2016 Review of UK
Company Formations
612,565 new businesses were formed in the UK in 2015.
View in depth statistics on the UK as a whole or choose a county on the map.
Companies Formed in...
Frequently Asked Questions View all FAQs
Frequently Asked Questions Can I charge clients for identity verification services?
Yes. Inform Direct allows you to verify at scale, empowering you to deliver a seamless, professional verification service - charging appropriate fees whilst acting as the trusted advisor who guides both existing and new clients through this compliance challenge.
How does the system prioritise which verifications need attention?
Our intelligent system automatically tracks verification progress and prioritises which directors and PSCs need attention based on each company's next Confirmation Statement date. This ensures you stay ahead of statutory deadlines and never miss required checks.
Do I need to use a separate system for identity verification?
No. By partnering with Credas, we bring secure biometric identity verification seamlessly into your established workflow in Inform Direct. Since you already manage all your Directors, PSCs and LLPs data here, there's no new system to learn - just enhanced functionality that keeps everything in one place.
How does Inform Direct help with ECCTA compliance?
We offer an integrated solution that makes it easy to comply with the requirements under the Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency (ECCT) Act, transforming this administrative burden into an efficient workflow. Our partnership with Credas ensures secure, compliant identity verification that fits seamlessly into your existing processes.
Can I complete ID verification requirements when filing my confirmation statement?
Yes. Inform Direct has partnered with Credas to bring secure biometric identity verification seamlessly into your established workflow. Since you already manage all your Directors, PSCs and LLPs data in Inform Direct, there's no new system to learn - just enhanced functionality that automatically tracks verification progress, notifies you of results, and helps you manage outstanding actions so no required checks are missed.
The system even prioritises which directors and PSCs need attention based on each company's next Confirmation Statement date, ensuring you stay ahead of statutory deadlines. No additional platforms, no workflow disruption, no steep learning curve.
Can I record Companies House personal codes in Inform Direct
Yes, Inform Direct has a field for you to record the Companies House personal code of directors, LLP members and PSCs.
Does Inform Direct have an API?
Yes, Inform Direct offers an API. It currently supports adding and removing companies to the platform, as well as retrieving high-level company details making it easy to integrate and link with external systems.
Can i add sole traders and other company types not at Company House?
Yes, Inform Direct supports importing sole traders and other non-Companies House entities. This means you can view VAT dates for all your businesses in one place, receive timely reminders, and conveniently store key details like addresses and core company information.
How does Inform Direct help me get my accounts right first time?
The process of preparing and filing your accounts is made simple with Inform Direct. Follow our straightforward wizards as we take you step by step through the process. You’ll be prompted to enter only the details that you need to and if you are unfamiliar with preparing company accounts there are comprehensive help texts to guide you. Using Inform Direct you can create and then file never-traded dormant company and audit-exempt micro-entity accounts.
Beautifully streamlined process
Whenever our system can step in and remove a task it will. Our software calculates the balance sheet date, automatically provides the required statutory balance sheet statements, and presents accounts that both meet requirements and look professional. If you are preparing never-traded dormant company accounts you may only have to check the automatically populated details are correct, tick to confirm the balance sheet statements apply, enter the date the accounts were approved and select from a list the name of the director that is authorising the accounts. It’s that simple.
Once you are happy with the accounts you have prepared you can choose to submit them electronically to Companies House. You will receive immediate confirmation of their safe delivery and an email notifying you of their approval as soon as this is received. Your accounts are automatically saved in your Document Library.
Avoid errors
Each year Companies House reject almost 100,000 sets of accounts, often due to simple errors and omissions such as:
- incorrect or absent company name or number;
- authorising signatory missing from the balance sheet;
- incorrect or absent balance sheet date;
- omission of balance sheet approval date;
- incorrect statements on the balance sheet; or
- missing figures on the balance sheet.
If you prepare your dormant company and micro-entity accounts using Inform Direct then you will benefit from the checks we have built into our software that prevent the above errors.
Upload and file iXBRL accounts service
If you are a subscriber using your own presenter code and have access to accounting software that can produce an iXBRL accounts file, you can use our streamlined upload and file iXBRL accounts service. This service allows you to electronically file a wide range of company accounts, including small, medium, full, abridged and group accounts, and audited as well as audit-exempt accounts. It takes moments to upload an iXBRL accounts file and our software completes many of the checks described above before electronically submitting the accounts to Companies House.
However, although we complete some checks on the iXBRL file you upload, such as the presence of Companies House mandatory elements and basic accuracy checks, you should ensure the accounting software used to create the iXBRL file conducts a comprehensive suite of checks. These should validate the completeness and accuracy of the iXBRL tagging; ensure the correct accounting standards have been used, verify the balance sheet statements and additional disclosure items, and ensure consistent application of currency, language and numerical elements.
Never miss the filing deadline
Inform Direct will send you reminders as your filing deadline approaches, helping you submit your accounts on time and avoid automatic fines for late delivery.
Does Inform Direct automatically update PSCs when share transactions are processed?
Inform Direct does not automatically update PSC details when share transactions are processed. Inform Direct does, however, carryout a check at the end of various share transaction to see if the PSC details match the shareholdings following that transaction. The applicable share transactions are:
- share allotments
- share transfers
- purchase of own shares
- share capital reductions
- share redemptions
If they do not match then you will be asked if you want to review and update the PSC details. Saying that you do you will be taken to a Review PSCs screen that shows you all the current shareholders and the percentage of shares they own and their PSC control reasons and any other persons that are PSCs and not shareholders with their control reasons. From this screen you can easily see what PSC changes are needed to be made and submitted to Companies House.
Latest Blog Posts View all Blog posts
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