The United Kingdom (U.K.) offers access to top talent, but figuring out how to set up a subsidiary in the U.K. can take months and delay your plans. Plus, ongoing compliance requirements slow hiring timelines, making it harder to secure candidates when you need them. However, G-P offers an alternative. Instead of taking the conventional subsidiary route in the U.K., we can expedite your entry — no new entities required — so you can start hiring in minutes, not months.
如何在英国设立子公司
子公司在法律上与其所有者、股东和董事是分开的。在英国，最常见的公司类型是私人有限公司（Ltd），因为它提供了灵活性和风险保护。
在英国设立子公司的步骤
1. Choose a company name: It needs to comply with U.K. regulations and it can’t be a name that’s already registered with Companies House, the U.K.’s registrar of companies. 2. Secure an address: Choose a physical address in the U.K. where official correspondence can be sent. 3. Appoint stakeholders: Appoint at least one director, who must be a natural person and not a company, and at least one shareholder. Their details must be submitted during registration. 4. Identify persons with significant control (PSC): Identify any people or entities that own or control your company. You must keep a PSC register and file this information with Companies House. All new and existing company directors and PSC must also verify their identities with Companies House, ideally before they’re appointed. 5. Create a memorandum and articles of association: These documents outline your company’s rules and what it does. 6. Register with Companies House: Apply to incorporate your company with Companies House. This is usually done online.
在英国注册公司后，您还需要：
- Open a corporate bank account: This can be a lengthy process, but it’s essential for managing finances, payroll, and taxes.
- Register with His Majesty's Revenue and Customs (HMRC): Register with HMRC for corporate tax within three months of starting your business.
- Register for pay as you earn (PAYE): Before hiring your first employee, you must register with the PAYE system for income tax and National Insurance contributions.
- 注册 value-added tax (VAT): Registration for VAT is mandatory if your VAT-taxable turnover is more than GBP 90,000 in a 12-month period.
- Get liability insurance: You need at least GBP 5M in employer’s liability coverage as soon as you become an employer.
英国子公司法律和要求
You have to meet several legal requirements to set up a subsidiary company in the U.K.:
- Management: Directors must comply with duties set out in the Companies Act 2006, including acting in the company’s best interests and maintaining statutory registers.
- Taxation: Companies pay a flat rate of 25% on profits for corporate tax.
- Share capital: At least one share must be issued when the company is formed. Share capital for an Ltd company can be as little as GBP 1.
- Accounting and reporting: Annual accounts are filed with Companies House, along with a statement to confirm company details.
英国子公司的优势
- Market access: Establishing a subsidiary in the U.K. gives you direct access to the local market, boosting business and customer growth.
- Limited liability: The parent company’s liability is generally limited to its investment in the subsidiary, reducing your financial risk.
- Legal entity status: A subsidiary is a separate legal entity that can enter into contracts, own assets, and hire employees independently.
- Established presence: Having a registered U.K. entity signals a strong, long-term commitment to the market. This builds credibility with local customers, partners, and talent.
- Tax benefits: Setting up a subsidiary in the U.K. can offer tax advantages, but these depend on your business activities, structure, and long-term goals.
英国子公司的劣势
Managing a U.K. subsidiary comes with heavy administrative burdens and financial liabilities. While direct entity ownership offers control, the path to market capture is often slow and resource-intensive compared to using G-P’s Global Employment Platform.
高成本和资源需求
设立子公司是一项重大资本投资，其中包括：
- Legal fees: High upfront costs for registration and professional counsel.
- Physical infrastructure: Maintaining a registered office and local bank accounts.
- Capital: Significant day zero investment to cover incorporation and licensing.
行政复杂性
英国子公司是一个独立的法律实体。您的组织必须独立管理所有本地业务。
- Reporting: You must meet full U.K. statutory filing obligations, including annual accounts and tax returns.
- Governance: You must appoint directors who bear personal liability for company compliance.
- Setup times: Building a functional subsidiary can take months — often causing you to miss critical market opportunities.
合规和法律风险
在英国运营实体会将所有法律风险转移到您的组织。
- Taxation: You must navigate complex corporation tax laws and HMRC transfer pricing rules.
- Employment liability: As the legal employer, your organization is responsible for HR compliance and adhering to U.K. labor laws.
- Regulatory shifts: You must adapt to changing frameworks, which increases the risk of costly errors without in-country experts.
设立英国子公司的替代方案
G-P让您在几分钟内即可招聘人才，无需繁琐的公司设立流程。
在英国使用记录雇主（专业雇主）的好处包括：
- Faster market entry: An EOR lets you enter the U.K. market and begin hiring in a fraction of the time it would take to set up an Ltd company. Setting up a subsidiary can take months due to regulatory, banking, and admin requirements.
- Compliance assurance: The EOR acts as the legal employer for your U.K.-based team, taking on all statutory obligations. This includes registering with HMRC for PAYE, handling payroll, deducting and remitting income tax and National Insurance, and ensuring compliance with labor laws like the Employment Rights Act 1996, Working Time Regulations 1998, and Equality Act 2010.
- Administrative simplicity: The EOR manages all HR and payroll administration, as well as employer and employee tax filing. You don’t need to draft compliant employment contracts or manage statutory benefits like annual leave and pensions — the EOR does it for you.
- Cost efficiency: Setting up and maintaining a subsidiary, like an Ltd company, has major upfront and ongoing costs, including legal fees, accounting, local management, and administrative overhead. An EOR is more cost-effective, especially if you’re hiring a small team or testing the U.K. market.
- Flexibility: An EOR arrangement is easier to scale up or down compared to winding down a subsidiary.
- Risk mitigation: An EOR manages the legal risks associated with employment, such as worker classification, giving you an added layer of protection.
使用 G-P 进入新市场 — 无需新实体
在英国设立子公司或法人实体既费钱又费时。G-P专业雇主可让您在几分钟内招聘人才，而无需像子公司那样麻烦和复杂。
立即申请提案，了解有关我们的全球就业平台™ （全球雇佣平台）的更多信息。
