Registered Office vs Trading Address vs Service Address — What's the Difference?

When you set up a limited company, you need at least one address: your registered office. But as your business grows, you might hear about trading addresses, service addresses, and SAIL addresses. They're all different, and they serve different purposes.

Here's a clear breakdown of each one.

Registered office address

Your registered office is the official legal address of your company. It's required by law and appears on the public Companies House register.

What it's used for:

• Companies House correspondence
• HMRC tax notices and letters
• Service of legal documents (if anyone sues your company, papers are delivered here)
• Publicly listed on the Companies House register

Rules:

• Must be a physical address (not a PO Box)
• Must be in the same part of the UK where the company is registered (England & Wales, Scotland, or Northern Ireland)
• Must be able to receive and acknowledge post

Who can see it: Everyone. It's on the public register and anyone can look it up.

Every company must have one. If you work from home, your home address is often used — but that makes it publicly visible.

Trading address

Your trading address is where your business actually operates from day to day. It might be your office, workshop, shop, or warehouse.

What it's used for:

• Where customers visit or send goods
• Where employees work
• Listed on invoices, website, and marketing materials
• Used for business rates and local authority registrations

Rules:

• No formal registration with Companies House
• Can be anywhere — no restriction on location
• Can be different from your registered office

Who can see it: Only if you choose to share it (on your website, invoices, Google Maps, etc.)

Your trading address is not filed with Companies House. It's simply where your business operates. Many companies have a different registered office and trading address — this is completely normal and legal.

Director's service address

Every director must provide a service address when they're appointed. This is a correspondence address that appears on the public register alongside their name.

What it's used for:

• Official correspondence to the director personally
• Publicly visible on the Companies House register
• Service of legal documents addressed to the director

Rules:

• Must be a real address that can receive post
• Can be the company's registered office (the most common choice)
• Can be a different address — home, virtual office, or accountant's office

Who can see it: Everyone. It's on the public register.

Directors also provide a residential address, but this is kept confidential by Companies House and only shared with law enforcement and credit agencies.

SAIL address (Single Alternative Inspection Location)

If you keep your statutory registers (PSC register, shareholder register, etc.) somewhere other than your registered office, you need to register a SAIL address.

What it's used for:

• The location where your company registers are available for public inspection
• Only relevant if your registers aren't at the registered office

Rules:

• Must be in the same part of the UK as your registered office
• Must be notified to Companies House via form AD02

Who can see it: It appears on the public register, but most small companies don't need one because they keep registers at their registered office.

Which addresses do I actually need?

For most small limited companies, here's the practical setup:

| Address | Required? | Typical choice | |---------|-----------|---------------| | Registered office | Yes — legally required | Virtual office, accountant's office, or home | | Trading address | No formal requirement | Your office, co-working space, or home | | Director's service address | Yes — for each director | Usually the registered office | | SAIL address | Only if registers aren't at registered office | Not needed for most companies |

The simplest setup: use one address for everything. Your home address works, but it'll be publicly visible.

The privacy-conscious setup: use a virtual office as your registered office and service address, and keep your home address as your private trading address.

Using a virtual office for your registered office

A virtual office address gives you:

• A professional address on the Companies House register
• Mail scanning — your post is opened, scanned, and sent to you digitally
• Privacy — your home address stays off the public register
• HMRC registration — reputable providers handle HMRC correspondence too

Virtual offices typically cost £150-250 per year for a London address. Compared to the cost (and hassle) of renting actual office space, it's a practical solution for companies that don't need a physical presence.

Can I use different addresses for different things?

Yes. It's common and perfectly legal to have:

• Registered office: Virtual office in London
• Trading address: Your actual office or home
• Director service address: Same as the registered office
• Business correspondence: A separate PO Box or mailbox

The only address that must match your company's country of registration is the registered office. Everything else can be anywhere.

Key takeaways

• Your registered office is the only legally required address — it's on the public register
• Your trading address is where you operate — it's not filed with Companies House
• Director service addresses are publicly visible — most directors use the registered office
• Use a virtual office if you want to keep your home address private
• You can use different addresses for different purposes — this is normal and legal