Limited Company Invoice Requirements UK: What You Must Include (2026)

Invoicing as a limited company comes with rules that don't apply to sole traders. Get them wrong and you risk client disputes, rejected VAT reclaims, and — for the company-disclosure rules — potential penalties under the Companies Act 2006.

This guide covers exactly what a UK limited company must include on its invoices: the statutory company disclosures, the standard invoice fields, and the VAT details if you're registered. There's a free invoice template at the end that has every field built in.

Why Limited Companies Have Extra Rules

A limited company is a separate legal entity registered at Companies House, so the law requires it to identify itself clearly on its business documents. These "trading disclosure" rules come from the Companies Act 2006 and the Companies (Trading Disclosures) Regulations, and they're separate from HMRC's invoicing rules. You need to satisfy both.

Statutory Company Disclosures

Your company's business letters, order forms and website must show certain particulars — and it's strongly recommended (and standard practice) to put them on your invoices too, so there's never any doubt who the legal entity is.

You must show:

1. The company's full registered name — exactly as registered at Companies House, including the "Limited" or "Ltd" suffix. Don't invoice under just a trading name.

If you also disclose any of the following, you must include all of them:

2. The company's registered number (e.g. "Company No. 12345678")
3. The place of registration — for example, "Registered in England and Wales" (or Scotland / Northern Ireland)
4. The address of the registered office

A couple of extra points:

• Directors' names are optional on invoices — but if you name one director, you must name all of them. Most companies simply leave directors off.
• If your company is exempt from using "Limited" in its name, you must state that it is a limited company.

A registered office that's different from your trading address is fine — show the registered office for the legal disclosure, and your trading/correspondence address for where you actually work.

The Standard Invoice Fields (HMRC)

On top of the company disclosures, every invoice should carry the usual fields so it's clear, enforceable and good for your records:

• A unique, sequential invoice number
• The invoice date (and a clear due date / payment terms)
• Your company name, registered office and contact details
• The customer's name and address
• A clear description of the goods or services
• The amount due per line and the total
• How to pay (bank details / payment link)

Sequential numbering matters: gaps or duplicates make your records look unreliable and complicate VAT returns.

If Your Company Is VAT-Registered

Once your company is VAT-registered, your invoices become VAT invoices and must additionally show:

• Your VAT registration number
• The VAT rate applied to each line
• The total excluding VAT (net)
• The total VAT charged
• The total including VAT (gross)

The single most common error is a missing VAT number — without it your customer can't reclaim the VAT and will bounce the invoice back. For the full breakdown (full vs simplified vs modified invoices, the rates, and the £250 rule) see our VAT invoice requirements guide.

Limited Company vs Sole Trader Invoices

	Sole trader	Limited company
Trade under	Own name or trading name	Registered company name (Ltd)
Company number	Not applicable	Required if other details shown
Registered office	Not applicable	Show on business documents
VAT details	If registered	If registered
Standard fields	Yes	Yes

If you're a sole trader rather than a company, see our sole trader invoice guide instead.

A Compliant Example (Header)

ACME WIDGETS LTD
Registered in England and Wales · Company No. 12345678
Registered office: 1 High Street, London, EC1A 1AA
VAT No. GB123456789

Invoice #2026-014        Date: 10 Jun 2026        Due: 24 Jun 2026

That single header satisfies the company disclosures and sets up the standard fields below it.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I legally have to put my company number on invoices? The company number must appear on your business letters, order forms and website. Invoices aren't always classed as "business letters", but including the company number, registered name and registered office on every invoice is standard best practice and avoids any doubt about the legal entity.

Can I invoice under just my trading name? No — you must use the full registered company name. You can also show a trading name alongside it, but the registered name has to be there.

Do I need to list the directors? Not unless you choose to. If you name one director you must name them all, so most companies leave directors off invoices entirely.

What if my registered office and trading address are different? That's fine and common. Show the registered office for the legal disclosure and your trading address for correspondence.

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Set up a compliant limited company invoice in under a minute with 1nvoic3 — add your registered name, number, office and VAT details once and reuse them. Free, no sign-up. See also our VAT invoice requirements and invoice payment terms guides.