Ltd. is a standard abbreviation for what?

Ltd. is a standard abbreviation for "limited," a form of corporate structure available in countries including the U.K., Ireland, and Canada. The term appears as a suffix that follows the company name, indicating that it is a private limited company. In a limited company, shareholders' liability is limited to the capital they originally invested. If such a company becomes insolvent, the shareholders' personal assets remain protected.

A limited company is its own legal entity. A private limited company has one or more members, also called shareholders or owners, who buy in through private sales. Directors are company employees who keep up with all administrative tasks and tax filings but do not need to be shareholders.

The company’s finances are separate from the owners’ and are taxed separately. The company owns all profits and pays taxes on them, distributes a portion to shareholders as dividends and retains the rest as working capital. A director may withdraw funds only for a salary or dividend payment or loan.

By setting up a private limited company, it becomes separate from the people who run it. Any profits made by the company can be pocketed after taxes are paid. The corporation's finances must be kept separate from any personal ones in order to avoid confusion.