Do I need to incorporate a company?
No - we will do it for you. You choose the name and give us some details. We do the rest. The core of your StartNewBusiness package is a limited liability company, incorporated and ready to trade. We will complete all the necessary forms and write up the statutory records that the company has to keep.

I am not ready to start just yet. Can I reserve my company name?
Yes. You can choose a company name and a .co.uk domain name. As long as those names are valid and available, we can reserve them for you for just £50. We will hold them for you for up to a year. And if you order the StartNewBusiness package within six months of reserving it, we will guarantee not to increase our price. We will even credit your £50 against the price of the package..

Can I just form a company with you?
Yes you can, by going to our sister site, www.incorporate.co.uk. We are one of the few agents who are fully approved by Companies House to incorporate electronically. That means we can give you some of the fastest service around. You get an express service at a non-express price. Companies House quote a 3-5 day turnaround and our speed is dependent on them. But usually it is much quicker. In fact, we can often form your company in less than one working day.

Can I have a .com and a .co.uk?
The StartNewBusiness package comes with use of a .co.uk domain name of your choice. A .com, .org, .biz and other types of domain are also available for a competitive extra fee. For example, we can provide you with a .com domain for just £30+VAT per year.

Can I accept credit card payments?
To accept credit card payments, you will need a "merchant account" with a bank or credit card clearing agency. For people who want to trade on the web, we intend to launch a full E-Commerce package later this year, which will include a powerful web site and the facility to sell online and take credit card details securely over the Internet. All StartNewBusiness customers will receive a discount off the set-up costs, so keep visiting our site after you have bought.

Can I use the bank I already know and use personally?
Yes. While we rate our bank, Barclays, highly, we know that some of our customers like to deal with their personal bank. When you order, you will need to uncheck the box asking us to set up a bank account for you. We will send you a company snapshot and a copy of the Memorandum and Articles of Association, so you can apply for a bank account on your own.

Can I change my company details?
Yes, and to make it as simple as possible, your StartNewBusiness package comes with our Company Secretary Service, free for the first year. You can change directors, transfer shares or issue new ones, by giving us simple details in a secure facility. You may need to sign some documents - we will draw them up and e-mail them to you. We will also file any necessary forms at Companies House. If you want specialist services, such as changing the company name or re-registering as a PLC, these can be arranged separately. Contact us at secretaryservice@incwise.co.uk

What is Virtual Office?
Virtual Office is a special service designed to build your image as a big company, right from the start. You get:

• A dedicated 0870 national rate phone number, which can be diverted to any landline in the UK
• An 0871 phone number (10p/min flat rate) and use of our non-dedicated fax machine - we will post you your faxes or e-mail them to you as attachments.
• Use of our Manchester city centre office as your correspondence address - so even if you are working from home, your customers need never know. We simply post letters on to you. All this is in addition to your own dedicated domain name (www.yourcompany.co.uk), e-mail address and web site.

Is this an expensive service?
No. Although some of our competitors are charging over £500 a year for this service, you can include it in your StartNewBusiness package for no extra charge. All you pay for is the postage and a small handling charge of 75p per item.

How do I pay this?
You simply top up your account online by bank transfer or credit card.

Can I collect the mail for my virtual office instead of having it posted?
Yes. You just need to tell us and we will hold onto it for you.

How will I know there is mail for me?
We will send you an e-mail to you?

Will I have to remember when to file company annual returns and accounts?
Yes, but your StartNewBusiness package comes with our Company Secretary Service, free for the first year. Unlike most company secretarial packages, we include an e-mail reminder service to help ensure you don't miss key filing dates. We even file the annual return on your behalf - all you have to do is check the information and send us a message confirming it. Oh, and don't worry about the fee: we pay it for you!

Is there a library of information I can access?
Yes, We keep a library of up-to-date information in the 'members area' You get 1 year free, unlimited access to this with your package.

Can I pay for the StartNewBusiness package by bank transfer or cheque?
Yes, certainly - and we will even give you a £25 discount if you do. However, if you pay by cheque, we can't start incorporating until the payment clears in our account. That's because the StartNewBusiness package is tailored to your specific business, and we can't reuse anything we do with new clients. So it will take a few days from when we receive your cheque. That isn't a problem with bank transfers or bankers' drafts, though. We will start the process as soon as we see the payment received.

May I have more pages in my website?
Of course. Your StartNewBusiness package comes with a website of up to 4 pages of A4 equivalent, with your own domain name. For most new businesses, this is more than enough, but if you want to upgrade, we will happily arrange this for just £100 per extra page.

I have my own website can you host it?
Yes and we can manage and support it for you. Please contact us for details.

How much will my StartNewBusiness.com package cost?
Only £1,699 + VAT - and we will register you for VAT so you can claim that part back. The cost of your StartNewBusiness package should be fully tax-deductible: your accountant can advise you on this. Using StartNewBusiness,.com saves you over £3,000 compared to starting up the hard way. Click here for a comparison.

How long does it take?
We believe the StartNewBusiness package is simply the quickest way to start a business. These are our normal estimated delivery times, starting with the time when you have given us the necessary details and we have received payment (including cheques cleared).

