A transfer of shares is the movement of one or more shares in a company from one person (the transferor) to another (the transferee), thereby changing the ownership of the shares and the portion of the company the shares represent.
Share transfers are often carried out in exchange for cash or other non-cash consideration, which may be subject to Stamp Duty.
Share transfers usually take two to three days to complete. This includes the drafting of the documentation and the signing by the relevant parties. The transfer is then officially completed when it is entered into the company’s own records.
Timescales will be longer if Stamp Duty needs to be paid to HMRC as part of the process (see below ‘Is stamp duty payable on share transfers?’ for when this applies).
A confirmation statement can be submitted afterwards to immediately display the transfer on the public record, although this isn’t compulsory.
Easily change the name of your limited
company at any time after incorporation.
Create new shares for
new or existing shareholders.
You will need to provide us with your company name, registration number, and authentication code, together with the following information about your transfer:
If a confirmation statement has also been purchased with the order, we’ll also need you to confirm the date the documentation was signed.
If you are unsure about any of the above points, our Company Secretarial Team will be pleased to assist.
Any share class issued in a company can be transferred using this service.
Yes. You do not need to have incorporated your company through us to make use of this service.
Yes. You will receive your new share certificate(s) together with the rest of your documentation when we dispatch them to you by email.
Stamp Duty is usually payable on share transfers when the consideration (the amount paid for the transfer) is above £1,000. Any Stamp Duty owed should be paid to HMRC by the buyer of the shares within 30 days. Failure to do so may result in the buyer facing a penalty.
Your documents will be ready and delivered within 2-3 working days, provided we receive the information we require. If we do not have all the information needed, we will email you in advance.
Details of a share transfer are recorded publicly on Companies House when the company next files a confirmation statement. It is not normally compulsory to submit a confirmation statement immediately after a transfer of shares, as the company can wait until the next confirmation statement becomes due.
However, it is considered good practice to submit a confirmation statement after a transfer takes place as it ensures that the public record is up to date with the most recent details regarding the company’s ownership. This is particularly important when opening a bank account or applying to lenders.
If you want the details of the share transfers to show on Companies House straight away, you can add the Confirmation Statement Service to your order, when completing the short application form, at the discounted price of £24.99 +VAT (including Companies House filing fee).
You can purchase our People with Significant Control (PSC) filing service if your PSCs need to be updated (due to this share transfer) at Companies House. The fee for this service is £19.99 +VAT per notification.
Call our Company Secretarial Team on 0203 984 5385 or email us at cosec@rapidformations.co.uk
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Order online or if you would like to form your company by telephone, please call 020 7871 9990.