Registered office vs Trading address

[Wanderer]

When I set up my company, I wanted ALL company correspondence to be sent to my account's address. I was asked what my "trading address" was and the way it was worded suggested I put my home address where I do business (eg, my home office). That turned out to be a mistake because I now get a letters from HMRC sent to my home address and that's stuff that I really don't want to see because I employ an accountant to deal with it.

I'm wondering what the legality is of forming a company and putting down a Trading address which is somewhere that your company doesn't do business.

So to those people who use the accountant's registered office service (or accountants who offer this service), what do you put for the trading address? Do you have to use your business address and put up with the mail from HMRC or do you use the accountant's address for both?

[Clare@InTouch]

Your trading address should be your home address, and that's where HMRC insist on sending certain information. They also, sometimes, send a copy to your agent too. Not always though, I think they hate to be predictable

You could rent a Regus office or similar and use that as your trading address if you really want post to go elsewhere, but it wouldn't be right to say your accountant's address was your trading address if you don't actually work from there. I can't think of any other way around it!

[Craig at Nixon Williams]

If you use your accountant as registered office then all Companies House correspondence will be sent there. With HMRC though, it depends which tax they're dealing with..

• Corporation Tax correspondence will generally be sent to the registered office
• VAT aren't concerned at all with the registered office, they only have a record of the trading address
• we don't see much from PAYE but it looks like the accountant will get a copy of any correspondence sent to you if they are registered as agents for the business.

Hope this helps!
Craig

[Jessica@WhiteFieldTax]

[*]VAT aren't concerned at all with the registered office, they only have a record of the trading address

Until client does a runner without paying vat, and the bailiffs attend the RO of course...

[SueEllen]

When I set up my company, I wanted ALL company correspondence to be sent to my account's address. I was asked what my "trading address" was and the way it was worded suggested I put my home address where I do business (eg, my home office). That turned out to be a mistake because I now get a letters from HMRC sent to my home address and that's stuff that I really don't want to see because I employ an accountant to deal with it,

What's the issue with that?

At least you know your accountant isn't doing a Darren Upton.

[Wanderer]

What's the issue with that? At least you know your accountant isn't doing a Darren Upton.

Fair point and and indeed I have had an accountant who claimed their policy was to return mail to the sender, unopened if it wasn't from HMRC. It was only when the debt collection agency sent it recorded delivery that they opened it. So maybe I should stick with using my home address anyway.

It's just that I don't want to deal with all the crap HMRC send through - some of it needs to be actioned but a lot of it is just junk.

Thanks for the answers, folks.

[SueEllen]

Fair point and and indeed I have had an accountant who claimed their policy was to return mail to the sender, unopened if it wasn't from HMRC. It was only when the debt collection agency sent it recorded delivery that they opened it. So maybe I should stick with using my home address anyway.

It's just that I don't want to deal with all the crap HMRC send through - some of it needs to be actioned but a lot of it is just junk.

Thanks for the answers, folks.

You could use a special filing place for the three or so letters HMRC send you think are junk.

BTW if you pay your corp tax early or HMRC give money out for some incentive a few accountants don't bother passing the money on as the amounts can be small. If all mail goes to your address the accountant can't get away with doing that.

[Jessica@WhiteFieldTax]

BTW if you pay your corp tax early or HMRC give money out for some incentive a few accountants don't bother passing the money on as the amounts can be small. .

That's theft.

No regulated accountant should be doing so.