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[ARCHIVEDCONTENT]CompaniesActOverview

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Overview
CompaniesAct
FAQs

CompaniesAct
Implementations

CompaniesAct
Publications

(http://webarchive.nationalarc

(http://webarchive.nationalarc

(http://webarchive.nationalarc

hives.gov.uk/20140711134921

hives.gov.uk/20140711134921

hives.gov.uk/20140711134921

/http://www.companieshouse.g

/http://www.companieshouse.g

/http://www.companieshouse.g

ov.uk/companiesAct/faq.shtml)

ov.uk/companiesAct/implemen

ov.uk/companiesAct/publicatio

tations.shtml)

ns.shtml)

TheimplementationoftheCompaniesAct2006wasfullycompletedon1October2009.
AsthechangesintroducedbytheActstarttobecomebusinessasusualformanycompanies,thesewebsitepagescanbeused
toansweranyquestionsyoumayhave,linktocopiesoftheCompaniesHouseguidancebookletsandforms,andprovidedetailsof
eachofthephasedimplementations.
GuidanceBooklets
Forms
Implementations
Wearecontinuingtoengagewithourcustomerstoprovidesolutionstoongoingissues,andfixesaredeployedtoalleviate
problemsassoonastheyareidentified.Thetablebelowhasbeendesignedtoinformyouofthecurrentsystem,policyand
examinationissuesandkeepyouuptodateontheirresolutionandprogress.
Issue

Comments

Onincorporationandat
changeofname,some
companynamesare
appearingasthesameas
companynamescurrently
ontheregister

Inadditiontotheexistingnameandnumbersearchassameasnamecheckerisavailableon
WebCheckandXML.

MemorandumofAssociation Thememorandummustonlybesubmittedintheprescribedformandmustnotcontainextra
statutoryinformationonsubscribersaddressesandtheamountsofsharestaken.
ArticlesofAssociation

Agreementhasbeenreachedtoacceptareducedcopyrightstatementonarticleswithamended
provisionsorbespokearticles:TheAssociationofCompanyRegistrationAgentsLimited2009.
Allrightsreserved.

StatementofCapital

Anumberofissueshavebeenraisedonvariousaspectsofthestatementofcapital
requirements.
ThereforeBIShaveproducedaconsultationdocumenttheresultsofwhichwillbe
publishedshortly
.

PrescribedParticulars

CompaniesHousewillchecktheprescribedparticularsofsharesallincorporations.Additional
informationonthishasbeenaddedtothecapitalsectionofourFrequentlyAskedQuestions.

AdministrativeRestoration

Applicationswillberejectediftheyarenotaccompaniedbyalltherequireddocumentsandthe
fee.
Thisappliestocompaniesdissolvedunderthe85and06Acts.

Whichauditexempt
statementsareusedonthe
balancesheetfortotally
auditexemptaccounts
startingonorafter6/04/2008

Fortheyearending(dd/mm/yyyy)thecompanywasentitledtoexemptionfromauditunder
section477oftheCompaniesAct2006relatingtosmallcompanies.
Directorsresponsibilities:
themembershavenotrequiredthecompanytoobtainanauditofitsaccountsfortheyear
inquestioninaccordancewithsection476,
thedirectorsacknowledgetheirresponsibilitiesforcomplyingwiththerequirementsofthe
Actwithrespecttoaccountingrecordsandthepreparationofaccounts,
theseaccountshavebeenpreparedinaccordancewiththeprovisionsapplicabletocompanies
subjecttothesmallcompaniesregime.

Whichauditexempt
statementsareusedonthe
balancesheetfordormant
accountsstartingonorafter
06/04/2008

Fortheyearending(dd/mm/yyyy)thecompanywasentitledtoexemptionfromauditunder
section480oftheCompaniesAct2006relatingtodormantcompanies.
Directorsresponsibilities:
themembershavenotrequiredthecompanytoobtainanauditofitsaccountsfortheyear
inquestioninaccordancewithsection476,
thedirectorsacknowledgetheirresponsibilitiesforcomplyingwiththerequirementsofthe
Actwithrespecttoaccountingrecordsandinpreparationofaccounts.

