You should put the following on your letterhead and invoices...

• The full name of the company, normally ending with the word "limited".

• The company registration number given by Companies House.

• The company's registered office address.

• Where the company was incorporated - England and Wales or Scotland.

• Your VAT number if VAT registered.

• Details of any regulated profession of which you are a member.

Directors names?

There's no need to list all of the directors. However, if you do the rule is you must list them all. i.e. it's all or nothing.

Outside the premises

The Companies Act requires you to display the company's name in a prominent position, even if your business operates from home! Failure to do so could in theory lead to a fine. However, putting the name on your house could lead to a Council Tax Bill. It's worth noting Companies House don't go around checking.

Cheques and orders

You must show the company's full name including the word "limited". This is also important to avoid any confusion and you becoming personally liable for anything you thought was in the company name.

On Your Website

Every company must display on its website...

• Company name;

• Company registration number;

• Place of registration;

• Registered Office address.

All businesses whether companies or not must display the following on their website...

• Name and trading name (if different);

• Email address - it is not sufficient to have a contact us form, an email address has to be shown as well;

• Geographic address from which the business trades;

• Membership details of any trade or professional association including your registration number;

• VAT number.

The details do not have to appear on every page of the website and will probably be included on an "About Us" or "Legal Info" page.

The Distance Selling Regulations complete the set of the current regulations and have been in force since 2000. There are long lists of items to be shown including unambiguous prices (stating whether prices are inclusive or exclusive of tax), an accurate description of goods or services and the returns policy. If you are trading over the internet you should consult the regulations.

Emails and Order Forms

All emails and order forms from a company must contain...

• Company name;

• Company registration number;

• Place of registration;

• Registered Office address.

Businesses will probably include this information in the footers or email signatures to each of their outgoing emails.

How We Can Help You

We can advise you or review your business correspondence templates for compliance.