UK company glossary
Clear, bilingual explainers for the key terms you need to understand as a UK company owner.
Companies House
Companies House is the UK government registrar of companies. It incorporates and dissolves companies, and holds the public register of company information (directors, accounts, confirmation statements).
Read the definition →Confirmation statement
An annual filing (form CS01) that confirms your company's key details at Companies House are correct — directors, registered office, shareholders, PSCs and SIC codes. It must be filed at least once every 12 months.
Read the definition →PSC (Person with Significant Control)
A Person with Significant Control is someone who effectively owns or controls a company — typically holding more than 25% of shares or voting rights, or the right to appoint/remove directors. Companies must identify and register their PSCs.
Read the definition →Corporation Tax
The tax a UK limited company pays on its profits, administered by HMRC. The company files a Company Tax Return (CT600) and pays the tax due for each accounting period.
Read the definition →Annual accounts (statutory accounts)
The statutory financial statements a UK company prepares each year — typically a balance sheet, profit and loss account and notes. They're filed with Companies House and used for the HMRC tax return.
Read the definition →Registered office
The official address of a UK company, held on the public register, where Companies House and HMRC send statutory mail. It must be a real address (an 'appropriate address') in the UK where mail can be acknowledged.
Read the definition →Director ID verification (IDV)
A new Companies House requirement for all directors and PSCs to prove their identity. Verification is done either through GOV.UK One Login or via an Authorised Corporate Service Provider (ACSP).
Read the definition →Strike off (dissolution)
Removing a company from the Companies House register. It can be voluntary (the directors apply to close the company) or compulsory (Companies House removes it for non-compliance, such as missing filings).
Read the definition →Tax residence
Where you are treated as resident for tax — which decides which country can tax your income. For individuals, UK tax residence is decided by the Statutory Residence Test (SRT). For companies, a UK-incorporated company is UK tax resident by default.
Read the definition →Statutory Residence Test (SRT)
The set of rules HMRC uses to decide whether an individual is UK tax resident in a tax year. It has three parts applied in order: the automatic overseas tests, the automatic UK tests, and the sufficient ties test.
Read the definition →Double taxation treaty (DTT)
An agreement between two countries that prevents the same income being fully taxed twice. The UK has treaties with most Arab states (including the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait, Egypt and others), setting which country taxes what and providing relief or credits.
Read the definition →Self Assessment
HMRC's system for individuals to report income that isn't taxed at source and pay any tax due, via a tax return (SA100). Some non-resident directors and shareholders need to file one — for example for UK dividends, rental income, or because HMRC has asked them to.
Read the definition →Domicile
A general-law concept, separate from residence, broadly meaning the country you treat as your permanent home. It can affect how some of your worldwide income and gains are taxed in the UK. UK domicile rules have changed in recent years.
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