UK Company Formation...

Everything you need to know about setting up in the UK.

UK Company Formation Wizard

Use our helpful tool to see what's required to set up your company in the UK.

Setting Up in The UK

A practical guide to what’s involved, and what you can expect to happen during this process.

FAQs

Get answers to commonly asked questions about company formation, accounting and taxes.

Our Services...

From accounting to personalised telephone answering – everything your company needs to thrive in the UK.

UK Company Formation

Company formation, memorandum and articles registration and appointing Directors and Shareholders.

Legal Compliance

Covering various business operations such as company secretary, registered office, handling post and more.

Outsourced Finance Office

Complete administrative support for your UK company designed especially for foreign businesses.

Bank Account Opening

Operate from day one with a virtual Bank account that can be opened immediately.

Virtual Office Service

UK business address, personalised phone answering service, mail handling, access to the meeting room.

Advisory Services

Advice on formation, directorship and other relevant rules and regulations related to setting up in the UK.

Brokerage Services

A single entry point to services frequently required in the early stages of company development.

About EBS...

Find out more about EBS, how we operate and what we stand for – or simply get in touch with us.

Who we are and how we work

We work exclusively with foreign-owned businesses in the UK and understand the problems they face.

Our Team

Behind every successful business is a great team - meet the team that makes up EBS.

Contact Details

Our address and contact details. If you need to get in touch with us, you can email us here.

Who we work with...

Explore our case studies and see how we work with foreign companies, helping them set up in the UK.

What's happening in the Industry

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Helpful Guides and Documents

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Head Office

EBS Ltd, Innovation Centre, Gallows Hill, Warwick, CV34 6UW

London Office

EBS Ltd, 118 Pall Mall, London, SW1Y 5EA

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UK Tax Environment 2015/16

On 18th March 2015 the Finance Minister, known as the Chancellor in the UK, made his annual Budget statement. Against a background of increasing employment and the lowest number of people claiming Jobseeker’s Allowance since the start of the economic crisis in 2008, the UK economy looks to be strong and growing. Inflation is falling (partly due to lower energy costs) and pay is rising slightly faster than inflation for the first time since 2009.

COMPANY TAXES

Corporation tax is reduced is 20%. The taxes payable 9 months after the end of the book closing date.

INVESTMENT ALLOWANCES 

thm_business-561388_1280_lgeThe Annual Investment Allowance (AIA) is the amount of capital expenditure which a company can claim in full against its taxes in any year, remains at GBP 500,000 each year until December 2015. The amount from January 2016 was not stated, but it is likely to be higher than the GBP 25,000 previously announced. 

Any investments in access of the AIA get tax relief at 18% in most cases. There are different rules for cars. 

Also, should this create a loss for Corporation Tax purposes, this loss can either be carried forward into future years indefinitely or taken back one year and generate a refund of tax already paid for the previous year. 

RESEARCH & DEVELOPMENT 

Small and medium sized companies can claim 230% of qualifying R&D costs against taxable profits and if this results in a loss for tax purposes, these losses can be carried forward and set off against future profits indefinitely.

Loss making companies can give up their claim, a process known as surrendering, and receive instead a payment from the UK government of 14.5% of the claim.

Alternatively, Corporation Tax losses can be taken back into the previous year and generate a refund of taxes already paid. 

EMPLOYMENT TAXES

The rate of employer’s Social Costs, known as National Insurance or NI in the UK, is 13.80% of salary above GBP 8112 per year. There are no Social Costs on salaries below this level. Employees under 21 are exempt from social costs.

For 2015/16 tax year small UK companies will not have to pay to the tax authorities the first GBP 2,000 of their Social Costs in a process referred to as a “holiday”.

VAT

The main rate of VAT in the UK remains at 20%. A number of essential items including public transport, books and newspapers, children’s clothing and unprepared food have a zero rate of VAT.

The annual sales limit above which a business must register for VAT is GBP 82,000. Businesses which are already registered can de register if their sales fall below GBP 80,000. 

PERSONAL TAXES

The tax free personal allowance is raised to GBP 10,600 per year and will increase again at GBP 10,800 from April 2016, and at GBP 11,000 from April 2017.

Income tax on the next GBP 31,785 is at 20%, and then at 40% up to GBP 150,000 of taxable income. Any income above GBP 150,000 per year is taxed at 45%. The 20% band increases to GBP 31,900 next year and GBP 32,300 for 2017/18.

The tax free personal allowance is reduced where the taxable income exceeds GBP 100,000 per year.

Personnel also pay Social Costs on their salary. Again there is a free allowance of the first GBP 8112 up to which no Social Costs are paid. Then the personnel pay 12.0% of salary up to GBP 42,380, and 2.0% on all salary above that.

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OPPORTUNITIES

There are many opportunities for growth and investment in the UK, which receives more Inward Investment from outside the EU than any other EU Member State.

Low rates of Corporation Tax, large tax incentives for purchases of machinery and equipment and increases in the amount of tax refunded to loss making businesses which have carried out qualifying R&D projects are only part of the attraction of the UK.

Low employment taxes also play a significant part, as does the ability to carry forward company tax losses indefinitely, and also to take a loss back one year and reclaim Corporation tax already paid in the previous year.

NOTE

As always in a short commentary such as this it is not possible to cover all aspects of potentially complex situations. Before taking any action on the matters raised here please consult EBS or your usual tax adviser.

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EBS Ltd, Innovation Centre, Gallows Hill, Warwick, CV34 6UW

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EBS Ltd, 71-75 Shelton Street, Covent Garden, London, WC2H 9JQ

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