Your company formed and ready to trade	4-6 working days*
Your new e-mail address working, and a web holding page on your new domain	2 working days
Your 0870 and 0871 numbers working	3 working days
Your Virtual Office service running	3 working days
Your web pages online	5 working days from when you select design and send us text
Receive your StartNewBusiness pack through the post	7 working days after incorporation
Your bank account opened	12 working days after incorporation**
Receive your VAT number	15 working days after incorporation**
Receive your tax reference and starter pack from the Inland Revenue	20 working days after incorporation**
* This is based on Companies House's estimated turnaround time, but in practice we are usually able to provide you with your company within 8 working hours. To speed the process up even more, you can ask for a super-express service. This means we will only take limited details and start incorporating as soon as we receive your payment. You can send us the rest of the details we need for your StartNewBusiness package later. There is no extra charge for this service.
** Based on estimated turnaround times provided by our bank, Customs & Excise and the Inland Revenue.

Do I have to pay any government fees for forming the company?
No. They are included in the price.

Do I need directors?
Yes, you need at least one. The directors are responsible for running the company, and the law says you must have at least one. He/she must be over 18, but doesn't need to live in the UK.

Who should the shareholders be?
The shareholders are the people who own the company. For Ltd. companies, you only need one. (PLCs need at least two). If there is more than one shareholder, the shares should be held in proportion to the say you want in the company - for example one each, or 3:1.

The names of the shareholders go onto the public records. If you need it to remain private, we offer a Nominee Shareholder Service. Our nominee company will be registered as the legal owner of the shares, but hold them in trust for you. The service costs £150 per year +VAT.

Do I need a company secretary?
As part of your StartNewBusiness package, our nominee company will act as your named company secretary, so you don't need to bring anyone else in. This service is free for the first year. For more details, click here.

What incorporation documents does StartNewBusiness.com provide?
Our service is fully inclusive and you can be sure that we will have completed and provided all the documents you need to incorporate. Unlike most company formation agents, we also make sure your company complies with the law by writing up your statutory registers and providing you with a copy.

Why are your companies better?
We are one of the few companies licensed by Companies House to incorporate companies electronically. This means we can form the companies with the directors and shareholders you want, right from the start, instead of our nominees. This avoids the confusion that is sometimes created when banks or people you want to trade with do a company search.

It also means that we are much, much quicker than most. Companies House quote a turnaround time of 3-5 days, but in fact we can usually provide you with a company ready to trade in just 8 working hours - a service which would normally cost you around £200 on its own.

Can I form a PLC?
Yes. To find out more, please send us an e-mail.

Do I have to register for VAT?
No, not unless your "taxable supplies" (most sales) will exceed the minimum level, currently £56,000.

Most of our customers do want to register for VAT, because:

• if you are selling to VAT-registered businesses, it's no cheaper for them if you don't charge VAT
• if you are VAT-registered, you can reclaim the VAT you pay on products and services you buy for your business
• if you are not VAT-registered, the message you send to your customers is "I am a very small business."
• if you become successful and your turnover goes over the threshold, you will have to register anyway - and then your have to put your prices up.

As part of your StartNewBusiness package, we register you for VAT. If you don't want this, you just need to uncheck the box on the order form.

Why are non-geographic numbers (NGNs) better?
NGNs are better because:

• They can make you look like a big company, no matter how small you are.
• You have a truly national presence from day one. Callers don't know if you are in Aldershot or Yeovil, or whether you are in a huge, plush city office or your spare bedroom at home.
• You don't need to change your number if you change your office. There's no need to reprint your stationery -you just take it with you.

Do I need a new phone line for my NGN?
No. Think of an NGN as a "virtual number". The calls are diverted to your normal phone line - which can be any landline in the UK.

What do NGNs cost?
Our StartNewBusiness package comes complete with use of an 0870 number for phones. Callers pay the national rate (currently 8.5p/minute peak), just as they would if they called you nationally on a landline.

You also get use of an 0871 number for faxes. Callers pay 10p/minute.

There is no call charge for you on either number.

BT charge at least £200 a year for each number. The first year is included as part of your package. Future years will be available at specially discounted rates.

Do you also have 0845 numbers?
Yes we do, and we can provide you with numbers for as little as £25+VAT per quarter (min 6 months).

Your caller pays just the cost of a local rate phone call. We make no call charges at all - unlike BT, who will charge you as much as 6.5p per minute!

Some market research says that three times as many potential customers will call these numbers.

In fact, some of our customers rent 0845 numbers for personal use, so that friends and relatives all over the country can keep in touch with them more easily.

What numbers can I have my NGN diverted to?
You can have your NGN diverted to any UK landline - that's any UK phone number which begins with 01 or 02.

Can I divert to my mobile phone?
No. We know there are some telecoms companies offering this service, but frankly there's a better and cheaper way. Have your NGN diverted to your landline, and then if you are away from your landline phone, you can program it to divert calls to your mobile. Contact your phone company for details how to do this.

Can I change the number my NGN diverts to?
Yes, by simply logging in and letting us know the new number. Changes will normally take effect within two working days. We have to make an administrative charge of £30+VAT for this - sorry, but the carrier charges us this and we have to pass it on.

Do I need a fax machine?
No. As part of your StartNewBusiness package, you can receive our Virtual Office package, free for a year. This includes use of our non-dedicated fax number. If you receive faxes, we can send them to you by post or as scanned attachments by e-mail, at your option. If you have a fax line, then of course you can use it in conjunction with your 0871 number.

I don't know what to put on my web site yet. Will my e-mail still work?
Yes. We can also place a page on your web site telling visitors that the site is under construction.