Companies House fees doubled on 1 February, moving the standard digital incorporation fee from £50 to £100, a change that quietly reshaped the cost calculus for anyone planning a new UK limited company. For founders working with tight start-up budgets, that extra £50 is not trivial, and it has pushed many to look more closely at what formation agents actually include in their packages before registering.
A New Baseline Cost for Incorporating in the UK
The fee rise applies to the standard digital incorporation route, which moved from £50 to £100 per company registered. This is the fee paid directly to Companies House for processing and recording a new company on the register, separate from any service charged by a formation agent. Packages that bundle the Companies House fee into their advertised price, such as the Charity Company Package at £29.99 plus the £100 Companies House fee or the Property Management Company Package at £28.99 plus the £100 Companies House fee, now reflect that higher baseline cost. Comparing formation agents against each other requires checking whether a quoted price already includes this fee or adds it on separately at checkout.
Company Formation Packages Under the New Fee Structure
yourcompanyformations.co.uk lists UK company formation packages starting from £2.48, with the Companies House fee itemised alongside the service charge rather than folded invisibly into a single number. This separation matters more now that the Companies House portion has doubled, because it shows precisely how much of the total is a government filing fee versus a charge for document preparation, compliance review, and ongoing support. The Public Limited Company Package, priced at £149.99 plus the £100 Companies House fee, is one example where the two components are clearly broken out rather than merged. Keeping that distinction visible is one of the more practical ways a formation agent can clarify what a new business owner is actually paying for.
Speed of Formation: Incorporation in 3-6 Hours
Beyond pricing, timing is a factor that can matter just as much when a business needs to start trading, open a bank account, or sign a lease under a company name. Formation services certified as Authorised Corporate Service Providers by Companies House can process new incorporations as quickly as 3 to 6 hours, subject to Companies House workload, which is considerably faster than the multi-day waits sometimes associated with postal or less automated filing routes. As an Authorised Corporate Service Provider certified by Companies House to verify identities and submit filings, yourcompanyformations.co.uk handles the identity verification and submission steps that are now a required part of registration. Meeting a supplier contract start date or a lease signing can depend on that turnaround window, since a delay at this stage can push an entire launch plan back.
Expert Support and 100+ Years of Combined Experience
Formation is rarely a one-off transaction; most companies need ongoing filings, from confirmation statements to changes in share structure, long after the certificate of incorporation arrives. The team behind yourcompanyformations.co.uk is described as having over 100 years of combined experience in UK company registration, and the business states it has been trusted by more than a million clients. It is also listed as the UK’s most-reviewed company formation service on Google, with over 5,000 reviews and a rating of 4.9 stars. That volume of reviews, combined with its standing as an Authorised Corporate Service Provider, gives some indication of how established the service is relative to newer or smaller entrants in the formation space.
Additional Services Beyond Basic Company Registration
Company registration itself is often only the starting point, and many businesses later need a specific document or filing that falls outside a standard incorporation package. Formation services like yourcompanyformations.co.uk list additional services separately from core formation packages, priced and described individually rather than bundled in. A Certificate of Good Standing, for instance, is available for £48 and confirms that a limited company has been in continuous and unbroken existence since incorporation with no action currently underway to remove it from the register, something often requested when a company intends to trade abroad or apply for finance. A Confirmation Statement Filing Service is also listed at £90 plus VAT, which includes the £50 Companies House digital filing fee for form CS01, covering updates such as SIC codes, statement of capital, and shareholder information.
- Apostille documents are available for companies that need a UK-issued document legalised for use in another country.
- A business call answering service is offered to companies that want calls handled under their registered business name.
- A Certificate of Good Standing, priced at £48, confirms a company has been run correctly and remains in continuous existence since incorporation.
- Company dissolution services are available for businesses that need to formally close a limited company that is no longer trading.
Environmental Impact and Sustainability in Company Formation
Alongside pricing and turnaround time, yourcompanyformations.co.uk ties its offering to an environmental commitment through its partnership with Ecologi. It states that one tree is planted for every company ordered, with over 55,038 trees planted to date, and reports that its clients have helped avoid over 600 tonnes of CO2e through this partnership. It also notes a milestone of over 40,000 trees planted and describes itself as an award-winning partner of Ecologi, positioning environmental action as a standard part of the formation process rather than a separate add-on. For businesses weighing formation agents against each other, this kind of detail sits alongside price and speed as another point of comparison, even if it is not the deciding factor for most founders.
Looking Ahead for New Company Owners
With the Companies House fee now fixed at its higher rate, the practical difference between formation agents increasingly comes down to how clearly that fee is itemised, how quickly a company can actually be incorporated, and what support remains available once the certificate is issued.