Companies House Identity Checks: Why Directors Should Review Filings Before They Are Rejected
Companies House identity verification became a legal requirement on 18 November 2025, but that date was the beginning of a 12-month transition rather than a single deadline for every existing director and Person with Significant Control. Existing directors must verify their identity and provide their personal code when their company files its next confirmation statement after 18 November 2025. Existing PSCs have separate 14-day compliance periods determined by their role, the company’s confirmation statement date or their birth month.
Companies House expects the transition for existing directors and PSCs to be completed by late 2026, but each person should check the due dates shown against their roles on the register rather than treating 18 November 2026 as a universal personal deadline.
This makes a review of the company’s registered information essential. Incorrect dates of birth, inconsistent names, outdated PSC information and inappropriate registered offices can delay verification, prevent a confirmation statement from being filed or lead Companies House to query a submission.
Our guide on why your company filing can be rejected covers the common reasons a document may not be accepted.
Why Companies House Is Scrutinising Filings More Closely
For much of its history, Companies House largely recorded the information submitted to it. The Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act 2023 gave the Registrar wider objectives and stronger powers to improve the accuracy of the register.
Since 4 March 2024, Companies House has been able to query and reject information it suspects is incorrect, inconsistent or fraudulent. It also has broader administrative powers to remove inaccurate material, challenge misleading company names and compare register information with data obtained from other public and private sources.
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A filing is not necessarily rejected merely because a director’s name differs slightly from the name on an identity document. However, discrepancies can prevent identity details from being connected correctly or lead to questions that delay the filing.
Directors should not wait for the confirmation statement deadline before addressing a problem. Some corrections, particularly an incorrectly filed date of birth, can take time to process. Companies House has warned that date-of-birth corrections may take up to 20 working days during periods of high demand.
As a team specialising in accounting Nottingham businesses use, we recommend reviewing the register several weeks before any filing deadline.
The Filing Review Directors Should Carry Out Now
The review should compare the public Companies House record with the company’s current legal and internal records.
| Area to check | What to review | Common issue |
|---|---|---|
| Director names | Full legal name and any former names | Nickname, missing name or inconsistent spelling |
| Director date of birth | Compare the full date against official documents | Historic incorporation or appointment error |
| Director service address | Confirm correspondence will reach the director | Former accountant, old office or unmonitored address |
| Director nationality | Check that the field description remains accurate | Outdated or incorrectly entered information |
| Registered office | Confirm it is an appropriate physical address in the correct UK jurisdiction | PO Box, inaccessible premises or former agent |
| Registered email | Confirm it is monitored by the company | Old employee or adviser controls the inbox |
| PSC information | Review every PSC and nature of control | Changes following transfers or investment not reported |
| SIC codes | Confirm they reflect current activity | Incorporation codes no longer match the business |
| Statement of capital | Reconcile with allotments, transfers and share records | Companies House record differs from internal documents |
| Shareholder information | Check information included in previous confirmation statements | Transfers or name changes omitted |
| Register of members | Confirm the company maintains a complete internal register | Reliance on the former Companies House central register |
| Corporate directors | Identify any corporate director appointments | Future restrictions may require restructuring |
A director’s service address does not have to be a UK address, but it must be a valid address where documents can be delivered and brought to the director’s attention. This is different from the company’s registered office, which must be a physical address in the correct part of the UK.
Before filing a confirmation statement, changes to directors, secretaries, PSCs, the registered office and registered email must normally be reported separately. The confirmation statement itself can be used to update items such as SIC codes, the statement of capital and shareholder information.
How Verification and the Confirmation Statement Connect
An existing director must first complete identity verification, either through GOV.UK One Login or through an Authorised Corporate Service Provider. The individual then receives a Companies House personal code.
That code is personal to the individual, not to a particular company. However, it must be provided separately for every company role that needs to be linked.
For an existing director, the personal code must be included when the company files its first confirmation statement after 18 November 2025. A company cannot file that confirmation statement unless all its directors have completed the required verification steps.
A person who is both a director and a PSC of the same company has 2 separate obligations:
- Their director code is provided through the confirmation statement.
- Their PSC code and verification statement are provided separately through the PSC verification service during the 14-day period beginning the day after the company’s confirmation statement date.
