Legal requirements on company letterhead paper

Does the legal information on a letterhead (registered office, company registration etc) have to be on the front or can it be on the reverse of the paper?

Ta

Bump!

it would make more sense to be on the front, otherwise you would have to double sided photocopy/print everything….

dont know.

As a designer common sense isn’t a consideration – I just want the scruffy info hidden away if I am allowed…

As a designer common sense isn’t a consideration – I just want the scruffy info hidden away if I am allowed…

Oh, if only you knew how familiar this all sounds… 😆

Front, bit daft to have it on the reverse if you have a half/one page letter

I’m ICSA registered if you have any other questions

I don’t think anything HAS to be on company paper, people just like doing it because it looks more “business like” and because some suppliers want to see things like VAT Reg No on orders, so a single form can be used for loads of communications, helping reinforce the company branding.
Like olly said, putting anything on both sides of a sheet means double sided copying and/or printing, both of which can be costly, especially if you’re using decent quality paper.

just have it in really small writing in a footer, nobody will even notice it unless they really want to read it.

I don’t think anything HAS to be on company paper

Ohh it does – company registration details HAVE to be on company letterheads.

VAT details have to be on any VAT invoice/receipt.

especially if you’re using decent quality paper.

Double sided printing costs no more on expensive paper as it would on cheap paper – you have already bought the stock – you are just paying for press time 🙂

@BBSB You have to have the company name, place incorporated (I.e England and Wales), company number, registered office address and VAT (I think but will double check) no if you have one

You have to have the company name, place incorporated (I.e England and Wales), company number, registered office address and VAT (I think but will double check) no if you have one

Yeah, but can I put it on the back??? The back is already being printed as it is inherent to the design concept, so to put the details there will cost no more.

(VAT number not required if it is not used for invoices BTW)

As I said above, no, it has to be on the front

small writing in the footer ftw

On the front

As I said above, no, it has to be on the front

Is that official? Where did you get the info from?

Its official as in the legal definition of company letterhead, letterhead does not extend to page 2 of a letter – what happens if you write a half/one page letter are you going to put P.S PTO at the end?

But it would be on the reverse – I don’t see why it should be a problem and I want to know a legal view on it!

Straight from the horse’s mouth:

The Companies (Trading Disclosure) Regulations 2008

There is no legal position, but it is worth noting that, if anyone sought to object, you may find yourself ticked off for deviating from normal practice (which is the front). Lots of organisations use a lighter text colour and stick it in the footer somewhere.

Spot on OMITN – it seems I can have ot on the reverse as it doesn’t specifically say not.

Ta

🙂

i’d put it in small writing at the bottom in a footer. 🙂

Mastiles – note that Companies House guidance is that it must be legible. There could be an argument that information on the reverse of a one-sided document/letter is not legible.

I don’t think they could say it isn’t legible if it is on the reverse really????

Is it for you or someone else’s letterhead?

Just had a response from Companies House…

MY QUESTION

does the legal information on a letterhead (registered office, company registration etc) have to be on the front or can it be on the reverse of the paper?

THEIR RESPONSE

Dear Mike,

Thank you for your email.

There is no requirement as to where it needs to be shown it just needs to be on there somewhere.

Yours faithfully,
Kelly Thomas
Companies House Contact Centre
enquiries@companies-house.gov.uk

Sorted 🙂

The only addendum I would make to that is that in offering credit accounts to people a frequent requirement is that you provide a piece of headed notepaper, purely because you are legally required to have these details on it. I and I’m sure others have taken lack of that information to be indicative of a poorly run company and it has been reflected in the credit decision. I would not ring and ask, as there is little point in calling someone up and going “here mate why don’t you show the legally required minimum details on your letterhead?”, as the answer normally isn’t going to be “becuase it printed on the back”! More likley it will be along the lines of Derrrrr!

So for that reason alone you may be disadvantaging yourself unnecessarily for a perception of artistic merit. Just a thought

I’m often asked to fax (how quaint) requests on company headed paper for things like order confirmations and credit applications. So for purposes like that (and to be honest they are pretty much the only circumstances these days where I use paper for any business communication or transaction)having the info on the back would be a bit of a dog. Whether there are legal requirements or not you obligation to your client surely is that your work both looks funky and is fit for purpose.

If you print it on the rear, people may assume you loaded the paper wrong rather than that you’re original and different.

But he’s a designer and assumes people will assume he’s original and different 😛