Private LBG/CLG Formation With Coddan Formations Agent: The Essentials

Preparation and processing · Formation prices · Written service agreements

Professional help before your application reaches Companies House

As your private company limited by guarantee formation agent, Coddan helps you prepare the application before it reaches Companies House. We check the details you supply, ask about missing or inconsistent information, prepare the company documents included in your service and submit the application after you approve it. We also explain the identity-verification requirements that apply to your directors and people with significant control (PSCs), including how to use an existing Personal Code or arrange separately charged verification through Coddan.

A Private Company Limited by Guarantee (CLG) can suit a sports club, association, community group or other membership organisation that needs a company without shareholders. Its members promise a stated contribution, commonly £1, if the company is wound up. You may also see this structure called limited by guarantee or LBG.

Tell us what your organisation will do and how its membership will work. The articles set out members’ rights, the directors’ powers and how decisions are made. We can help you choose suitable formation documents and explain any additional preparation needed for particular voting rights, charitable purposes or other requirements. CLG incorporation and charity registration are separate steps; non-profit restrictions need to be reflected in the company’s rules.

Coddan CPM Limited combines company-formation experience with HMRC supervision as a trust or company service provider and Companies House registration as an Authorised Corporate Service Provider. UK and overseas customers can start online using our Companies House-integrated software, with a person reviewing the application before submission.

Affordable formation means a clear price and useful help for the work you need. Your personal manager can explain the questions in the order and help you choose a suitable package. If you have an appropriate registered office and straightforward requirements, you can choose the starting package without buying address services or wider support you do not need. If additional drafting or verification is required, we explain the work and charge before proceeding.

You choose the company’s people and arrangements and approve its details. Coddan handles the preparation and submission within your selected service, so you know what to provide, what we will do and what happens next.

Coddan’s formation-agent, TCSP and ACSP roles

Coddan has provided formation and business-support services since 2005. Here is how our formation-agent, trust or company service provider (TCSP) and Authorised Corporate Service Provider (ACSP) roles help with your order.

Coddan can also help an existing CLG with company records, addresses and administration. Discuss the work you need and we will explain the available services and charges.

For background, read the official guidance on Companies House authorised agents and trust or company service providers. Ask us if you would like information about Coddan’s registration and supervision before instructing us.

24/7 online access and Companies House-integrated formation software

Our formation portal is available 24/7, so UK and overseas customers can start an order without waiting for the office to open. You can provide the proposed company’s details online and arrange the people, addresses and documents needed for the application. Our formation software connects with Companies House for electronic submission of suitable applications.

Our team reviews applications during working hours. The preparation section below explains the steps from your online order to Companies House submission.

Set up a private company limited by guarantee online

Compare the four CLG formation packages above for their documents, addresses and continuing support. If you need tailored articles or are unsure which package suits your organisation, speak with Coddan before ordering.

Founders living abroad can use our formation service too. Tell us where the directors and members live, which identity documents they hold and whether the company’s documents will be used overseas. You can use your own appropriate UK registered office or choose a Coddan address service in the company’s registration jurisdiction.

If you are unsure how to answer a question in the order, contact us rather than guessing. The guide to starting a guarantee company with Coddan explains the ordering and formation process in more detail.

Before you order your CLG formation

Have the company’s details ready before ordering. Decide what your organisation will do, who will take part and which services you need. If you are unsure about a question, ask your personal manager. You confirm the details; Coddan checks the application and prepares the documents.

The form also asks for information used to handle your order and customer checks; not every field is a statutory incorporation requirement. Check the selected package, VAT, included official fee, separately charged verification, optional services and any later renewal costs before payment. If your circumstances need additional work, ask Coddan to confirm its scope and charge before proceeding.

For the individual verification requirements, read our CLG director and PSC identity-verification guidance. Membership alone does not make every guarantor subject to Companies House identity verification. Keep your Personal Code secure and provide it through the instructed application process when needed.

Understand your formation price before ordering

These prices concern the four standard CLG formation packages displayed on this page. The four published formation prices are £119.99, £159.99, £199.99 and £299.99, each plus VAT. The £100 Companies House incorporation fee is included in each formation price; it is not a further £100 to add to that package. Choose the service you need and check the selected order’s additional options and final amount before payment. The package price combines professional formation work and the included official fee; it does not cover every later service. VAT is additional as advertised. Check the order’s VAT breakdown and payable amount before paying; do not add the £100 incorporation fee a second time.

