Incorporating a new company or LLP (standard and same day)
Can I create a new company using Kudocs? Yes. Kudocs is directly connected to Companies House, so you can use Kudocs to incorporate a new company or LLP. Click on {Incorporate new} and use our bespoke tool to guide you through the process and submit your application. It takes minutes and we’ll make sure you provide all the correct information!
To see how easy it is, see this guide.
How will ECCTA affect incorporations?
From 18 November 2025, all proposed individual directors or LLP members must have already passed IDV and be able to provide their ‘Personal Code’/UID as part of the incorporation process. Incorporations cannot be filed without the UID for each director or LLP member.
For now, corporate director appointments are unaffected. However, there are plans to restrict corporate directors from an unspecified date – watch this space!
Individual PSCs (for both companies and LLPs) must also provide their UID either as part of the incorporation process, or if not, within 14 days of incorporation. If you do not provide the PSC UID to Companies House at incorporation, Kudocs will show a reminder and alert on the entity dashboard to remind you that you need to file it.
For more about the 18 November changes, see our FAQ here.
What types of entity can I incorporate using Kudocs? You can incorporate private companies limited by shares (often known as “Ltd” companies), public companies limited by shares (or “PLC” companies), companies limited by guarantee (sometimes known as “LBG” or “guarantee” companies) or Limited Liability Partnerships (“LLPs”).
I don’t know what type of entity my customer wants us to incorporate. Can Kudocs help me gather the right information? Yes. Kudocs has an incorporation questionnaire service for portfolio customers which does exactly that. It can be fully customised – for example, to look like your own client-facing incorporation questionnaire. You can pre-complete some of it, share it with the client to get them to fill in the blanks and then work on it together. It will save both you and the client loads of time and effort! Click here to find out more.
Do we have to have ‘Limited’ or ‘Ltd’ at the end of a company name? Basically, yes – however, there are some exceptions. If you already have a very old company which does not have Limited or Ltd at the end of the name that is OK, subject to meeting certain criteria. If you want to incorporate a new company or an LLP, you must have the Limited or Ltd suffix.
The only exception to this rule is for certain types of limited by guarantee company – one which meets the criteria of s.60 Companies Act 2006 and reg.3 of The Company, Limited Liability Partnership and Business (Names and Trading Disclosures) Regulations 2015. These are usually charitable companies or other types of non-profit companies with restricted activities. You can use Kudocs to incorporate these types of company, as long as you can prove to Companies House that you meet the criteria. This exception only applies to LBGs.
Will Kudocs check my proposed name? Yes. Because Kudocs is connected to Companies House, it will perform a live check to make sure your proposed name has not already been taken by someone else. It will also check whether the proposed name is ‘sensitive’. For more information about what this means, see here.
If the name is the ‘same as’ i.e. very similar to another company, you might still be able to use it if (i) the new entity will be part of the same group of companies as the entity with the similar existing name and (ii) you have written confirmation (a ‘supporting letter’) from that company/ group that it does not object to the new name. You must provide Companies House with the supporting letter as part of the incorporation submission. You can now attach this letter to your incorporation using Kudocs and submit it automatically.
How much does it cost to incorporate using Kudocs? Nothing! Kudocs will pay the incorporation fee charged by Companies House on your behalf and it is absorbed as part of your Kudocs subscription (monthly or annual). Minimum terms apply, so check out our terms and conditions for more detail.
Can I use Kudocs for same day incorporations? Yes! Just tick the box when completing your incorporation application and Companies House will incorporate it on the same day. Just remember that Companies House only guarantees this service if the application is submitted by 3pm on a weekday – so make sure you complete the process within Kudocs on time.
How much does it cost to incorporate a company “same day” using Kudocs? Nothing! Kudocs will pay the incorporation fee charged by Companies House on your behalf and it is absorbed as part of your Kudocs subscription (monthly or annual). Minimum terms apply, so check out our terms and conditions for more detail.
Can I use Kudocs just to incorporate an entity (i.e. not using the ongoing Kudocs service)? Yes. The standard Kudocs approach is to include incorporation as part of an ongoing company secretarial service. However, you can use Kudocs just to incorporate an entity using our ‘Incorporation only’ service.
This service is only available to portfolio customers by separate agreement with Kudocs – please contact us for more information.
Are there any restrictions on what I can put in the incorporation?
Yes, there are a few – see above for examples around company names. It is all very easy and clear – the system will show you how to do it, and you can always ask us any questions.
Can I copy a previous incorporation? Yes. Portfolio customers can copy – or clone – a previous incorporation that was prepared using Kudocs. This is a way to easily pre-populate a new draft incorporation, which is particularly useful when – for example – incorporating a stack of group companies. The clone can still be checked and edited before submission.
Can I use Kudocs to generate first board minutes after incorporation? Yes – just select this option as part of the incorporation process:
Can I use Kudocs to generate share certificates for the initial shareholders/ members? Yes – subscriber share certificates (or membership certificates for LBGs) can be generated as part of the incorporation process. Just select this option and choose what format you want.
Do all shareholders (subscribers) need to be individuals – or can we have corporate shareholders in the incorporation? Yes, you can have both individual and corporate subscribers at incorporation – however, all corporate subscribers must have legal personality. If your corporate subscriber is based outside the UK, or is a UK entity which is not itself registered at Companies House, Companies House may require proof that that entity has legal personality. See our FAQ here for more details.
My incorporation has been rejected by Companies House because they want proof of legal personality of one of the stakeholders. What is this/ how do I provide this? See our FAQ here!
Can I incorporate a limited company with shares issued at a premium or partly paid? Yes, you can (subject to your articles).
Shares are usually issued at their nominal value (‘at par’) at incorporation. However, they can also be issued at a premium i.e. the subscribers are due to pay more than the nominal value. Subscribers can pay the full amount due for the shares (fully paid), nothing (unpaid), or part of the amount due (partly paid).
What type of articles can I use for an incorporation – can I upload my own bespoke set? You have various options to choose from at the penultimate stage of the incorporation process for limited by share or guarantee companies. You can incorporate a company using:
- Model Articles (as set out in the Companies Act 2006) – we have copies of these stored in our system, and will create a named version for you.
- Bespoke articles – draft your own bespoke articles and then attached them to the incorporation as a .pdf for submission to Companies House.
- Template articles (portfolio customers only). If you are a portfolio customer, you can upload your own template articles and then select them as part of the incorporation, instead of uploading articles each time.
Will I be notified once the entity has been incorporated? Yes. Kudocs will send you an email as soon as Companies House has approved the incorporation. You can then login to Kudocs and see your company live, with all the relevant information.
Will I get a copy of my incorporation certificate, docs and company books? Yes. The incorporation documents will all be automatically saved in the Document Store in Kudocs, ready for you to review. Once the company is incorporated, Kudocs automatically creates your company books, first share certificates and stakeholder information based on the incorporation data. We don’t send you anything in paper – there’s no need as it’s all stored securely in the cloud. However, you can download any of it whenever you want – see here!
Will I be sent my Authentication Code once the company is incorporated? Companies House will still send this code in the post to the company’s registered office, but it will also be immediately available to Admin users after incorporation. It is stored in your company settings page (Settings > Company) in Kudocs. Hopefully you won’t need it as Kudocs will do all your filings for you, but if you do it’s there!
Do I need my Authentication Code once I have incorporated my company, and if so where do I find it? You won’t need it to use Kudocs as it will already be stored in the system for our filings. There may be (rare) occasions when you need to it contact Companies House directly, so you can log in and obtain it when you need it. See above for how to do so.
Last updated: 14/11/2025 by Kudocs Admin