Find out exactly how old any UK company is - incorporation date and precise age in years, months, and days.
A UK company's age is calculated from its date of incorporation - the date it was officially registered at Companies House. This is sometimes called the "birthday" of the company. The incorporation date never changes, even if the company changes its name, directors, or registered office.
The date of incorporation is not necessarily the same as the date a business started trading. A company may have been incorporated months or years before it began active operations. Similarly, many businesses operate as sole traders or partnerships before incorporating as a limited company, so the business itself may be older than the company registration suggests.
Some companies are incorporated but never trade, or stop trading while remaining on the register. These "dormant" companies still age from their incorporation date, but their age may not reflect genuine business experience. Use our Company Dormancy Checker to see if a company is dormant.
A UK company's age is measured from its date of incorporation - the date it was officially registered at Companies House. This date never changes, even if the company later changes its name, directors or registered office. This free tool shows the precise age in years, months and days.
Not necessarily. A company can be incorporated well before it begins trading, and many businesses operate as sole traders or partnerships before incorporating. So the underlying business may be older, or younger in trading terms, than the incorporation date suggests.
Company age can affect how established a business appears to customers, suppliers and lenders, and it often feeds into business credit scores. Some tenders and insurers also look for a minimum trading history, so age is a common factor in due diligence.
Yes. A company's incorporation date is public information on the Companies House register, and you can look it up for free. Enter a company name or number to see its incorporation date and exact age.
No. Changing a company's name does not reset its age, because age is based on the original incorporation date. The company keeps the same registration number and incorporation date throughout its life, regardless of name changes.