Charitable-company, CIO, property-management and particular jurisdiction or address instructions can require a different service. A CIO is registered with the Charity Commission, not Companies House. Check the relevant service and order rather than assuming these CLG package prices cover every structure or charity-registration task.

Online CLG Formation, with Preparation Before Submission

Start your CLG order online whenever convenient. Coddan checks the application and prepares the agreed documents before submission. The preparation time depends on the documents you choose; completing the order form is a separate step.

What happens next?

Choose the guidance that helps with your next decision. Your personal manager can explain which services are relevant to your organisation.

Customer checks and Companies House identity verification with Credas

There are two different reasons we may ask for identity information. Coddan carries out customer checks for its anti-money-laundering responsibilities. Separately, relevant individuals must meet Companies House identity-verification requirements. A Companies House Personal Code does not remove our need to understand who is instructing us and the purpose of the service.

What happens when you instruct our ACSP identity service

Coddan arranges the individual’s Credas check using the contact and personal details needed for that check. The individual receives a link by email or SMS and completes the requested identity-document and liveness steps. Coddan then reviews the result and any further evidence required. If satisfied that the Companies House standard has been met, we manually submit the verification confirmation through our Companies House ACSP account.

Companies House issues the individual’s Personal Code. Credas provides the checking system; it does not automatically submit Coddan’s verification confirmation to Companies House. Where a check needs additional evidence, we explain the next step rather than treating an initial result as an automatic approval.

If you already have a valid Personal Code, tell us before ordering verification. We can explain how it is needed for the relevant incorporation or filing. Keep it secure: an individual’s Personal Code is different from the company’s authentication code. Verification alone does not appoint a director or complete the company application.

Formation-package identity guidance and identity verification performed by Coddan are different services. Check the selected order for inclusions; our verification service is separately instructed and charged where applicable. Read our identity-verification service information or the official guide to using an ACSP.

A straightforward formation service for a non-charitable CLG

A club, association, professional body or community organisation may need a company without seeking charitable status. A CLG can enter contracts and hold assets in its own name, with members undertaking to contribute the stated guarantee in the relevant winding-up circumstances. The guarantee is often £1, but the agreed amount must be recorded correctly.

The directors run the company; members exercise the rights provided by its articles. The same person may hold both roles. Different membership classes, voting arrangements and appointment rules can change how the organisation works, so explain the intended arrangements before we choose the formation documents.

An appropriate standard constitution may be sufficient. Where it is, you do not need to buy bespoke drafting merely because the organisation is limited by guarantee. If your members need particular rights or restrictions, Coddan can discuss the additional preparation before filing. The number of directors or guarantors does not by itself force you into a higher package.

Objects describe the company’s purposes where its articles restrict them. They are different from the activities described by SIC codes. An ordinary CLG does not automatically need a bespoke objects clause, and its limited-by-guarantee structure alone does not establish non-profit restrictions or tax exemption. Our business objects and articles guide helps you consider the relevant choices.

Professional help for charitable, CIO, property and RTM arrangements

Tell us if your organisation has requirements beyond an ordinary non-charitable membership company. Coddan can discuss the appropriate documents and application work without making you fit a standard order that does not reflect your purpose.

Choose the intended status before filing

A CLG is not automatically a registered charity, community interest company or tax-exempt body. A charitable trading subsidiary may need a different company structure. Explain any existing organisation, property, funding conditions or intended charity status so we can discuss the appropriate formation service and identify other advice you may need.

Form your CLG in London, Scotland or Northern Ireland

Coddan supports CLG formation in England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. The jurisdiction affects where the registered office must be maintained. It is not determined by the country in which a director happens to live, and a London address cannot serve as the registered office of a Scottish or Northern Irish company.

You may use your own appropriate registered office with permission to use it. Buying Coddan’s address service is optional. If you want us to supply one, confirm the exact address, included facilities, service period and renewal terms before ordering.

Address services backed by practical correspondence handling

An official address needs a working arrangement for receiving important correspondence. With Coddan’s address services, clients have portal access and incoming post can be scanned and uploaded free of charge. Alternatively, weekly Royal Mail forwarding can be arranged to the client’s address. We confirm the forwarding destination and applicable charges; postage is not described as free.

