We have all been aware of this for sometime now, but Indicator have highlighted that Companies House are now taking a harder line and giving out £1000 penalties, so what are the rules:
The Companies (Trading Disclosures) Regulations 2008
(1) Every company shall disclose its registered name on—
(a)its business letters, notices and other official publications;
(b)its bills of exchange, promissory notes, endorsements and order forms;
(c)cheques purporting to be signed by or on behalf of the company;
(d)orders for money, goods or services purporting to be signed by or on behalf of the company;
(e)its bills of parcels, invoices and other demands for payment, receipts and letters of credit;
(f)its applications for licences to carry on a trade or activity; and
(g)all other forms of its business correspondence and documentation.
(2) Every company shall disclose its registered name on its websites.
http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2008/495/regulation/6/made
Letterheads: Company letterheads must show:
- The name of the company. This must end in “Limited” or “Ltd” or their Welsh equivalents. If the name you trade under is different in any way from the name of your company as shown on your certificate of incorporation, then the full name, including “Limited” etc must be shown on the heading, usually at the foot.
- The registered office. It must be identified as the registered office. If there is only one address shown on the letterhead, the words “Registered Office” can appear in small type just above or below, or you can mention it at, say, the foot of the heading by saying “Registered at the above address”, or something similar. The important point is that your registered office must be clearly identified. If this were an address other than your trading address then it would be appropriate to print the address, clearly identified as such, in small type at the foot of the letterhead and the trading address elsewhere in larger type.
- The registered number.
- Whether registered in England (or ‘England & Wales’) or Scotland.
- A Welsh company which has chosen “Cynfngedig” instead of “Limited” as the last word of its name must also state (in English) that it is a limited company.
Make sure you comply, no one wants a penalty.
steve@bicknells.net
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Interesting article Steve, do you know how the rules apply to a sole trader? Or is this for LTD companies only?
If you are a sole trader you can trade under your own name or you can choose a different business name. If you choose a business name that is not your own name, you must include your own name and the business address on all letterheads and order forms.
If you are a partnership business your letterheads, order forms, receipts and even invoices must include the names of all partners and the address of the main office. If there are many partners then it is also acceptable to state where a list of partners may be found.
http://www.startups.co.uk/letterhead-legal-requirements.html