A PSC who is not also a director must provide the code during the first 14 days of their birth month. A person added as a new PSC after 18 November 2025 can provide the code when registered or within 14 days of being added.
The confirmation statement fee increased on 1 February 2026 to £50 for digital filing and £110 for paper filing. This fee applies to the first confirmation statement filed within the company’s 12-month payment period.
Our confirmation statement explained guide covers the annual process, while what are statutory accounts explains the separate accounts obligation.
What Happens If a Director or PSC Does Not Verify?
Failure to comply can result in prosecution or a financial penalty. A director who continues acting after their deadline without completing all verification requirements may be committing an offence. The company and its other directors may also be in breach if the position is not corrected.
The company will also be unable to file its confirmation statement unless every director has verified and the required personal codes are provided.
Companies House has said it will generally begin with information, reminders and compliance notices, but it can use financial penalties, prosecution and referrals to the Insolvency Service. Serious or repeated misconduct may ultimately contribute to director disqualification proceedings. A ban of up to 15 years is possible under the wider director-disqualification regime, but it is not an automatic consequence of one late verification.
A PSC who misses the applicable deadline may also be committing an offence and may receive a financial penalty. PSCs can request limited extensions in qualifying circumstances, but these should not be treated as routine extra time.
Why the PSC Register Needs Particular Attention
A PSC is usually an individual who meets at least 1 of the following conditions:
- Holds more than 25% of the company’s shares
- Holds more than 25% of its voting rights
- Has the right to appoint or remove a majority of the board
- Otherwise exercises significant influence or control
- Exercises control through a trust or firm that meets a PSC condition
PSC information should include the person’s name, service address, nationality, month and year of birth, country of residence, nature of control and the date they became registrable. Companies House also receives the usual residential address, although that information is not normally displayed publicly.
Companies must notify Companies House within 14 days of changes to a PSC or the PSC’s details. Changes in ownership, voting rights or investment arrangements may therefore require more than an update in the accounting software or share certificates.
If the PSC information has not been reviewed since incorporation, reconcile it against:
- The current register of members
- Share certificates
- Stock transfer forms
- Share allotment documents
- Shareholders’ agreements
- Voting arrangements
- Option or investment agreements
- Group or trust ownership structures
Our sole trader versus limited company guide explains some of the ownership implications of incorporation. For investment companies, our property specialist accountant team can review company structures across a portfolio.
Reviewing the Registered Office and Service Addresses
Every UK company must maintain an appropriate registered office address. It must be:
- A physical address in the correct UK jurisdiction
- An address where company correspondence would ordinarily come to the attention of someone acting for the company
- An address where delivery can be acknowledged
A Royal Mail PO Box, or an equivalent standalone PO Box service, cannot be used. A company may use an accountant’s, solicitor’s or registered-office provider’s address if it meets the statutory conditions and the provider has agreed to its use.
These rules took effect on 4 March 2024, not November 2025. If Companies House concludes that the registered office is not appropriate, it can move the company to a default Companies House address. Failure to provide an appropriate replacement can lead to compulsory strike-off action.
Check that your registered office is not:
- An address belonging to a former accountant
- A service you stopped paying for
- Premises where nobody monitors post
- An old trading address
- A home address you no longer want published
Directors whose home address appears on historic documents can now apply to have it suppressed from public view in many circumstances. This is different from applying for protection from disclosure to credit reference agencies, which generally requires evidence of a risk of violence or intimidation.
Our article on management accounts that directors use is useful for directors reviewing governance and reporting more broadly.
Changes to Company Registers
From 18 November 2025, companies no longer have to maintain separate internal registers of:
- Directors
- Directors’ residential addresses
- Company secretaries
- PSCs
The company must still report this information to Companies House and keep it current. The removal of the internal-register requirement does not reduce directors’ responsibility for accuracy.
Companies must continue to maintain a register of members. The option to elect to hold that register centrally at Companies House ended on 26 January 2026. Any company that previously used the central register must now create and maintain a complete register of members at its registered office or single alternative inspection location and make it available for inspection as required.
The register of members is legally important because it is the company’s primary evidence of legal share ownership. Companies House shareholder information is not a replacement for it.
