Setting up a business and employees in the U.K. is quick and straightforward. That’s why 40% of US companies who invest in the EU historically choose the UK.

Legal structure: We can set up a limited liability subsidiary in under a week without needing an expensive lawyer. Setting up a branch sounds easier, but in practice it is less common and more onerous than a subsidiary. A UK branch can have unexpected financial disclosure strings attached. Talk to us first before you decide.

Employing staff: Hiring and terminating staff is relatively straightforward in the UK compared to many other European countries. However, you should hire staff using a UK employment contract, which we can prepare for you seamlessly. If you don’t, you may find your employment agreement is deemed invalid if you ever have a labor dispute.

Payroll: The UK requires you to withhold tax and social security from your employee payroll, which is typically monthly. You will also need to register as an employer.

Taxes and Accounting: All legal entities in the UK must file financial statements and tax returns annually. We can minimize the costs for you by using your HQ systems as much as possible. We can advise you on ways to compliantly minimize your UK taxes, although at 20% it is way lower than US income tax.

What to watch:

• Ask us to check if your UK business needs an audit – this will depend on the size of your group rather than your UK business
• UK bank accounts take time to setup – but we can arrange money movement to pay your staff and UK taxes directly from your HQ
• It is mandatory from late 2017 to setup a UK pension for all staff, so we can help you plan ahead for this
• The UK is slated to leave the EU in 2019, and it is uncertain how much access it will have to the EU Single Market. We can help setup in any EU country you wish.