shares that give the owner the right to vote, rather than the number of shareholders.

You don't necessarily need to have a meeting of shareholders to pass a resolution. If the right amount of shareholders have told you they agree, you can confirm the resolution in writing. But you must write to all shareholders letting them know about the decision.

You must keep:

• records about the company itself
• financial and accounting records

You can hire a professional (eg an accountant) to help with your tax.

HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) may check your records to make sure you're paying the right amount of tax.

Records about the company

You must keep details of:

• directors, shareholders and company secretaries
• the results of any shareholder votes and resolutions
• promises for the company to repay loans at a specific date in the future ('debentures') and who they must be paid back to
• promises the company makes for payments if something goes wrong and it's the company's fault ('indemnities')
• transactions when someone buys shares in the company
• loans or mortgages secured against the company's assets

You must tell Companies House if you keep the records somewhere other than the company's registered office address.

Register of 'people with significant control'

You must also keep a register of 'people with significant control' (PSC). Your PSC register must include details of anyone who:

• has more than 25 per cent shares or voting rights in your company
• can appoint or remove a majority of directors
• can influence or control your company or trust

You still need to keep a record if there are no people with significant control.

GOV.UK provide more guidance on keeping a PSC register if your company's ownership and control isn't simple.

Accounting records

You must keep accounting records that include:

• all money received and spent by the company
• details of assets owned by the company
• debts the company owes or is owed
• stock the company owns at the end of the financial year
• the stocktakings you used to work out the stock figure
• all goods bought and sold
• who you bought and sold them to and from (unless you run a retail business)

You must also keep any other financial records, information and calculations you need to prepare and file your annual accounts and Company Tax Return. This includes records of:

• all money spent by the company, for example receipts, petty cash books, orders and delivery notes
• all money received by the company, for example invoices, contracts, sales books and till rolls
• any other relevant documents, for example bank statements and correspondence

You can be fined £3,000 by HMRC or disqualified as a company director if you don't keep accounting records.

How long to keep records

You must keep records for six years from the end of the last company financial year they relate to, or longer if:

• they show a transaction that covers more than one of the company's accounting periods
• the company has bought something that it expects to last more than six years, like equipment or machinery
• you sent your Company Tax Return late

HMRC has started a compliance check into your Company Tax Return

If your records are lost, stolen or destroyed

If you can't replace your records after they were lost, stolen or destroyed you must:

• do your best to recreate them
• tell your Corporation Tax office immediately
• include this information in your Company Tax Return

You need to check that the information Companies House has about your limited company is correct every year. This is called a confirmation statement (previously an annual return).

Check your company's details

You need to check the following:

• the details of your registered office, directors, secretary and the address where you keep your records
• your statement of capital and shareholder information if your company has shares
• your SIC code (the number that identifies what your company does)
• your register of 'people with significant control' (PSC) - you'll need to include this the first time you file a confirmation statement

Check the Companies House register.

Send your confirmation statement

Send your confirmation statement online or by post. It costs £13 to file your confirmation statement online, and £40 by post.

If you need to report changes

You can report changes to your statement of capital, shareholder information and SIC codes at the same time.

You can't use the confirmation statement to report changes to your company's officers, registered office address or the address where you keep your records - file those changes separately.

When it's due

You'll get an email alert or a reminder letter to your company's registered office when your confirmation statement is due.

The due date is usually a year after either:

• the date your company incorporated
• the date you filed your last annual return or confirmation statement

You can file your confirmation statement up to 14 days after the due date.

You can be fined up to £5,000 and your company may be struck off if you don't send your confirmation statement.

There are certain rules you need to follow when promoting your limited company.

Signs

You must display a sign showing your company name at your registered company address and wherever your business operates. If you're running your business from home, you don't need to display a sign there.

For example, if you're running three shops and an office that's not at your home, you must display a sign at each of them.

The sign must be easy to read and to see at any time, not just when you're open.

Stationery and promotional material

You must include your company's name on all company documents, publicity and letters.

On business letters, order forms and websites, you must show:

• the company's registered number
• its registered office address
• where the company is registered (eg Northern Ireland)
• the fact that it's a limited company (usually by spelling out the company's full name including 'Limited' or 'Ltd')

If you want to include directors' names, you must list all of them.

