Setup FIC Company London

Take control of your family’s wealth with a professionally structured Family Investment Company (FIC) in London.

We help UK and international families setting up fic company to manage, protect and pass on assets to the next generation with clear advice, simple processes and ongoing support.

What is Family Investment Company?

A Family Investment Company (FIC) is a private limited company used for long-term wealth planning. A Family Investment Company is a strategic tool for managing, protecting, and growing family wealth, and for preserving family assets across generations.

Instead of holding assets personally, you place them into the company and allocate shares to family members, allowing you to:

• Maintain control over investment decisions
• Separate control (voting rights) from economic benefit (dividends and capital growth)
• Plan how and when wealth is passed to the next generation
• Achieve asset protection by shielding family assets from personal liabilities
• Facilitate succession planning and involve younger generations in the family business, supporting long-term wealth transfer and control
• Benefit from tax efficiency, tax advantages, and tax benefits, as FICs can provide tax savings and help reduce inheritance tax liabilities through strategic inheritance tax planning
• Tailor your investment strategy to align with your family’s long-term goals and risk appetite

We work with you and your advisers to ensure your FIC is tailored to your family’s needs and long-term goals. FICs can help you retain control over family assets while facilitating wealth transfer to younger generations.

Gifting shares to children can be structured as a potentially exempt transfer for inheritance tax purposes, making FICs a valuable tool for inheritance tax planning.

Our FIC Company Setup Services

Our comprehensive Family Investment Company (FIC) setup service provides a complete, end to end solution for families seeking a secure and tax efficient structure to manage and grow their wealth. A Family Investment Company is typically established as a private company under UK law. We begin by understanding your objectives, family dynamics and long-term investment goals, allowing us to design a tailored company structure that aligns with your planning needs.

Our team prepares all incorporation documents, drafts bespoke Articles of Association, and creates appropriate share classes to balance control and benefit between family members. A shareholders agreement is also recommended to define management responsibilities, share distribution, and transfer protocols, ensuring smooth company operations.

After preparing the incorporation documents, we register your company with Companies House and advise on the need to file annual accounts and corporation tax returns as part of ongoing compliance. We also support the practical steps of establishing your FIC, including opening a business bank account, documenting capital contributions or loans, and coordinating the transfer of assets.

Once your structure is in place, we offer ongoing compliance and governance support to ensure your FIC remains fully aligned with UK regulation and responsive to evolving family circumstances. Profits generated within the FIC are subject to corporation tax, and it is important to understand your annual tax obligations, including the requirement to pay corporation tax on investment returns.

We strongly recommend seeking professional advice from a chartered tax adviser to ensure compliance with current tax laws, optimise your family investment company setting, and maximise tax efficiency. This holistic approach gives you confidence that your Family Investment Company has been professionally crafted to protect and grow your wealth for future generations.

Why Choose us to setup FIC in London?

• Specialist Focus: We focus on Family Investment Companies and understand the practical and family dynamics as well as the technical details.
• Tailored, Not Template: Every FIC is structured around your family’s unique needs, not off the shelf documents.
• Clear, Plain-English Advice: We explain complex concepts in straightforward language so all family members can understand and feel comfortable.
• London-Based, International Perspective: We understand both UK rules and the needs of globally mobile families.
• End-to-End Service: From initial idea to full implementation and ongoing support, we are there at every step.

Who we work with

We assist family members:

• UK-based families seeking long-term, tax aware wealth planning
• International families with UK assets or family members resident in the UK
• Entrepreneurs planning to invest proceeds from a business sale, including those who have sold a trading company and are considering transferring assets into a FIC
• Property investors consolidating portfolios into a FIC structure, managing rental income, and transferring non cash assets such as property into the FIC, with consideration of duty land tax

Transferring assets, including non cash assets, into a FIC structure involves careful planning to address potential tax implications such as stamp duty land tax and Capital Gains Tax, ensuring efficient succession and wealth management.

We also collaborate with:

• Private client lawyers and tax advisers
• Independent financial advisers and wealth managers
• Accountants and family offices

What you need to get started

To begin planning your FIC, it helps to have:

• A rough schedule of your family assets (including cash, investments, property, business interests, and non-cash assets), and to consider the potential capital gains tax that may arise when transferring these assets into the FIC
• An outline of who you would like to benefit (children, grandchildren, other family members)
• Any existing wills, trusts or planning arrangements (so the FIC fits alongside them)

When transferring assets into a Family Investment Company, it is important to understand the tax consequences, immediate tax consequences, and wider tax implications. For example, transferring property may trigger stamp duty land tax, and moving assets can result in capital gains tax liabilities.

Funding the FIC with loans may allow for loan interest deductions and a corporation tax deduction, so it is important to claim tax relief where available and to consider all available tax relief options.

Operating a FIC can involve double taxation, as profits are taxed at the corporate level and again as dividend tax or income tax when dividends paid or dividend income are extracted by shareholders. The combined tax rate on profits and distributions, as well as personal tax implications for each beneficiary, should be carefully considered to ensure funds are extracted in a tax efficient manner.

You should also be aware of ongoing tax liabilities, annual tax obligations, and the need to structure the FIC to maximise tax efficiency. Certain investments, such as those qualifying for the Enterprise Investment Scheme, may have specific tax implications when held inside or outside a FIC, so professional advice is recommended.

If you do not have these in place yet, we can help you work through them step by step.