Companies and Limited Liability Partnerships

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People often use the terms 'business' and 'company' as though they mean the same thing, but they do not. If a UK business wants to become a company it has to register as a company at Companies House
Companies are legally required to send information about themselves to Companies House and this information is publicly available. See What information do businesses have to make available?
A company may be a 'private limited company' ('ltd' or 'limited') or, if the company is of a certain size, it can become a 'public limited company' ('PLC')
Many public limited companies are quoted on the London Stock Exchange
For more detailed information, see Further sources on types of business and the information required from them

A 'limited liability partnership' ('LLP') is a type of business that was introduced in April 2001. It is a partnership that has registered as a 'limited liability partnership' at Companies House in Cardiff. You may find that some professional partnerships, such as lawyers and accountants, have registered as LLPs
Limited liability partnerships are legally required to send information about themselves to Companies House and this information is publicly available. See What information do businesses have to make available?
For more detailed information, see the Further sources on types of business and the information required from them

Page last updated: 25th January 2007