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[ARCHIVEDCONTENT]CompaniesActOverview
Acompanythatqualifiesassmallshouldalsoincludethefollowingstatementinthebalance
sheet:
Theseaccountshavebeenpreparedinaccordancewiththeprovisionsapplicabletocompanies
subjecttothesmallcompaniesregime.
Whomustsignaccounts
andwheremustthisbe
includedforaccounts
startingonorafter
6/04/2008?

AccountsfiledatCompaniesHousemustshowthefollowingnamesandsignatures:
thecopyofthebalancesheetmuststatethenameofthedirectorwhosigneditonbehalf
oftheboard
thecopyofthebalancesheetmustbesignedbyadirector
thecopyofthedirectors'reportmuststatethenameofthedirectororcompanysecretary
whosignedthereportand
ifthecompanyhastoattachanauditorsreporttotheaccounts,thecopyoftheauditors
reportmuststatetheauditorsname.
Wheretheauditorisafirmtheauditorsreportmuststatethenameoftheauditorandthename
ofthepersonwhosigneditasseniorstatutoryauditoronbehalfofthefirm.

Wheremustthecompany
nameandnumberbeshown
onaccountsforperiods
startingonorafter
6/04/2008?

Thecompanynameandnumbershouldappearononeofthecompositedocumentsofthe
accountssuchasthedirectorsreportorbalancesheet.Thenameandnumbermayalsobe
shownonanycoversheetdeliveredwiththeaccounts.

Changingarticles

CompaniesregisteredundertheCompaniesAct2006haveunrestrictedobjects,howeverthey
maychoosetorestrictthemintheirarticlesbypassingaspecialresolutionandcompletingthe
statementofobjectsonformCC04.Theamendmenttotheobjectsisnoteffectiveuntilthe
formhasbeenregisteredbyCompaniesHouse.Thecompanymustalsofileacopyofthe
revisedarticleswithin15daysofthedatetheresolutionwaspassedormade.Note,iftheyare
notreceivedwithinthe15dayperiodafterreceiptoftheformCC04CompaniesHousewillthen
instigateconstitutionalpursuitforthedocuments.
Companiesregisteredunderthe1985orearlierCompaniesActscanalsoamendtheirarticlesto
takeadvantageoftheseprovisions.Althoughtheirobjectsarelistedintheirmemorandumthese
willbedeemedtoformpartofthearticlesandtheyarerequiredtosendacopyoftheresolution
andacopyoftheamendedarticlesorthememorandumifthecompanyhasamendedits
memorandum.

EEA/NonEEACorporate
officers

EEAandnonEEAcompaniesarenotjustdefinedbywherethecompanyislocatedandthe
followinggivesmoredetailsofwhatismeantbythesetermswhencompletingthedirectors
details.
EEACompany
AnEEAcompanyisonetowhichtheFirstCompanyLawDirective(68/151/EEC)applies.A
copyofthedirectiveisavailablefromthefollowinglinkhttp://eur
lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=CELEX:31968L0151:EN:NOT
(http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20140711134921/http://eur
lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=CELEX:31968L0151:EN:NOT)

