 | |
| Agency overview | |
|---|---|
| Formed | 5 September 1844 |
| Headquarters | Crown Way Cardiff CF14 3UZ |
| Employees | 1,000 |
| Agency executive |
|
| Parent department | Department for Business and Trade |
| Key document | |
| Website | companieshouse |
| Footnotes | |
| [1][2] | |
Companies House is the executive agency of the British Government that maintains the register of companies, employs the company registrars and is responsible for incorporating all forms of companies in the United Kingdom.[3][4]
Prior to 1844, no central company register existed and companies could only be incorporated through letters patent and legislation. At the time, few incorporated companies existed; between 1801 and 1844, only about 100 companies were incorporated. The Joint Stock Companies Act 1844 created a centralised register of companies, enabled companies to be incorporated by registration, and established the office of the registrar; the Joint Stock Companies Act 1856 mandated separate registrars for each of the three UK jurisdictions. Initially just a brand, Companies House became an official executive agency in 1988.
All public limited, private limited, private unlimited, chartered and some other companies are incorporated and registered with Companies House. The agency also registers limited partnerships, while most other enterprises fall under the purview of the Financial Conduct Authority. All limited companies (including subsidiary, small and inactive) must file annual financial statements with Companies House, all of which are public records. The agency is also responsible for dissolving companies.
From 2016, Companies House operated under the authority of the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy. This then became the Department for Business and Trade from 7 February 2023 following a Machinery of Government change initiated by Prime Minister Rishi Sunak. The current chief executive is Louise Smyth, who also serves as registrar for England and Wales. The agency, as well as British company law in general, are governed by the Companies Act 2006. As of August 2023,[update] Companies House maintains 5.32 million active companies.[5]
- ^ "Joint Stock Companies Act 1844 c. 110 Preamble". Westlaw. Thomson Reuters. Retrieved 1 February 2021.
- ^ "Louise Smyth". GOV.UK. Retrieved 4 December 2022.
- ^ Law, Jonathan, ed. (2018). "Companies House". A Dictionary of Law (Ninth ed.). Oxford, United Kingdom: Oxford University Press. p. 137. ISBN 978-0-19-184080-7. OCLC 1043882876.
- ^ "About us". GOV.UK. Retrieved 26 December 2022.
- ^ "Search results – Advanced company search – Find and update company information – GOV.UK". Companies House. Retrieved 23 August 2023.