You’ve found the Companies House website. You’ve seen the £100 fee. And you’re thinking — this seems straightforward enough. Why would I pay anyone else?
It’s a fair question. And the honest answer is: you don’t have to use an agent. Companies House will take your £100, process your application, and send you a certificate. That’s exactly what they’re there to do.
But that’s also where they stop.
We’ve been helping founders navigate this decision for over ten years, as an authorised Companies House agent with more than 30,000 companies formed. Here’s what most people get wrong.
What Companies House gives you — and what it doesn’t
Companies House is the UK’s official company registry. When you register directly, you complete an online form, pay £100, and your company is typically incorporated within 24 hours. That part is genuinely straightforward.
What Companies House doesn’t give you is anyone to ask. There’s no one to check whether your application is set up correctly before it goes in. No one to advise on share structure, director responsibilities, or what your PSC details should look like. No one to call when HMRC writes to you six months later with a letter you don’t understand. No privacy protection for your home address. And no ongoing support once the certificate has been issued.
The registration itself is the easy part. Everything around it is where people run into trouble.
Who the direct registration is really built for
Direct registration through Companies House is designed for accountants, solicitors, and company secretaries who file on behalf of clients and do this day in, day out. Even then, a significant number of them use Mint — because the compliance support, address services, and ongoing relationship we offer saves them time and reduces their liability too.
For a first-time business owner doing this once, going it alone means navigating a process built for professionals — without any of the experience or safety net that comes with it. The form isn’t the problem. The decisions behind the form are.
The questions nobody warns you about before you start
Before you even reach the registration form, some decisions will shape your company for years. Most first-time founders don’t know these questions exist until they’re already midway through — or until a problem surfaces much later.
During registration, the questions founders typically face:
“How should I divide the shares between myself and my business partner — and does the split matter?”
“Do I need a company secretary, and what does that role actually mean?”
“Who counts as a Person with Significant Control (PSC), and how do I record them correctly?”
“Which SIC code applies to my type of business — and what happens if I pick the wrong one?”
“Can I use a PO box or postbox number as my registered office address?”
“What are Articles of Association — do I use the standard ones or do I need bespoke ones?”
These aren’t complicated questions in the hands of someone who has done this before. But for a first-time founder, they’re easy to get wrong — and the consequences often don’t surface until much later. We regularly hear from business owners who only discover an issue when they’re trying to sell their company, bring in investors, or when their solicitor flags something during due diligence. By that point, fixing it is far harder and more expensive than getting it right at the start.
The address question — more important than most people realise
When you register a company, a registered office address must be provided by law — and that address goes on the public record at Companies House, visible to anyone who searches for your company.
If you use your home address, it stays there permanently. Many founders only realise this after registration, when unsolicited mail starts arriving, or a business contact looks up their company and finds where they live. Removing it later requires a registered office service anyway — you just end up paying after the fact rather than before it.
Our Privacy Package, from just £19, includes a professional London registered office address and director’s service address for a full year — keeping your home address completely off the public register from day one. For £19, it’s the simplest decision you can make at registration.
What changes when you register with Mint
When you register with Mint, a real person checks your application before it goes to Companies House. Share structure, PSC details, SIC code, registered address, articles of association — we make sure everything is correct and appropriate for your situation. We ask the questions you might not know to ask.
And once your certificate arrives, we don’t disappear. The questions that come after registration are just as important as the ones before it.
After registration, the questions founders typically call us about:
“HMRC has sent me a letter I don’t understand — what does it mean?”
“When do I need to file my confirmation statement, and what happens if I miss the deadline?”
“Do I need to register for VAT yet? What’s the threshold?”
“How do I register for Corporation Tax, and when is my first payment due?”
“I want to add a new shareholder — how do I do that properly?”
“My details on Companies House don’t look right — how do I fix them?”
These are the calls we take every day. Real people, on the phone, who know your company and can give you a straight answer. Not a government helpline. Not a FAQ page. Us.
We’ve been an authorised Companies House agent for over ten years. That experience means we’ve seen what happens when these questions go unanswered — and we’re set up specifically to make sure they don’t have to.
Getting it right the first time matters more than most people think
Company registration feels like a one-time task. In reality, the decisions you make when you register stay with your business for its entire life.
We’ve spoken to founders who set up their share structure informally at the start, only to find it caused serious complications when they tried to bring in investors three years later. Founders whose home address appeared on Companies House and couldn’t be removed without cost and effort. Founders whose SIC code was slightly off, leading to unexpected HMRC correspondence, didn’t know how to handle it.
None of these is catastrophic on its own. But they’re all significantly harder to fix after the fact than before it. And they’re exactly the kinds of things we catch before your application goes in.
The cost of getting it wrong rarely shows up immediately. It shows up when you’re selling the business, when your accountant reviews your structure for the first time, or when your solicitor flags something during due diligence. That’s the worst possible moment to discover a problem that could have been avoided on day one.
