Setting up as a ltd company

[KayTee87]

Don't know if I'm posting in the correct place. My husband is setting up as a ltd company as an IT consultant. He will obviously speak to a professional but just wondering if anyone on here can give us some pointers:

How to go about setting the ltd company up?
Should he open a business bank account?
Can you pay your tax & ni bill monthly and how do you go about doing this?
He mentioned employing me as his secretary and paying me a small salary (I don't want to go into the next tax bracket and already have a full time job). I would actually be doing some paperwork for him - is this morally / legally wrong as it means he would be paying less tax on his profit?
What kind of things can he claim as business expenses; IT equipment, travel costs, stationery, what about business lunches etc?
Any pension advice? Better with a scheme or isa?
Does anyone know anything about sickness insurance?

Sorry if I sound completely clueless but we've both always been paye.

I do this for my partner

Government and HMRC pages are really useful (and readable) on this www.gov.uk/limited-company-formation/setting-up

How to go about setting the ltd company up?
Search online for companies house for info - and there are many companies that will do it for a small fee (

Thanks crabby that's good advice.

I've just realised he will need to register for VAT at some point too. I think we will defo get an accountant.

What name is he thinking of using? He doesn't need to pay any of the private search business name registers, just check Companies House register. I also suggest a trade mark search, domain name search and a google search to check for Intellectual Property issues. He doesn't have to trade using the same name as the company, but again check IP.

Good advice from crabby but with regard to the pension if there are 2 or fewer Directors you just don't have to set one up.
Get an accountant to sort everything out, my DH is an IT consultant and I also consult in a different area via our limited company.
Look out for IR35, especially if he is going to work for Public Sector clients

That's interesting, about pensions, hoppinggreen - the Pension's Regulator is currently saying we must set one up (2 directors, 1 employee). Do you have a link/source?

Ah, maybe I'm getting confused with automatic enrolment

If you have an employee it's different I think, we don't . I should have said 2 Directors and nobody else
The advice was from my Accountant