The company type is recorded at incorporation and appears on every profile as a code. Most are self-explanatory once translated; a few are worth understanding properly because they change what kind of organisation you are looking at, and therefore whether it is a customer at all.
The types on the register
| Register code | Type | In plain terms |
|---|---|---|
| ltd | Private company limited by shares | The standard trading company. Owned by shareholders whose liability is limited to what they paid for shares. |
| private-limited-guarant-nsc | Private company limited by guarantee, no share capital | Members not shareholders. Used by charities, clubs, associations, community groups and some consultancies. |
| plc | Public limited company | Can offer shares to the public. Needs £50,000 of allotted share capital with at least a quarter paid up. Rare among new companies. |
| llp | Limited liability partnership | Partners with limited liability. Common for law, accountancy, architecture and property joint ventures. |
| community-interest-company | Community interest company (CIC) | A limited company with an asset lock and a community purpose, regulated by the CIC Regulator. Social enterprises. |
| private-unlimited | Private unlimited company | Shareholders have unlimited liability. Very rare; used where privacy of accounts matters. |
| limited-partnership | Limited partnership | A general partner runs it, limited partners invest. Common in funds and property. |
| scottish-partnership | Scottish qualifying partnership | A Scottish partnership with legal personality that must register. |
| overseas-company / uk-establishment | Overseas company with a UK establishment | A foreign company registering a UK branch or place of business. |
| charitable-incorporated-organisation | Charitable incorporated organisation (CIO) | A charity structure registered with the Charity Commission, not Companies House proper. |
| royal-charter | Royal charter body | Incorporated by royal charter. Professional bodies and old institutions. |
What the type tells you
- Ltd is the default and tells you little on its own. Read the SIC codes, the PSC pattern and the name.
- Limited by guarantee almost always means a non-profit. Sell to it as you would to a charity: grants, governance, member management, not growth marketing.
- CIC is a business with a mission and a regulator. It can trade and pay staff, but profits are locked to the community purpose. Procurement is often values-led.
- LLP means professionals. The partners are the owners and the buyers, and there is usually more than one of them to convince.
- PLC at incorporation is unusual and worth a second look; it is sometimes a signal of ambition, sometimes of a shelf company.
- Overseas establishment means the decisions are made abroad. Research the parent.
Subtypes and flags
Companies House also records a subtype for some companies, such as community interest company or private fund limited partnership, and flags such as whether the company can file online, has charges or has insolvency history. Lead Forge shows the type and subtype on the profile header and in the registry data, and the AI analysis takes the type into account when it describes what the company is likely to need.
QUICK ANSWERS
Questions this article answers
- What is the most common company type in the UK?
- The private company limited by shares, shown as 'ltd' on the register. It accounts for the overwhelming majority of new incorporations.
- What does 'private limited by guarantee without share capital' mean?
- A company with members instead of shareholders, whose members promise to pay a nominal sum if it is wound up. It is the usual structure for charities, clubs, associations and non-profits.