A quick comparison
| Companies House (Direct) | Mint Formations | |
| Companies House filing fee | £100 | £100 (same) |
| Formation agent fee | None | From £4.99 |
| Home address kept private | ✗ | ✓ From £19 (Privacy Package) |
| Application checked before filing | ✗ | ✓ |
| SIC code & share structure guidance | ✗ | ✓ |
| PSC & director setup advice | ✗ | ✓ |
| Articles of association support | ✗ | ✓ |
| Support during registration | ✗ | ✓ |
| Support after registration | ✗ | Lifetime |
| Non-UK resident support | ✗ | ✓ |
| Real person to call | ✗ | ✓ |
| Authorised ACSP agent | ✗ | ✓ |
The real cost of getting it wrong
On paper, registering directly saves money. In practice, the calculation looks different.
The £100 Companies House fee is identical whether you register yourself or through an agent — it’s a statutory charge that every company pays. What you’re actually deciding is whether to have expert, experienced guidance alongside that filing, or not.
A wrong SIC code means re-filing. A missed confirmation statement deadline means a £150 fine and risk of company strike-off. A home address on the public register is there permanently unless you act. A share structure that wasn’t thought through can derail a funding round years later.
Mint’s Privacy Package starts from £19. Our full formation packages start from £4.99 plus the £100 CH fee. Neither is a premium for something you don’t need. Both are access to people who’ve done this 30,000 times and will still pick up the phone when you need them.
Everything you need to know — answered
Should I register my UK company directly with Companies House or use a formation agent?
For accountants and solicitors who do this regularly, direct registration is fine. For first-time business owners, using an authorised formation agent like Mint Formations is strongly recommended. An agent checks your application before submission, advises on share structure, PSC registration, SIC codes, and address privacy, and provides support after registration. The £100 Companies House fee is the same either way. The difference is whether you have experienced guidance alongside it.
Will my home address be made public if I register directly with Companies House?
Yes. If you use your home address as your registered office or director’s service address, it will appear on the public Companies House register, visible to anyone who searches your company. Mint Formations’ Privacy Package, from £19, provides a professional London address for both, keeping your home address off the public record from day one.
What is a Person with Significant Control (PSC) and do I need to register one?
A Person with Significant Control is anyone who owns more than 25% of shares, controls more than 25% of voting rights, or has the right to appoint or remove the majority of the board. Every UK company must register its PSC(s) at Companies House. Recording this incorrectly — or failing to register at all — can result in fines and legal complications. Mint Formations guides all customers through PSC registration as part of the formation process.
What SIC code should I use when registering my company?
A Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) code describes the nature of your business. Choosing the wrong code can delay registration or trigger unexpected HMRC correspondence. Companies House provides a searchable list, but selecting the right one for your specific activity requires judgement. Mint Formations checks and advises on SIC code selection for every registration.
Do I need a company secretary when I register a UK limited company?
Private limited companies are no longer legally required to appoint a company secretary, but many choose to do so. A company secretary handles statutory filings, compliance deadlines, and Companies House correspondence. Mint Formations offers a full company secretary service and can advise whether appointing one is appropriate for your situation.
Can I use a PO box as my registered office address?
No. Companies House does not accept PO box numbers as registered office addresses. You must provide a full physical UK address where official correspondence can be delivered. Mint Formations’ registered office address service provides a compliant professional London address that satisfies this requirement while keeping your personal address private.
What happens after my company is registered?
After registration, your company has ongoing statutory obligations: an annual confirmation statement, annual accounts, Corporation Tax registration within three months of trading, and VAT registration if turnover exceeds the current threshold. Missing these deadlines carries fines and risks of a company strike-off. Mint Formations provides lifetime support to all customers — helping with compliance questions throughout the life of your business, not just at the point of registration.
How long does it take to register a UK company?
Companies House typically processes online registrations within 24 hours. As an authorised Companies House ACSP agent, Mint Formations submits all applications electronically, ensuring fast processing alongside a full pre-submission check.
Is it cheaper to register directly with Companies House?
The £100 Companies House filing fee applies regardless of how you register. Formation agents charge an additional service fee — Mint Formations starts from £4.99. However, the real cost comparison includes the value of a pre-submission check, compliance guidance, address privacy, and lifetime support. Errors made at registration are significantly more expensive to correct later — and some, like the wrong share structure, can create complications that take years to surface.
The bottom line
If you’re an accountant or solicitor who registers companies regularly, direct registration is built for you.
If you’re a business owner forming your first UK company, the most valuable thing you can do is get it right from the start. Not because the process is complicated, but because the decisions you make at registration stay with your business for as long as it exists.
Mint Formations has been an authorised Companies House agent for over ten years. In that time, we’ve helped more than 30,000 founders register their company correctly from day one — from first-time UK business owners to international entrepreneurs. We know what goes wrong when founders go it alone, because we’re often the ones called in to fix it.
Accountants and solicitors refer their clients to us not because we’re the cheapest option, but because we’re the ones still picking up the phone two years later. Lifetime support isn’t a feature we offer. It’s how we’re built.
