Last updated Jul 08, 2025 and written by Tom Richardson

What is a limited company subscriber?

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So you know what a director is (the person who runs the company), what a shareholder is (the person who owns the company), what a person with significant control is (the person who really owns the company) and what a secretary is (the person who takes care of the company admin… if you want to appoint one) but what on earth is a subscriber? Let's take a look...

What is a subscriber?

If you formed your company with us you’ll notice that on your company admin page there’s a section dedicated to ‘Subscribers’:

Subscribers are simply the person or people who were shareholders at the time that the company was formed. The name comes from the fact that they have subscribed to the company’s memorandum and articles of association (the documents that set out how the company will be run).

No extra duties come with the appointment, the only reason they’re signposted with the name ‘subscriber’ is to highlight that they were an initial shareholder. This means that your company’s subscriber/s will never change, even if your shareholders do.

Can subscribers be changed once a company has been formed?

No. Because subscribers are shareholders at incorporation, they can’t be changed. Even if the person transfers their shares and they’re no longer involved in the company – they will still be down as a subscriber (this does not mean anything – they no longer own the company or have any say in how it’s run). It’s for this reason that if you have formed a company with us and changed your company’s shareholding situation, whilst the shareholders will change, the subscribers will not.

We hope you find this post helpful. If you do still have any questions about company formations, take a look at our dedicated small business advice blog and knowledgebase.