How to Change Your Company Name at Companies House (NM01)

Changing your company name is one of the more straightforward Companies House changes — but it still has a formal step most people skip past: the members have to actually agree to it, usually by passing a resolution. Filing the form without the resolution behind it is the common mistake. Here's the full process.

Step 1: Decide How the Name Is Changed

Under section 77 of the Companies Act 2006, a company may change its name by special resolution, or by any other means provided for in the company's articles. For the vast majority of small companies, that means a special resolution — a 75% majority of the members.

In a single-shareholder or two-shareholder company this is usually a formality, but the resolution still has to exist as a record. If your articles set out their own procedure for changing the name (some bespoke articles do), you can follow that instead — but standard model-articles companies use the special resolution route.

You can also end up with a name change by other routes — a direction from the Secretary of State, a company names adjudicator, or a court — but those are edge cases, not the voluntary change most directors are doing.

Step 2: Pass the Special Resolution

A special resolution can be passed at a general meeting or, for a private company, as a written resolution signed by the required majority. Record it properly — the wording should state clearly that the company's name is changed from the old name to the new name. See our board resolution template guide for how ordinary, special, and written resolutions differ and what each one needs.

Check the new name is actually available first. Companies House will reject names that are the same as an existing registered name, that contain sensitive words without approval, or that are otherwise prohibited. Search the register before you commit to a name.

Step 3: File the NM01 (and the Resolution)

You give notice of the change to the registrar under section 78 of the Companies Act 2006. In practice this means filing form NM01 — Notice of change of name by resolution — together with a copy of the special resolution itself.

You have three options:

• Online, through the Companies House service — the cheapest and fastest. The fee to change a name by special resolution online is £20.
• By post, using the paper NM01 with a cheque for £30.
• Same-day service for £85 (note: Companies House periodically suspends same-day processing during backlogs — check before relying on it).

Remember that filing a special resolution is itself a separate obligation: copies of special resolutions must reach Companies House within 15 days of being passed (section 30 of the Companies Act 2006). Filing the NM01 with the resolution attached handles both at once.

Step 4: Wait for the New Certificate

The change of name does not take effect when you file — it takes effect when the registrar issues a new certificate of incorporation on change of name (section 80 of the Companies Act 2006). Until that certificate is issued, your company legally still has its old name.

This matters if you're timing the change around a contract, a rebrand launch, or a bank account. Don't print the new letterhead until the certificate is in hand.

Step 5: Update Everything Else

The Companies House change is only half the job. Once the new name is registered you also need to:

• Update your business stationery, website, invoices, and email signatures — your company name must be displayed correctly under the Companies (Trading Disclosures) Regulations.
• Tell HMRC, your bank, your insurers, and anyone you contract with.
• Update your own statutory registers and internal records.
• Note that your company number does not change — only the name. Contracts and history attached to the number carry over.

A Quick Worked Example

A two-shareholder consultancy wants to change its name ahead of a rebrand:

1. The two members pass a written special resolution agreeing the new name.
2. They check the new name is available on the Companies House register.
3. They file the NM01 online for £20, attaching the resolution, well within the 15-day special-resolution window.
4. A few working days later Companies House issues the new certificate of incorporation — the change is now legally effective.
5. They update stationery, the bank, HMRC, and their statutory registers.

Common Mistakes

Treating the filing date as the change date. The name changes when the new certificate is issued, not when you submit the NM01.

Filing the form without the resolution. The NM01 gives notice of a resolution — the resolution has to exist and be filed with it.

Missing the 15-day special-resolution deadline. Even when the name change is being processed, the special resolution itself has a 15-day filing window.

Forgetting the trading-disclosure updates. Once the name changes, displaying the old name on invoices or signage can put you offside on trading-disclosure rules.

How CompanyMinder Will Help

CompanyMinder is being built to handle company changes like this end to end — generating the special resolution with the correct wording, prompting you to file it inside the 15-day window, pre-populating the NM01, and reminding you of the downstream updates (registers, trading disclosures) once the new certificate is issued. The aim is to make a name change a guided few-minute task rather than a stack of forms.

A Note on Scope

This is general guidance based on the published Companies Act 2006 and current Companies House procedure. Company names involving sensitive words, trademark conflicts, or contested names can be more complex — verify the specifics with Companies House or a solicitor for your situation. It is not legal advice.

Sources

• Companies Act 2006, s.77 — Change of name
• Companies Act 2006, s.78 — Change of name by special resolution
• Companies Act 2006, s.80 — Change of name: registration and issue of new certificate
• Companies Act 2006, s.30 — Copies of resolutions to be forwarded to registrar
• GOV.UK — Change a company name (NM01)
• GOV.UK — Make changes to your limited company: company name