Register Your UK Limited Company

Operating a UK raffle site without an incorporated company is possible but rarely sensible. You’ll need a Ltd company to open a business bank account, to apply for a Cashflows merchant ID, and to limit your personal liability if a customer disputes a prize. This page is a non-lawyer’s walkthrough of getting set up properly. We’re a software platform, not your solicitor/accountant, so for anything you’re unsure on, ask one.

Step 1: Register a Ltd at Companies House

• Apply at gov.uk/limited-company-formation. The official Companies House route is £50 and takes 24 hours. Formation agents (1st Formations, Inc & Co, etc.) charge £20–£100 on top but bundle in things like address services and digital share certificates.
• Company name: your brand. Check name availability before you settle.
• Your SIC code should be “96090, Other service activities not elsewhere classified”, the typical fit for a free-entry prize-draw operator. If you’re fully UKGC-licensed, use a gambling-specific code.
• Registered office, which is public on Companies House and on every page of your site. Most operators use a formation-agent address service (£40–£100/yr) rather than their home address.
• Directors (at minimum one). Their name + month/year of birth are public. They can be foreign.
• Shareholders: at minimum one. Often the same person as the director on day one.

Step 2: Register for Corporation Tax

HMRC contacts you automatically within ~14 days of incorporation. You’ll get a Unique Taxpayer Reference (UTR) by post. Register for Corporation Tax via Government Gateway within three months of starting to trade.

If you expect to turn over more than £85,000/year, you’ll also need to register for VAT. For raffle operators under the free-entry route, VAT treatment of ticket sales can be nuanced; speak to an accountant before assuming zero rated.

Step 3: Open a business bank account

Cashflows pays out to a UK business bank account; personal accounts aren’t accepted. Realistic options:

• Tide / Starling / Revolut Business: fast digital onboarding (under 48 hours), free or near-free monthly fees. Most new raffle operators go here.
• HSBC / Lloyds / Barclays / NatWest take longer to onboard (1–4 weeks) and require an in-person interview, but are friendlier with cash deposits if you ever do live events.
• Gambling-specific bankscome into play if you go UKGC-licensed. Most challenger banks won’t bank a UKGC-licensed entity; you’ll need a specialist. Check before you license.

Expect to provide: certificate of incorporation, photo ID for all directors, a UK address proof, and a description of your business. Saying “UK prize draw / sweepstake under Section 95 Gambling Act 2005, no licence required” gets the cleanest answer.

Step 4: Pick a business email address

Cashflows and your bank both expect an email address at your own domain. info@yourdomain.co.uk is the standard. See Business Email Inbox for how to set this up properly with Google Workspace.

Step 5: Set up basic accounting

• Xero / FreeAgent / QuickBooks: pick one, connect your bank feed, and reconcile weekly. You’ll thank yourself at year-end.
• An accountant: most UK accountants charge £80–£150/month for a small Ltd’s annual accounts + confirmation statement + payroll. Worth every penny.
• Director’s loan account: if you put startup capital in, log it as a director’s loan, not as equity. Easier to repay yourself later, no tax implication on repayment.

What you don’t need (yet)

• A UKGC gambling licence, only required if you can’t structure as a free-entry-route competition. The free entry route is by far the more common path for new operators. See Free Entry Route.
• A separate office. Your home + a registered-office address service is fine until you have employees.
• A company secretary (since 2008 they’re optional for private Ltds).

Order of operations

1. Register Ltd at Companies House (day 1).
2. Open business bank account (week 1).
3. Buy domain + set up email (week 1).
4. Sign up to Turbo IT, brand your site, set up your first comp.
5. Apply for Cashflows MID, which needs the bank + Ltd details (week 2).
6. Pre-launch checklist + soft launch (week 3).

Related: Buy Your Domain · Business Email Inbox · Cashflows Application.