Limited Company Setup Guide

Step by Step process: 

  1. Sign up Form 

    1. Company Secretary

    2. PPS Number

    3. Registered Office Address

    4. Proposed Company Name(s)

  2. Company Incorporation 

  3. Tax Registration / Business Bank Account / Insurance / Company Seal 

    1. Tax Registration

    2. Business Bank Account

    3. Insurance

    4. Company Seal

  4. Registering for ROS

  5. Register your Employment 

Sign Up Form 

Contractor: Complete the Accounting-Pro New Client Form using the link below and submit proof of address and ID. 

http://accounting-pro.ie/limited-company-form/ 

Please note the following when completing the New Client Form: 

  • Company Secretary: A company director can only be a company secretary if there are two or more directors. If there is only one director, then you will have to nominate someone else as company secretary. Generally, most people will have their partner/friend/relative as their company secretary. A company secretary is only required to have a PPS number if they are receiving a salary from the company. For further information on this please see https://www.cro.ie/Registration/Company/Incidental-Obligations/Company-Officers 

  • PPS Number: You will be required to have a PPS number when registering your company for taxes. Each director of an Irish registered company will be required to file an annual income tax return. It is not a requirement for the company secretary to have a PPS number. If you do not have a PPS number it is advisable to set up a meeting with the Department of Social Protection at your earliest convenience. For information on how to obtain a PPS number please see https://www.citizensinformation.ie/en/social_welfare/irish_social_welfare_system/personal_publi c_service_number.html. Once you receive your PPS number you will be then required to set up a Revenue MyAccount https://www.ros.ie/myaccount-web/sign_in.html?execution=e1s1. 

  • Registered Office Address: If living in Ireland, this can be your private residence address. The registered office can be anywhere in Ireland. The address must be a physical location, not just a post office box number, because people have the right to visit the company’s registered office to inspect certain registers and documents and to deliver documents by hand. A letter addressed to the company at its registered office address must be capable of being delivered by An Post. If you do not have a physical address in Ireland you may use a registered office address. We recommend using this service https://www.irishformations.ie/shop/registered-office-address/. 

  • Proposed Company Name(s): Please provide a list of of names in order of preference that you would like to use for the limited company. We would recommend using the company name search at https://search.cro.ie/company/CompanySearch.aspx to check existing company names. A proposed company name will be unacceptable to the CRO if it is too similar to existing company names. Using words like “services”, “trading”, “the” will not sufficiently distinguish from existing company names. Please note a business name is different to a company name. For more information on business name please see https://www.cro.ie/Registration/Business-Name 

Company Incorporation 

Accounting-Pro: We will reserve your proposed company name with the CRO. Once accepted by the CRO and we receive the name reserve certificate we will then prepare an A1 form to incorporate your company, then send to you for you and your secretary’s signature. 

Contractor: Once you receive the A1 form, please review and provide your and the company secretary’s signature in the necessary places and then post the signature pages to the CRO. You will be provided with instructions and information on this. Once you receive your company’s Certificate of Incorporation, please save and then send this to us. 

Tax Registration / Business Bank Account / Insurance / Company Seal

  1. Tax Registration: 

Accounting-Pro: We will complete a tax registration form online on ROS to register you and your company for the relevant taxes. Once completed we will send you an Agent Link form, please sign and return this form and Accounting-Pro will be added as your tax agent. Please note, VAT registration will only be processed once your company has been trading for a period of at least 4 weeks. 

Contractor: Tax Registration: Please review, then sign and return Agent Link Form. Once you receive the Tax Certificate, please save and send to us. 

  1. Business Bank Account:

You can now set up your business bank account. As the company is a separate legal entity, you should have a separate business bank account where the account owner is the company. Every bank will have different procedures but usually most banks will require you to fill in their set up form for a business bank account and meet with you in person. They generally require a copy of the certificate of incorporation for the company, proof of ID and address for both the director(s) and company secretary. Once your business bank account is set up please send us the account details. We recommend Bank of Ireland Business Banking. 

  1. Insurance:

You will be required to get insurance for your company. Your insurance provider will be able to offer you expert advice on what insurance cover you will need. We recommend https://www.crottyinsurance.ie/ 

  1. Company Seal:

Your company will be required to have a company seal. Please see: https://executivecompanyseals.ie 

Registering for ROS 

Contractor: When your company is active and your company is registered for taxes you will now register for the revenue online services (ROS). ROS is the place where you can manage your taxes and view regular submissions for PAYE and VAT. To register for ROS please follow this link https://www.ros.ie/ros-registration-web/ros-registration

There are 3 steps to this process: 

  1. Apply for your ROS access number 

  2. Apply for your Digital Certificate 

  3. Download and save your Digital Certificate 

Registering your Employment 

Contractor: You will be required to register your employment with your company. If your company has any other employees they will also be required to register their employment with the company. You can simply do this by logging onto your Revenue MyAccount and click on the option to add a job or pension. https://www.ros.ie/myaccount-web/sign_in.html?execution=e1s1 

Once all stages are completed, we will send you a Schedule of Work Accountancy, invoicing template, expenses guide and a monthly process guide to help you get the most out of your company. 

IMPORTANT: Please send us any correspondence you receive from CRO or Revenue.