AlistofthetypesofcompaniestowhichtheDirectiveappliesisshowninArticle1.The2007
consolidatedversionalsogivesthefulllist.Article3referstothecompanybeingenteredina
central,commercialorcompaniesregister.
IntheUKthedirectiveappliestocompaniesincorporatedwithlimitedliabilitythismeansthata
UKLLP,ScottishLimitedPartnershipetc.arenotcoveredbytheFirstCompanyLawDirective
sotheirdetailsshouldbeshownasaNonEEAcompany(thisiscoveredbelow).
ForaUKlimitedcompanythedetailswouldbeshownas:
Wherethecompany/firmisregistered:
CompaniesHouse,Cardiff,UKforcompaniesregisteredinEnglandandWalesorjustWales
CompaniesHouse,Edinburgh,UKforcompaniesregisteredinScotlandor
CompaniesHouseBelfast,UKforcompaniesregisteredinNorthernIreland.
Registrationnumber:XXXXXXXXXX
NonEEACompany
Thisisforallothercompanies/LLPs/ScottishlimitedPartnershipsetc.notcoveredbythe
DirectiveandthoselocatedoutsidetheEEAe.g.aUSLLC.
Thisrequiresthelegalformandthelawbywhichitisgoverned.
Inadditiontheyshouldprovide,ifapplicablewherethecompany/firmisregisteredandthe
registerednumber:
ForaUKLLPthedetailswouldbeshownas:
LegalformofcorporatebodyLimitedLiabilityPartnership
GoverninglawLimitedLiabilityPartnershipsAct2000
Wherecompany/firmisregistered:
CompaniesHouse,Cardiff,UKforLLPsregisteredinEnglandandWalesorjustWales
CompaniesHouse,Edinburgh,UKforLLPsregisteredinScotlandor
CompaniesHouse,Belfast,UKforLLPsregisteredinNorthernIreland
RegistrationnumberOC3XXXXXX

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Statementofcapital/voting
rightsCanCompanies
Housegivesomeexamples
ofacceptablewordingfor
completingthevotingrights
andprescribedparticulars
onastatementofcapital?

Yes,butthisislimitedtothesimplestcaseofaprivatecompanylimitedbysharesusingthe
modelarticlesprovidedintheCompanies(ModelArticles)Regulations2008.Examplesofthe
wordingthatcouldbeusedforvotingrights,dividendrightsordistributionsonwindingupareas
follows:
eachshareisentitledtoonevoteinanycircumstancesthiswordingwillreflectthegeneral
legalpositionofonememberonevoteundersection284CompaniesAct2006
eachshareisentitledparipassutodividendpaymentsoranyotherdistributionthiswill
reflectabasicrighttodividendsbutanydividendmustbemadeinaccordancewiththe
CompaniesActandthecompanysarticlesofassociationand
eachshareisentitledparipassutoparticipateinadistributionarisingfromawindingupof
thecompanyanydistributionfromacompanybeingwoundupwillthereforeoperatein
accordancewiththelaw.
Itisveryunlikelythatcompaniesusingthemodelarticleswillissueshareswithcapital
distributionrights.Genericwordingisthereforedifficulttoprovideandcompanieswithsuch
sharesarebetterplacedtodescribetherightsattached.
Itisnotpossibletoprovidestandardwordinginrelationtoredeemableshares.Theissueofsuch
sharesisatthediscretionofacompany.Ifredeemablesharesareissuedthedirectorsmay
determinetheterms,conditionsandmannerofredemption.Thespecificwordingsettingoutthe
rightswillberequired.
Ifthereareanyamendmentsmadetothemodelarticlestoadaptthemorresolutionspassed
detailingsharerightsofacompany,theexamplesabovemaynotadequatelyreflecttheshare
rightsthatmustbedisclosed.Iftherightsinformationisnoteasilyobtainablefromthe
companysarticlesofassociationorresolutions,youmaywanttoseekprofessionaladvice.
Pleasenote:CompaniesHousewillrejectstatementsofcapitalininstanceswherefull
informationisnotprovidedorwherereferenceismadetoanotherdocumentforthesharerights
information.Someexamplesofwordingwhichwillresultinthestatementofcapitalbeing
rejectedare:
'pleaseseetheArticlesofAssociationfortherights'
'rightsassetoutintheArticles'
'sharerightsarethesameasthosealreadyinissue'
'notapplicable'
paripassu.

AdditionalinformationforCompanyAgents
(http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20140711134921/http://www.companieshouse.gov.uk/companiesAct/companyAgents.shtml)

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