UK other service activity companies in numbers (October 2026)
Key figures compared with the UK
| Measure | This sector | All UK | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Active companies | 208,255 | 5,166,057 | 4.0% of UK |
| Median company age (years) | 5.9 | 5.6 | close to UK |
| Incorporated in the last 3 years | 32.2% | 34.0% | close to UK |
| Filing micro-entity accounts | 38.6% | 32.4% | 6.2 pts higher |
| Filing dormant accounts | 9.2% | 10.8% | 1.6 pts lower |
| Accounts overdue | 1.7% | 1.8% | close to UK |
| Under a proposal to strike off | 9.9% | 7.4% | 2.5 pts higher |
| In liquidation, administration or receivership | 1.5% | 2.0% | 0.5 pts lower |
| With outstanding charges (secured lending) | 5.9% | 12.1% | 6.2 pts lower |
| Median net assets | £2,052 | £3,113 | 34% lower |
| Negative net assets | 19.7% | 18.8% | close to UK |
| Net current liabilities | 36.4% | 36.2% | close to UK |
| Median cash at bank | £6,741 | £10k | 33% lower |
| Cash covers creditors due within a year | 40.8% | 35.3% | 5.5 pts higher |
| Holding £100k or more in cash | 14.9% | 20.3% | 5.4 pts lower |
| Median employees (where stated) | 1 | 1 | close to UK |
Balance sheet measures use each active company's most recent machine-readable (iXBRL) accounts with a period ending in 2024 or later: 155,529 companies here (74.7% of active). Net assets 25th to 75th percentile: £1 to £23k. Cash 25th to 75th percentile: £644 to £40k.
What the numbers say
This is a mixed section. More than half of its live companies use 96090 other service activities n.e.c. (118,489), a broad catch-all code, and the next largest is 96020 hairdressing and beauty treatment (70,677). Physical well-being, membership organisations, religious bodies, dry cleaning and funeral services make up the rest.
Three differences from the UK average stand out:
- Smaller balance sheets: median cash of £6,741, median net assets of £2,052 and only 14.9% with £100,000 or more in cash, against £10,127, £3,113 and 20.3%. Salons, therapists and personal service businesses are usually owner-run with a small float.
- More strike-off proposals: 9.9% against 7.4%. Personal service businesses open and close easily, and many owners let a company lapse rather than close it formally.
- Little secured borrowing: 5.9% have charges, against 12.1%, as most businesses rent their premises.
Negative net assets sit slightly above the UK, at 19.7% against 18.8%. The gap has narrowed: 19.9% for financial years ending in 2014 against 16.4% for the UK, and 19.7% against 18.6% in 2025. A negative figure is a warning sign, not proof of insolvency; see our guide to negative net assets.
Membership organisations look very different from salons. Division 94 has a median current ratio of 3.44 and only 10.1% negative net assets, consistent with clubs and associations holding member subscriptions as reserves.
Many companies here file as a micro-entity (38.6% against 32.4%). Before paying a deposit to a small service business, check the company. Compare with arts, entertainment and recreation.
Share with negative net assets, 2014 to 2025
Share of accounts with net liabilities (total liabilities larger than total assets) by financial year end, for companies on the live register. Dissolved companies are not included because the register no longer lists their industry, so earlier years show survivors. Negative net assets is a warning sign, not proof of insolvency: see what negative net assets means.
Accounts types filed
| Type of last accounts | Share here | Share UK |
|---|---|---|
| Micro-entity | 38.6% | 32.4% |
| Total exemption full | 26.0% | 23.8% |
| No accounts filed yet | 20.7% | 26.0% |
| Dormant | 9.2% | 10.8% |
| Unaudited abridged | 2.9% | 2.9% |
| Small | 1.1% | 1.2% |
| Full (audited) | 0.9% | 1.5% |
The type shows how much a company has to disclose. Micro-entity and abridged accounts contain no profit and loss account on the public record. Read more about accounts categories and micro-entities.
Active companies by year of incorporation
Companies incorporated in each year that are still active today. Younger cohorts are larger partly because older ones have been dissolved.
Most common activity codes
| SIC | Activity | Live companies |
|---|---|---|
| 96090 | Other service activities n.e.c. | 118,489 |
| 96020 | Hairdressing and other beauty treatment | 70,677 |
| 96040 | Physical well-being activities | 9,941 |
| 94990 | Activities of other membership organizations n.e.c. | 9,925 |
| 94910 | Activities of religious organizations | 5,263 |
| 96010 | Washing and (dry-)cleaning of textile and fur products | 4,202 |
| 96030 | Funeral and related activities | 3,187 |
| 94120 | Activities of professional membership organizations | 2,916 |
Divisions in this section
| Division | Active companies | Negative net assets | Median cash | Overdue |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 96 Other personal service activities | 182,013 | 20.6% | £6,204 | 1.6% |
| 94 Activities of membership organisations | 20,147 | 10.1% | £22k | 2.7% |
| 95 Repair of computers and personal and household goods | 6,095 | 19.4% | £5,136 | 1.6% |
Methodology
Industry is the first SIC code each company declares on the Companies House register (snapshot 1 October 2026); the dormant placeholder 99999 is excluded. Status, accounts type and due dates come from the register. Financial measures come from our parse of 37 million iXBRL accounts filed since 2008; values above £100bn are treated as extraction errors. Companies filing paper or PDF accounts are not in the balance sheet figures. Full details: methodology.
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