Contractors' Responsibilities
As a self-employed contractor there are numerous legal requirements you must adhere to. Directors can be, and often are prosecuted for non-compliance with Companies House filing rules, particularly in respect of accounts and annual returns. Offences in default of the Companies Act are treated as criminal matters and are taken very seriously by the Courts, carrying severe fines, disqualification or even prison sentences.
Any change of secretary, directors, registered office or of share allotment, as well as many other events, must be recorded in a company minute book, and various official forms and resolutions lodged at Companies House. There are strict time limits for the filing of such returns, often as little as 14 days. This also applies to any change of a director's residential address.
The Companies Act also requires that all companies maintain statutory registers and minute books, which record details of basic company structure in respect of officers and shareholders. Whilst this is something often overlooked by many company directors, it is again a criminal offence not to maintain such records.
It is now a legal requirement to put your company details on your website and on your emails. If you’re a company in the UK then you need to update both your website and your email signature files or risk a fine.
From 1st January 2007, it has been a requirement to put the following information on your business emails:
- your company registration number
- place of registration (such as England and Wales)
- registered office address
In addition, on your website you also need to include:
- your company name, address and company email address
- the name of any trade bodies or professional associations that the business is part of, including membership or registration details.
- your VAT and company number, even if the website is not being used for e-commerce transactions.
- any prices on the website must clearly state whether they are inclusive or exclusive of tax and delivery costs.
There are regular reviews and updates to Companies House requirements. We recommend that you regularly keep track of all updates here http://www.companieshouse.gov.uk/