If you want to show your company's share capital (how much the shares were worth when you issued them), you must say how much is 'paid up' (owned by shareholders).

There are different rules for what you need to include on invoices.

As a director of a limited company, you must:

• follow the company's rules, shown in its articles of association
• keep company records and report changes
• file your accounts and your Company Tax Return
• tell other shareholders if you might personally benefit from a transaction the company makes
• pay Corporation Tax
• register for Self Assessment and send a personal Self Assessment tax return every year

You don't need to register for Self Assessment or send a tax return if your company is a non-profit organisation (eg, a charity) and you didn't get any pay or benefits, like a company car.

You can hire other people to manage some of these things day-to-day (eg, an accountant) but you're still legally responsible for your company's records, accounts and performance.

You may be fined, prosecuted or disqualified if you don't meet your responsibilities as a director.

How you take money out of the company depends on what it's for and how much you take out.

Salary, expenses and benefits

If you want the company to pay you or anyone else a salary, expenses or benefits, you must register the company as an employer - see how to register as an employer.

The company must take Income Tax and National Insurance contributions from your salary payments and pay these to HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC), along with employers' National Insurance contributions.

If you or one of your employees make personal use of something that belongs to the business, you must report it as a benefit and pay any tax due.

Dividends

A dividend is a payment a company can make to shareholders if it has made a profit.

You can't count dividends as business costs when you work out your Corporation Tax.

Your company must not pay out more in dividends than its available profits from current and previous financial years.

You must usually pay dividends to all shareholders.

To pay a dividend, you must:

• hold a directors' meeting to 'declare' the dividend
• keep minutes of the meeting, even if you're the only director

Dividend paperwork

For each dividend payment the company makes, you must write up a dividend voucher showing the:

• date
• company name
• names of the shareholders being paid a dividend
• amount of the dividend

You must give a copy of the voucher to recipients of the dividend and keep a copy for your company's records.

Tax on dividends

Your company doesn't need to pay tax on dividend payments. But shareholders may have to pay Income Tax if they're over £5,000 - read more on paying tax on dividends.

Directors' loans

If you take more money out of a company than you've put in - and it isn't salary or dividend - it's called a 'directors' loan'.

If your company makes directors' loans, you must keep records of them. There are also some detailed tax rules about how directors' loans are handled - see director's loans.

You must report certain changes to Companies House.

Changing your company's registered office address

You must tell Companies House if you want to change your company's registered office address. If the change is approved, they will tell HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC).

Your company's new registered office address must be in the same part of the United Kingdom that the company was registered (incorporated).

For example, if your company was registered in Northern Ireland and England, the new registered office address must be in Northern Ireland or England.

Your address won't officially change until Companies House has registered it.

Other limited company changes you must report

You must tell HMRC if:

• your business' contact details change - for example, your name, business name or your personal or trading address
• you appoint an accountant or tax adviser

You must tell Companies House within 14 days if you make changes to:

• the address where you keep your records, and which records you keep there
• directors or their personal details, like their address
• company secretaries (appointing a new one or ending an existing one's appointment)

You must tell Companies House within a month if you issue more shares in your company.

How to report changes to Companies House

You can:

• use the Companies House online service
• fill in and send paper forms

Changes that shareholders must approve

You may need to get shareholders to vote on the decision if you want to:

• change the company name
• remove a director
• change the company's articles of association

This is called 'passing a resolution'. Most resolutions will need a majority to agree (called an 'ordinary resolution'). Some might require a 75 per cent majority (called a 'special resolution').

Companies House has more details about the types of changes and resolutions you must report to them.

Your new company name won't take effect until it's registered by Companies House - they'll tell you when this happens.

Shareholder voting

When you're working out whether you have a majority, count the number of shares that give the owner the right to vote, rather than the number of shareholders.

You don't necessarily need to have a meeting of shareholders to pass a resolution. If the right amount of shareholders have told you they agree, you can confirm the resolution in writing. But you must write to all shareholders letting them know about the decision.

