The mail that is sent to a limited company’s registered office is statutory correspondence from government agencies and departments. This includes written communication from Companies House (the UK registrar of companies), HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC), The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO), The Insolvency Service, and the courts.
Many companies also end up receiving unsolicited (junk) mail at their registered offices, because these addresses are a matter of public record and can be viewed by any individual or business. This can be a real nuisance, which is why most people avoid using their home address as a registered office.
Registered office mail from Companies House
The mail that Companies House sends to a registered office includes:
- The certificate of incorporation, if you register a company using Companies House postal incorporation service
- An authentication code for WebFiling
- Notices to file confirmation statements
- Notices to file annual accounts
- Reminders to file confirmation statements and accounts that are overdue
- Notices of late filing penalties
- Warnings of potential strike-off action being taken against the company
- Important information on changes to legislation, regulations, or reporting requirements that could affect the company
- Any certificates or documents that a company orders from Companies House
Registered office mail from HMRC
The mail that HMRC sends to a company’s registered office includes:
- Information on Corporation Tax and reporting obligations
- Notices to file Company Tax Returns and annual accounts
- Notices to file VAT returns
- Notices of late filing and late payment penalties
- Corporation Tax payment reminders
- VAT payment reminders
- Information on PAYE, if you register as an employer
- Important information about changes to tax legislation, regulations, or reporting requirements that could affect the company
Other types of mail sent to a registered office
Most mail delivered to a registered office is from HMRC and Companies House; however, mail can be received from several UK government agencies, such as:
- The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO)
- The Department of Work & Pensions (DWP)
- The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA)
- The Financial Services Authority (FSA)
- The Office for National Statistics (ONS)
- The Intellectual Property Office (IPO)
Also, if a company gets into financial difficulty and becomes insolvent, or someone takes legal action against the company, The Insolvency Service or courts will send relevant guidance, letters, or legal notices (e.g, court orders, writs, summons) to the registered office.
Is general business mail delivered to a registered office?
It is not uncommon for a limited company to use the same address as its registered office and business address – particularly if the company is based at that address or uses professional address services from a third party (e.g., an accountant or company formation agent).
However, when using professional address services, you have to sign up and pay for each type of address separately. This means that if you want to use a single address as a registered office and a business address, you have to purchase both services to be able to receive registered office mail and general business mail at that address.
These types of services are very cost effective and a great way to protect the privacy of home addresses. At Rapid Formations, for example, we offer a Registered Office Service from our location in Covent Garden, London, at an annual cost of £39.00 plus VAT. This service includes the free forwarding of all official government mail by scan and email.
So there you have it…
We have covered the different types of mail delivered to a registered office, and also listed the government agencies that are responsible for sending this mail. If you have any questions, please leave them in the comment section below and our team of company experts will get right back to you!