Choose how you want to receive post and who will check it. Our team handles incoming correspondence during working hours. If a letter needs a response or company filing, ask us about the additional help available.

The company’s registered office is different from a director’s service address. Coddan offers director service-address and SAIL options in London and Aldershot. A SAIL is a single alternative inspection location for specified company records; it needs proper custody and inspection arrangements and must be in the company’s jurisdiction. It is not simply another forwarding address.

The registered office must meet the official appropriate-address rules, and the company must also maintain an appropriate registered email address. The office is public; the registered email is not published. Our CLG formation address guide explains the different functions, locations and mail arrangements. Already registered? Use our secretarial registered-office service page for existing-company support.

Documents that help your CLG operate after registration

After successful incorporation, keep the certificate, memorandum, registered articles and relevant filed information accessible. These establish what was registered and provide the governing rules the directors and members need to follow. Digital incorporation documents are supplied under the relevant formation package; check its precise contents before ordering.

The next questions concern the working organisation: who keeps the membership record, who may sign for the company, how the first decisions are recorded and who controls access to filing codes. Coddan can prepare agreed initial minutes, a member register, membership documents and other relevant company records. The records should reflect decisions actually made and the people’s authority.

A CLG membership certificate, where appropriate, is not a share certificate. First-board minutes should record real decisions rather than imply every company needs identical approvals. Company seals and professionally prepared printed documents may be useful in particular circumstances; neither a seal nor a presentation bundle is a universal formation requirement.

We can discuss electronic records, bound printed documents or a combination that the people running the company can use. Decide what the organisation needs first, then agree the preparation and delivery. Prepared records, printed sets and additional documents are included only where the selected service expressly provides them.

If a bank, funder or overseas recipient asks for certified documents, notarisation, an apostille or translation, tell us what they have requested and where the documents will be used. The recipient’s requirements determine the appropriate next step; living overseas does not automatically mean every incorporation document needs legalisation.

A written service agreement when you need one

A written service agreement is available between you or your organisation and Coddan CPM Limited. Ask your personal manager before work begins if your committee, adviser or approval process needs one.

It explains the formation work you have chosen, the included services, any agreed additions and the charges. Separately ordered identity verification, addresses or continuing support can also be recorded where relevant.

If your CLG has not yet been incorporated, tell us who is placing the order: you personally or an existing organisation. We can prepare the agreement for the appropriate customer.

The service agreement describes Coddan’s work; the articles of association are the company’s own governing rules. Contact us if you would like an agreement or help understanding the services in your order.

One provider for formation and continuing CLG support

The membership rules, people and addresses established at formation become the starting point for later company administration. Coddan can continue supporting the organisation under an agreed secretarial service, helping with company records, decisions, changes and relevant correspondence. You can choose focused filing help or wider ongoing support according to the work needed.

Confirmation statements and annual accounts

We can check information supplied for a confirmation statement, identify changes needing separate filings, and prepare and submit the agreed statement. It confirms company-register information and does not replace annual accounts. Coddan can also undertake agreed accounts preparation and filing, including dormant accounts where the company qualifies as dormant. Accounting work and its charges are confirmed separately.

Directors remain responsible for the company’s records, accurate information and timely filings. Charity reporting and tax obligations depend on the activities and status of the organisation. Incorporation does not itself complete HMRC activity notification, VAT registration or other tax work. See our post-incorporation guide for the practical next steps.

Maintain records and respond when circumstances change

Your CLG must maintain its member register and relevant decision and accounting records. The member register belongs with the company at its registered office or a notified SAIL, with lawful inspection arrangements; the central Companies House member-register option ended on 26 January 2026. Current rules no longer require separate local registers of directors, directors’ residential addresses, secretaries or PSCs, but the corresponding Companies House information must still be kept current. Membership changes also need consideration where they alter voting rights or control.

Tell us when directors, members, addresses or activities change. We can explain the agreed records and filings needed, including identity requirements relevant to a new role. If the company needs to close, we can discuss voluntary dissolution support. If already dissolved, our restoration support starts with considering the available route and outstanding work. Closure and restoration are separate instructions.