You must keep:

• records about the company itself
• financial and accounting records

You can hire a professional (eg an accountant) to help with your tax.

HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) may check your records to make sure you're paying the right amount of tax.

Records about the company

You must keep details of:

• directors, shareholders and company secretaries
• the results of any shareholder votes and resolutions
• promises for the company to repay loans at a specific date in the future ('debentures') and who they must be paid back to
• promises the company makes for payments if something goes wrong and it's the company's fault ('indemnities')
• transactions when someone buys shares in the company
• loans or mortgages secured against the company's assets

You must tell Companies House if you keep the records somewhere other than the company's registered office address.

Register of 'people with significant control'

You must also keep a register of 'people with significant control' (PSC). Your PSC register must include details of anyone who:

• has more than 25 per cent shares or voting rights in your company
• can appoint or remove a majority of directors
• can influence or control your company or trust

You still need to keep a record if there are no people with significant control.

GOV.UK provide more guidance on keeping a PSC register if your company's ownership and control isn't simple.

Accounting records

You must keep accounting records that include:

• all money received and spent by the company
• details of assets owned by the company
• debts the company owes or is owed
• stock the company owns at the end of the financial year
• the stocktakings you used to work out the stock figure
• all goods bought and sold
• who you bought and sold them to and from (unless you run a retail business)

You must also keep any other financial records, information and calculations you need to prepare and file your annual accounts and Company Tax Return. This includes records of:

• all money spent by the company, for example receipts, petty cash books, orders and delivery notes
• all money received by the company, for example invoices, contracts, sales books and till rolls
• any other relevant documents, for example bank statements and correspondence

You can be fined £3,000 by HMRC or disqualified as a company director if you don't keep accounting records.

How long to keep records

You must keep records for six years from the end of the last company financial year they relate to, or longer if:

• they show a transaction that covers more than one of the company's accounting periods
• the company has bought something that it expects to last more than six years, like equipment or machinery
• you sent your Company Tax Return late

HMRC has started a compliance check into your Company Tax Return

If your records are lost, stolen or destroyed

If you can't replace your records after they were lost, stolen or destroyed you must:

• do your best to recreate them
• tell your Corporation Tax office immediately
• include this information in your Company Tax Return

You need to check that the information Companies House has about your limited company is correct every year. This is called a confirmation statement (previously an annual return).

Check your company's details

You need to check the following:

• the details of your registered office, directors, secretary and the address where you keep your records
• your statement of capital and shareholder information if your company has shares
• your SIC code (the number that identifies what your company does)
• your register of 'people with significant control' (PSC) - you'll need to include this the first time you file a confirmation statement

Check the Companies House register.

Send your confirmation statement

Send your confirmation statement online or by post. It costs £13 to file your confirmation statement online, and £40 by post.

If you need to report changes

You can report changes to your statement of capital, shareholder information and SIC codes at the same time.

You can't use the confirmation statement to report changes to your company's officers, registered office address or the address where you keep your records - file those changes separately.

When it's due

You'll get an email alert or a reminder letter to your company's registered office when your confirmation statement is due.

The due date is usually a year after either:

• the date your company incorporated
• the date you filed your last annual return or confirmation statement

You can file your confirmation statement up to 14 days after the due date.

You can be fined up to £5,000 and your company may be struck off if you don't send your confirmation statement.

There are certain rules you need to follow when promoting your limited company.

Signs

You must display a sign showing your company name at your registered company address and wherever your business operates. If you're running your business from home, you don't need to display a sign there.

For example, if you're running three shops and an office that's not at your home, you must display a sign at each of them.

The sign must be easy to read and to see at any time, not just when you're open.

Stationery and promotional material

You must include your company's name on all company documents, publicity and letters.

On business letters, order forms and websites, you must show:

• the company's registered number
• its registered office address
• where the company is registered (eg Northern Ireland)
• the fact that it's a limited company (usually by spelling out the company's full name including 'Limited' or 'Ltd')

If you want to include directors' names, you must list all of them.

If you want to show your company's share capital (how much the shares were worth when you issued them), you must say how much is 'paid up' (owned by shareholders).

There are different rules for what you need to include on invoices.