Good company records and accounting records should support one another. Our from spreadsheets to Xero guide explains how to improve the underlying record system, while our xero accountants uk team provides setup and ongoing support.
Corporate Directors: Review Now, but Do Not Assume the Restrictions Are Already Active
The Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act provides for future restrictions on corporate directors. Once commenced, corporate directors will generally need to be UK entities with legal personality, their boards will need to consist entirely of natural persons, and those natural-person directors will need to verify their identities.
As of June 2026, those restrictions have not yet been implemented. They should therefore be treated as a future compliance issue rather than a rule already prohibiting every overseas corporate director.
Companies with corporate directors should nevertheless review the structure now because changes may require board appointments, resignations and updated filings.
Presenter Verification and ACSP Registration
Authorised Corporate Service Providers have been able to register with Companies House since 18 March 2025. An accountant, solicitor or formation agent must already be registered as an ACSP if they want to verify a client’s identity for Companies House.
A further stage is planned no earlier than November 2026. This is expected to require:
- Identity verification for people who submit Companies House filings
- Third-party agents filing for clients to be registered as ACSPs
These presenter measures were previously expected sooner but were postponed to allow Companies House to complete the director and PSC transition. They are not yet in force as of June 2026.
Our bookkeepers in Nottingham team and wider advisers are preparing for these changes. Clients using our outsourced finance and accounting service can incorporate company-secretarial planning into their wider finance support.
The wider compliance environment is covered in our articles on the HMRC crackdown on late payments and the UK Spring Budget 2026. The benefits of outsourcing your accountant guide explains why growing companies often centralise these responsibilities.
For new businesses, our start up accountancy team can establish the company records correctly from incorporation. Our accountants for landlords support property companies with both corporate and tax compliance.
Directors reviewing controls should also read Xero controls and user permissions, why accurate bookkeeping is crucial and our bookkeeping health check guide.
Frequently Asked Questions
My Companies House details look correct. Do I still need to verify?
Yes. Identity verification is a separate statutory requirement. Accurate register information does not replace the need to verify and connect your personal code to every relevant role.
What documents can I use?
Online verification through GOV.UK One Login accepts documents including a biometric passport from any country, a UK photo driving licence, a UK biometric residence permit, a biometric residence card or a Frontier Worker permit. Other routes may be available through security questions, a participating Post Office or an ACSP.
An email address can only be used once to verify an identity through GOV.UK One Login, so each director should use their own account and email address.
Can my accountant verify my identity?
Yes, if the accountant is registered with Companies House as an ACSP and is willing to provide the service. They may charge a fee and will need evidence that meets the Companies House identity standard.
What should I do if I find an error?
Use the appropriate Companies House filing or correction process immediately. Do not assume the confirmation statement will correct director, PSC or registered-office errors. Where the date of birth is wrong, complete the required replacement or rectification process before attempting to link the verified identity.
Does verification apply to dormant companies?
Yes. Directors and PSCs of dormant companies remain within the identity-verification regime. Dormant companies must also continue filing accounts and confirmation statements.
If the company is no longer required, voluntary strike-off may be considered, but only if the company meets the legal eligibility conditions and has dealt properly with assets, liabilities, creditors and interested parties.
Will my accountant still be able to file after presenter verification begins?
Yes, provided the firm meets the requirements in force at that time, including ACSP registration where required. Check your adviser’s status before future presenter rules commence.
Review Your Companies House Record Before the Filing Deadline
The identity-verification transition is already underway. Directors should not wait until the final days before a confirmation statement is due to discover that a date of birth is wrong, a PSC record is outdated or another director has not verified.
Our team helps directors and business owners across Nottingham and nationwide review company records, correct discrepancies and prepare for identity verification and confirmation-statement filing.
Call 0115 648 8686 or get in touch through our website to arrange a free, no-obligation conversation.
I lead FHP Accounting, an accountancy practice specialising in Commercial and Residential Property Accounting. Our goal is to make the administration of running property portfolios easier for landlords, managers, and investors — allowing you to focus on what you do best, while we take care of everything behind the scenes.
Need Expert Accounting Advice?
If you are unsure about tax, bookkeeping, payroll, property accounts or business finances, speak to the team at FHP Accounting for clear, practical guidance.
