The South London company picture
The figures on this page combine two postcode areas, SE and SW. SE postcodes include addresses in Southwark (SE1), Lewisham (SE6), Greenwich (SE10 and SE18) and Bromley (SE20). SW postcodes include Lambeth (SW2), Wandsworth (SW15 and SW18) and Merton, where Wimbledon's SW19 sits. Because postcodes ignore the river, the SW area also takes in Westminster (SW1), Kensington and Chelsea (SW3), Hammersmith and Fulham (SW6) and Richmond upon Thames (SW13). Outer London postcodes, for example CR, BR, SM, KT, TW, UB, IG and RM, are not included, so companies with Croydon (CR) or Bromley (BR) postcodes, and Merton addresses with SM postcodes, sit outside these numbers.
On 1 September 2026 there were 182,535 active companies with a registered office in SE or SW postcodes. 24,934 were incorporated in the 12 months to August 2026, which is 136.6 new companies per 1,000 active companies. That is almost exactly the UK rate of 137.5 and a little above London as a whole (the E, EC, N, NW, SE, SW, W and WC areas) at 132.6.
The two areas have 1,993 accountancy companies between them, one for every 92 active companies. The UK average is one for every 83 and London's one for every 98, so South London sits between the two.
Each company is placed by its registered office postcode, and any postcode holding 1,000 or more live companies, such as a formation agent or virtual office address, is excluded. Sole traders and ordinary partnerships are not on the Companies House register, so self-employed people and sole-practitioner accountants do not appear, and a registered office is not always where a company trades. See our methodology page for the detail.
For someone choosing an accountant, the useful point is that South London's company base looks much like the UK's in how quickly new companies are formed, while its mix of trades does not, as the next section shows.
Industries that stand out in South London
A location quotient compares a trade's share of companies here with its share across the UK: 1.5 means one and a half times as common. It uses the SIC codes companies choose when they register, so treat it as a guide rather than a census. Software development (1.36) and management consultancy (1.34) are also above the UK share, but four creative and professional trades stand out most.
Artistic creation (2.1)
With 2,915 active companies, artistic creation is more than twice as common in SE and SW postcodes as across the UK. Self-employed writers, composers and artists whose profits come from selling their own works or from royalties can claim averaging for creators across two years, which helps when income arrives in lumps. The catch is that it cannot be claimed if you used the cash basis. See our accountants for musicians page.
Performing arts (1.68)
1,470 active performing arts companies are registered here, 235 of them in the last 12 months. HMRC's guidance says most actors and other performers are self-employed, but it is not automatic, and a single engagement can still be employment. Our accountants for actors guide covers status, agent fees and costume.
Architectural practices (1.64)
South London has 1,237 active architectural practices. Two rules are worth knowing early. Architectural services are always standard-rated for VAT, unless the design is no more than a cost component of a design and build contractor's supply. And architecture is excepted from the Construction Industry Scheme, so a practice doing design work alone does not need to register for CIS. The VAT Flat Rate Scheme rate for architects is 14.5%. More on our accountants for architects page.
Advertising agencies (1.55)
There are 2,334 active advertising agency companies, and 549 were incorporated in the 12 months to August 2026. Before VAT registration, an agency must count services bought from overseas suppliers under the general reverse charge rule towards the £90,000 threshold, as well as its own sales. The Flat Rate Scheme rate for advertising is 11%, rising to 16.5% for a limited cost business. See accountants for marketing agencies.
Local practicalities
Wimbledon and Merton
Wimbledon town centre is in the London Borough of Merton, and Merton Council is the place for business rates there, including small business rate relief and the local discount scheme listed on its business rates pages. Merton has also adopted planning guidance for the town centre, the Future Wimbledon supplementary planning document, which is worth reading if you are looking at premises. Companies with SW19 registered offices are part of the figures above; Merton addresses with SM postcodes are not.
Business rates elsewhere
Other boroughs bill their own rates: Southwark, Lambeth, Lewisham and Wandsworth. Small business rate relief means no rates on a single property with a rateable value of £12,000 or less, tapering to nothing at £15,000. If you take on a second property, relief on the first can continue after the grace period as long as no other property is above £2,899 and the total is under £28,000, the London limit. For 2026/27 the multiplier below £51,000 rateable value is 43.2p in the pound (38.2p for retail, hospitality and leisure). Businesses that lost some or all of a relief at the 1 April 2026 revaluation may qualify for supporting small business relief. The Crossrail business rate supplement of 2p in the pound applies only above £92,000.
ULEZ, the Congestion Charge and the river tunnels
The Ultra Low Emission Zone covers all London boroughs, every day except Christmas Day, and vehicles that do not meet the standards (for cars, Euro 4 petrol or Euro 6 diesel) pay £12.50 a day. If you drive into central London, the Congestion Charge is £18 a day from 7am to 6pm on weekdays and noon to 6pm at weekends and bank holidays, and electric cars get only a 25% discount on Auto Pay. In the south east, the Blackwall and Silvertown tunnels from Greenwich are charged: for cars and small vans on Auto Pay, £1.55 off-peak and £4.20 at peak from 21 September 2026. Small businesses and sole traders registered in Greenwich can apply for £1 off the off-peak charge for up to three vehicles.
Free business support
Grow London Local, delivered by London & Partners, gives London small business owners free resources and consultations.
Working with an online accountant in South London
GoForma is an online accountancy practice. Our office is north of the river at 40 Bowling Green Lane, London EC1R 0NE, in Clerkenwell, and we work with clients in South London and across the UK by phone, video, email and WhatsApp. Our accountants are ACCA and AAT qualified, and FreeAgent accounting software is included in every package.
Sole traders can start on Lite Sole Trader at £22 a month or Start Sole Trader at £44 (50% off for the first three months), which includes Self Assessment and a dedicated personal accountant. Limited companies start on the Start Bundle at £88 a month, and the Operate Bundle at £128 adds VAT returns, director Self Assessment, the confirmation statement and a London business address. Prices exclude VAT. We also offer a London virtual office in EC1. See all packages, or go back to accountants in London.