You’ve pivoted, rebranded, or the name simply no longer represents you. Good news: changing your Ltd’s name is one of the simplest procedures at Companies House, and it doesn’t affect your company’s age or existing contracts.
First things first: what changes and what doesn’t
- Changes: the company’s legal name and your Certificate of Incorporation (you receive a new one, the «Certificate of Incorporation on Change of Name»)
- Stays the same: the Company Number, date of incorporation, signed contracts, bank accounts and outstanding obligations. It’s the same company with a different name
How to do it
- Check availability: the new name must be unique at Companies House and cannot contain restricted words (like «Bank» or «Royal») without authorisation
- Approve the change: normally through a special resolution from the shareholders (if you’re the sole shareholder, you sign it yourself)
- Submit the change to Companies House: online, with a small fee (check the current amount on gov.uk). It’s usually approved within hours or a few days
- Receive your new certificate: the change is effective from the date shown on it, not before
After the change: your checklist
- Bank and payment gateways: update the name on your bank account and Stripe to prevent failed payments due to data mismatches
- Invoices and website: your invoices must show the new legal name (you can keep a different trading name, noting «trading as»)
- HMRC and suppliers: HMRC syncs with Companies House, but it’s worth checking everything matches in your next return
- Your Aiden dashboard: syncing with Companies House will automatically update the name; your new certificate will appear in your documents
💡 Tip: don’t announce the new name or print anything until you have the certificate in hand. Companies House can reject names for similarity with existing ones, and more than one company has launched a new logo too early.
Unsure about the name or the process? Contact us at support or manage your company from startup.aiden.es.