Registered office

Registered office address services: what they are and when they're worth it

A registered office address service gives your limited company a separate address for the public register and deals with the official post sent there. Here's what you get, what to check before signing up and how it fits with removing your home address from old filings.

Updated 24 Oct 2026 · 7 min read · By Rayhaan Moughal, Sidekick Accounting

If you run your company from home, your home address is probably on the register as the registered office. A registered office address service swaps that for a business address that you rent from a provider, who receives the company's official post for you.

That fixes the register going forward. It doesn't touch the old filings, which is a separate job we'll come back to below.

What does a registered office address service include?

The core of it is a legal address for the company and someone to receive what's sent there. Most providers also offer a few extras.

Registered office address. The address that appears on the public register and on the company's overview page.
Statutory mail handling. Post from Companies House and HMRC, usually scanned and emailed or forwarded.
Director service address. A public address for you as an officer, used instead of your home address. Often sold as an add-on.
Extras. General mail forwarding, a trading address for letters and websites, and a phone answering option.

The service address matters because directors, secretaries and PSCs give two addresses. One is public and one is protected. We explain the difference in director service address explained.

Home as registered office or a registered office service?

Home as registered office

Free
Post lands on your doormat
Home address visible on the register and in search results
Changing it later means a filing and, for old documents, an SR01

Registered office service

An annual fee, set by the provider
Official post handled and forwarded or scanned
Business address on the register for new filings
Old filings still need an SR01 to clear your home address

For most people working from home, the second column is the sensible one. GOV.UK's own advice is to use a different registered office address if you run the company from home, and it notes that registered office services usually charge a fee.

What to check before choosing a registered office service

The rules changed on 4 March 2024. A registered office has to be an "appropriate address", which Companies House describes as somewhere documents should reach a person acting for the company, with delivery that can be recorded. PO boxes don't qualify. We cover the detail in PO box registered office.

Here's the checklist we'd run through with a provider.

What to check, and why it matters

What to check, and why it matters
	Check	Why it matters
Appropriate address	Ask how they meet the 2024 test	An inappropriate address can be replaced by Companies House, with a 28-day deadline to fix it
Statutory mail only or all mail	Which post is included	Some plans cover Companies House and HMRC letters only. Bank and supplier post may cost extra
Scanning or forwarding	How and how fast	Missed HMRC or Companies House letters cause penalties and strike-off warnings
Location	Which part of the UK	The address needs to be in the same country the company is registered in (England and Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland)
ID and AML checks	What they ask for	Providers have anti-money laundering duties, so expect proof of ID and address
Notice period	How to leave	You need time to file the change before the service ends, or the company has no valid address
Director service address	Included or extra	Only matters if your home is still your public service address

On notice periods, read the terms before you pay. If the contract can end at short notice, you want enough time to file a new registered office before the old one stops accepting post.

Do you also need a service address?

A director service address is separate from the registered office. Whether you need one depends on where your home address currently appears.

Do you need a director service address?

Is your home address your public service address on the register today?

Yes: Yes, you'll want a replacement. A registered office provider's address, or your accountant's, can usually be used.

No: Go to the next question.

Are you a current director, secretary, PSC or member with a home address on a live role?

Yes: Check which address Companies House holds as your service address and update it if it's your home.

No: You don't need a new service address. Resigned officers and dissolved companies don't need a replacement.

How does a registered office service fit with removing your home address?

The order matters, and the register only lets you do it one way round. If your home address is still the live registered office, Companies House won't remove it from the old documents until you've changed it.

01Choose and set up the servicePass the provider's ID checks and get the address confirmed in writing before you change anything on the register.
02File the change with AD01Change the registered office online with your company authentication code, or by paper. Wait until the new address shows on the register.
03Check for a SAIL at homeIf your home is also the company's single alternative inspection location, GOV.UK says to change that before you apply.
04Find the filing that set your home as the registered officeUsually the incorporation document or an earlier AD01. Never list the AD01 that moved the office away, because that gets the application rejected.
05Apply with SR01Pay £34 per document through GOV.UK Pay and send the form with the payment reference.

Our guide to how to complete SR01 covers the form itself, and the detail on the middle steps is in home address used as registered office. If you're not sure which filings show your address, run the free scan.

Where Address Erased fits in

We're independent of Companies House and we don't run a mail business. What we can do is set up a new registered office and service address for you as part of your application, so you aren't juggling a provider and an SR01 at the same time.

If you'd rather pick your own provider, the checklist above works for any of them. Our full guide to removing your home address from Companies House covers what we remove and who can apply. And if you're still weighing up whether to use home at all, read should you use your home address for your limited company.

Questions

What is a registered office address service?

It's a provider that lets your company use their address as its registered office and deals with the official post that arrives there. Many also offer a separate director service address, so your home address stays off the public register for new filings.

Is a virtual registered office legal?

Yes, as long as it's an appropriate address. Since 4 March 2024 that means documents delivered there should be expected to reach a person acting for the company, and delivery has to be recordable. Companies House can replace an address it considers inappropriate, so it's worth asking a provider how they meet that test.

Does a registered office service remove my home address from old filings?

No. It only changes what goes on the register from now on. Your home address stays on older documents until you apply to remove it using form SR01, and a live company's current registered office has to be changed first.

Do I need a service address as well as a registered office?

Only if your home address is currently your public service address as a director, secretary or PSC. The registered office and the service address are separate things, although they can be the same address.

Will a provider ask me for ID?

Most reputable providers do, because they have anti-money laundering duties. Expect to show proof of identity and address before they activate the service, and to be asked for updated documents from time to time.