Registered Office vs Service Address – What’s the Difference?

Registered Office vs Service Address – What’s the Difference?

When registering or incorporating a business in the United Kingdom, three types of addresses must be provided as part of the application:

1. A registered office address
2. A service address
3. The business owner’s personal address

Registered Office Address. It is a legal requirement for your business to have a registered office address which must be a physical address – not a PO Box – that is based in the United Kingdom. You may use your personal address as your registered office address, providing it is based within the United Kingdom.

Alternatively, some choose to leverage a Registered Office Address service. This service is often offered by company formation agents and it enables business owners to use the company formation agent’s address as their registered office address. This cost-effective service allows entrepreneurs to meet the legal UK requirements for setting up a registered UK company while keeping their own private address off official records and maintaining the privacy of their personal address.

As your official company address, Companies House and other establishments will send all your company’s statutory documents and official correspondence to your registered office address. It will also be the address used for other official company business such as being printed on your company’s letterheads and e-mails, invoices and statements, purchase orders, customer receipts, and your company’s marketing assets such as your website.

Service Address. At the time of incorporation, all officers of your company must provide both their home address and a service address. While the registered office address is the official address for your business, the service address is, in effect, the official address for each company officer. As such, an officer of the company can use their personal address as their service address as well. And unlike the registered office address, the service address can be based anywhere in the world.

Company formation agents often also offer a Service Address that company officers can use, separate and aside from their personal address, if they so choose.

Why purchase a service address if I can simply use my personal address, you may ask?

Like the Registered Office Address service, using an official Service Address enables company officers to maintain a separation between business and personal affairs. Don’t want your company-related mail turning up at your home address? Use a Service Address instead!

So, that’s it in a nutshell! The similarities and differences between your registered office address and your company officer’s service address, and your options for both. Have questions about these company formation requirements or any others? Our expert team is always standing by and ready to help!

About 121 Company Formation

121 Company Formation is one of the UK’s leading online company formation agents. We have helped over 50,000 entrepreneurs register a company in the UK. We offer the most comprehensive range of services including company formation packages that start at just £15.95, administrative, accounting, and bookkeeping services to support you and your business before, during, and after the incorporation process.