Ltd or PLC? Compare share capital, directors, offering shares to the public and listing for UK companies, and check which one a company is with the API.
A UK private limited company (Ltd) and a public limited company (PLC) both limit the members’ liability to the unpaid amount on their shares. A PLC may offer its shares to the public and carries stricter requirements; being a PLC does not by itself mean the shares are listed.
| Ltd | PLC | |
|---|---|---|
| Full name | Private limited company | Public limited company |
| Members’ liability | Limited to the unpaid amount on their shares | Limited to the unpaid amount on their shares |
| Minimum share capital | None (GBP 1 is typical) | GBP 50,000 allotted, at least 25% paid up, and a trading certificate before it trades |
| Offering shares to the public | Not allowed | Allowed |
| Stock-exchange listing | Not possible | Possible, but not required |
| Directors | At least one | At least two |
| Company secretary | Optional | Required |
| Annual general meeting | Not required | Required every year |
| Name must end with | Limited or Ltd | public limited company or PLC |
| Typical use | Small and medium businesses, start-ups, subsidiaries | Companies that raise money from the public, and large groups |
A general comparison of the usual rules, not legal advice: a company’s own articles and the current law of its country decide the details.
The API returns legal_form as Ltd or PLC (and LLP for a limited liability partnership), with legal_form_family set to private_limited_company or public_limited_company. The Companies House company type is in local_legal_form.
curl -H "Authorization: Bearer rk_live_..." \ "https://api.prometiam.com/functions/v1/risk-api/companies/search?country=GB&name=<company name>" # read on each result: # "legal_form" -> "Ltd" or "PLC" # "legal_form_family" -> "private_limited_company" or "public_limited_company"
The API's legal_form values for these two: Ltd is Private limited company; PLC is Public limited company.
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