startup-costs, united-kingdomSay that you are building a product, but in the meantime you wanna have a business name to interact with third parties. Does it cost any money, other than incorporation fees, to have a company that does not yet conduct real business?
I’m in the UK.
Once you’ve incorporated a company through Companies House, registered and produced the statutory registers, then there are no usual additional fees until the annual return.
See here for information on annual return fees: http://www.incorporationservices.co.uk/faqs.shtml#09
If you make any changes to the company then it may require additional fees, such as change of name etc.
A complete list of fees are here: http://www.companieshouse.gov.uk/toolsToHelp/ourPrices.shtml
A company must deliver an annual return whether it has traded or not. See here: http://www.companieshouse.gov.uk/director/
Some other considerations are:
If in doubt of what is necessary consult an accountant.
You haven’t indicated why you want a company, and if there’s no very specific reason, it’s often sensible to leave incorporation until you know you’re ready to trade.
Alternatively, you could acquire a dormant company quite cheaply, if you need a company that you intend to trade. That saves a lot of the admin, and in due course you can bring the company out of dormancy. There are lots of formation agents who as well as helping form businesses hold a stock of dormant companies for sale, of various ages and make-ups.
Finally, you could find a business that is willing to “host” your startup in the early stages. That can work out well if you’re making a business that has no great requirement for fixed assets, but could be more trouble than it’s worth if it needs a complex agreement.
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