Incorporating your company is a pretty quick and easy process. Nevertheless, one source of confusion remains for individuals who are looking to incorporate: what is the difference between the service and registered office address?
UK Registered Office Address
The Registered Office Address (R.O. Address) is the official address of the company. It serves as the company’s contact address where statutory and legal documents are sent (as such, HMRC and Companies House will tend to send their correspondence to this address.
In addition to this, a company’s R.O. Address is publicly available.Every company must have their registered office address in the UK, even if it carries its business from abroad.
Can I use my home address as my UK Registered office Address?
Yes. However, as this address is on a public domain many companies choose to use a third party’s address such as an accountants address, or dedicated R.O address provider.
Can I change this address in the future?
Of course! The registered address can be modified at any time you wish. However, this change will need to be formally submitted to Companies House before the new address is publicly known.
Service Address
The service address is the official address for the individual officers of the company such as:
Company directors
Company secretary
PSCs (shareholders who hold 25% or more shares)
Each of these individuals must provide a service address as all their personal statutory mail and correspondence from the government will be sent there.
As with the Registered Office Address, it is available on a public domain but can also be changed at any time.
Another difference between the service address and R.O address is that the service address can be anywhere in the world.
Lastly, it is important to note that your service address can be the same as your registered office address.
If you would like more information or have any questions about the Registered Office Address or Service Address, then please do not hesitate to contact one of our tax specialists at 020 8429 9245 or email [email protected].