Explore the CLG secretarial-services hub and its confirmation-statement service. Your personal manager helps with your formation order. Package 4’s continuing secretarial support is a separate inclusion; check its listed services and service period for the later help it provides.

A UK formation and administration partner for professional firms

International accountants, company formation agents and corporate-service providers can discuss instructing Coddan for their clients’ UK CLGs. You may need a UK provider to prepare an incorporation application, arrange suitable company documents and addresses, carry out separately instructed identity verification or help with company records and later Companies House filings.

Tell us what your firm handles and what you need Coddan to undertake. We consider the proposed company’s purpose, registration jurisdiction, directors, members and actual control arrangements, together with the documents and approvals needed. A straightforward formation can remain affordable; additional preparation and continuing work are agreed according to the instruction.

Clear instructions and authority from your client

We establish who is instructing Coddan, their authority to act and who will approve the documents and information. Your firm supplies the agreed client information and relevant evidence; Coddan completes its applicable customer checks and explains any further information needed. We agree how questions, approvals, documents and filing confirmations will be communicated.

We complete our customer checks and keep the directors involved in the approvals they need to give. Coddan performs the accepted work using its own authorised credentials. We do not lend our ACSP registration or presenter credentials to another firm. Companies House identity verification remains a separate service from formation preparation and general customer checks.

A written agreement for the work your firm instructs

A written service agreement is available for professional partners as well as direct customers. It sets out the services your firm has chosen, who is responsible for each task and the charges. Discuss formation, identity verification, addresses and continuing administration together. We will explain what is included and confirm the price for any additional work.

Use our professional-partner enquiry page to explain your firm, the number and types of companies involved, relevant countries and the support you would like to discuss. We can also consider enquiries concerning other UK company types, while the guidance here focuses on CLGs.

International intermediaries: UK support for your clients

Coddan welcomes international accountants, formation agents and corporate-service providers seeking a UK partner. You may be arranging a new CLG for a client abroad or supporting a company that is already registered. Tell us which tasks your firm handles and where you need help: incorporation, company records, decisions, addresses or Companies House submissions.

Your firm can coordinate the instruction, while the authorised people remain involved in the company’s decisions and approvals. We establish the authority to act, complete our applicable customer checks and agree who will answer questions, approve documents and receive the completed work. Directors retain their statutory responsibilities.

Our CLG secretarial and Companies House filing services for international professional partners explains the practical relationship in greater detail. It also covers separately instructed director and PSC verification, including the availability of partnership prices. Coddan undertakes accepted work using its own credentials.

Use the professional-partner enquiry to describe your client companies, anticipated work and preferred communication. A written service agreement is available. We will confirm the services your firm needs and their charges before starting.

Company-document checks, certification and overseas use

A bank, funder, overseas registry or another institution may ask for evidence of your company’s incorporation, constitution, officers or authority to act. Coddan can help direct customers and professional intermediaries establish the requirement and arrange the agreed documents and treatment. This work is separately instructed from incorporation and routine company filings.

Provide the document, intended recipient, destination and purpose, together with any written instructions. We consider its source, current information and the form the recipient accepts. The answer may be an official Companies House document, a suitable company record or a particular certification procedure.

Where required, Coddan can coordinate notarisation, an FCDO apostille, embassy or consular legalisation, or certified translation through the appropriate service. Overseas use does not automatically require these stages. Certification is also distinct from Companies House identity verification: authenticating a document does not by itself verify a director or PSC.

Explore our UK company-document preparation, certification and legalisation services. We agree the work and applicable charges before proceeding; the receiving institution decides whether the documents meet its requirements.

Find the Coddan help that fits your organisation

Start with the work you need. Explore the formation, address and continuing support relevant to your organisation. You can also contact our team if you are unsure which service fits.

For additional preparation guidance, use our non-profit registration guide, charitable CLG guide or CIO guide. Our existing voluntary dissolution and restoration guides explain those procedures in more detail.

Working With a CLG Formation Agent: Frequently Asked Questions

Choose your formation service or speak with Coddan first

Ready to proceed? Compare the four formation packages above. If you need help choosing, email info@coddan.co.uk or contact our team. Explain what the organisation will do, who will take part and what you need Coddan to handle.

For wider guidance, explore our main CLG formation page, guarantee-company registration guides and CLG secretarial-services hub.