The PLC in the UK and Ireland
A PLC may offer its shares to the public. That single right is what separates it from a private Limited — and it is paid for with capital that has to be there before the company can trade.
The form exists in both the United Kingdom and Ireland and works the same way in each. Two figures differ, and they are the ones that decide most enquiries.
| Where | Minimum capital | Paid up before trading |
|---|---|---|
| England and Wales | GBP 50,000 | one quarter of the nominal value |
| Ireland | EUR 25,000 | one quarter of the nominal value |
These are statutory figures, not our prices. Our fees are further down and are quoted in euro.
Who actually needs one
The honest answer is: fewer people than ask for it. The name carries weight, and that is a reason to want the form, not a reason to need it.
You need a PLC if you intend to offer shares to the public. A private Limited may not do that, whatever its size. If raising money from investors beyond a closed circle is part of the plan, the PLC is the form that permits it.
You do not need one for standing. A private Limited can hold the same contracts, the same bank accounts and the same customers. What it cannot do is advertise its shares.
Two further points are worth knowing before the decision, because they are permanent rather than one-off:
- A PLC needs at least two directors, a private Limited one
- A PLC must have a company secretary; for a private Limited that requirement was dropped in 2008
Offering shares to the public brings prospectus rules with it. Which of them apply depends on where the offer is made and belongs in front of a lawyer before anything is offered.
Before the company may trade
A private Limited can start the day it is registered. A PLC cannot.
In England and Wales the company must first obtain a trading certificate from Companies House. It is issued when the registrar is satisfied that the allotted share capital reaches the statutory minimum and that a quarter of the nominal value has been paid up — sections 761 and 763 of the Companies Act 2006.
Until then the company exists but must not do business. That gap between registration and trading is the part most timetables forget.
Ireland follows the same pattern with its own figures, set out in Part 17 of the Companies Act 2014.
What we charge
The same packages as for a private Limited. The form is different, the work of forming it is not.
| Package | England and Wales | Ireland |
|---|---|---|
| S — formation only | 180.00 | 260.00 |
| M — with registered office | 580.00 | 690.00 |
| L — with compliance | 1,250.00 | 1,340.00 |
From the second financial year the running service costs 385.00 in England and 470.00 in Ireland. Package S has nothing to renew.
Net prices in euro. What the register charges is passed on at cost and shown separately in the order form. The share capital itself is yours and stays in the company.
If Ireland is the better country for you
One point applies to the Irish PLC as it does to the Irish Ltd, and it is not obvious.
A company cannot be a director in Ireland. Section 130 of the Companies Act 2014 makes such an appointment void, not merely challengeable. In England a corporate director is permitted alongside a natural person.
Whether Ireland or Britain is the right place at all is mostly decided by where your customers are. That question is set out on the Irish Limited, and it applies to the PLC in the same way.
How to start
Check the name, then decide the country. The capital question is the third step, not the first.
The other forms side by side are on company types; the full price list on prices.
Not sure the PLC is what you need? Ask before you order — by e-mail or through the contact form. It costs nothing and commits you to nothing.