What the mandatory Companies House identity verification rules mean for director filings this autumn
If you are a company director and you have not yet verified your identity with Companies House, the transition period ends on 18 November 2026. That date is a backstop, not always your personal deadline. For most existing directors, the real trigger is the company’s first confirmation statement after 18 November 2025, because the company cannot file that statement unless all directors have verified and supplied their Companies House personal codes. Companies House identity verification applies to around 6 to 7 million people, and continuing to act after your relevant deadline without meeting the rules can be an offence under the Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act 2023.
With the deadline now close, the practical risk is not just enforcement. It is a blocked filing at the worst possible moment.
Who needs to do what, and when
| Role | Verification trigger |
|---|---|
| New director appointed on or after 18 November 2025 | Verify before the appointment or incorporation filing is submitted |
| Existing director | Provide the personal code with the company’s next confirmation statement, and in any event during the transition period ending 18 November 2026 |
| PSC who is also a director | Provide the code in the confirmation statement as director, and separately as PSC within the 14-day period starting after the confirmation statement date |
| PSC who is not a director | Provide the code within the first 14 days of their birth month |
| LLP members | Broadly the same approach as directors, through the LLP’s confirmation statement |
| Director of an overseas company with a UK establishment | Verify and confirm the position for the UK establishment, including the relevant overseas company filing |
Corporate directors, corporate LLP members, limited partnerships and officers of corporate PSCs are being brought in later, so check the current Companies House position if your structure includes any of them.
How verification actually works
There are two routes. You can verify directly with Companies House through GOV.UK One Login, which is free and usually takes only a few minutes if your identity can be checked digitally. Alternatively, an authorised corporate service provider, such as an accountant registered as an ACSP, can verify you.
Either way, you receive an 11-character Companies House personal code. That code is yours, not the company’s. If you hold five directorships, you normally verify once and then link the same code to each role separately. The GOV.UK guidance on verifying your identity sets out the acceptable routes and documents.
A client of ours runs three property companies with his wife as co-director. He verified early, she did not, and the confirmation statement for the oldest company was blocked. It took only minutes to fix once the code was available, but the delay caused unnecessary panic because a mortgage application was sitting behind that filing.
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If you are unsure about tax, bookkeeping, payroll, property accounts or business finances, speak to the team at FHP Accounting for clear, practical guidance.
Why this matters more than it looks
An unverified director can block a confirmation statement, and a new director cannot be appointed without the required code and statement. Companies House has also said it will display a note on the public register where people do not comply with identity verification requirements. Lenders, insurers and prospective buyers all look at the register.
The knock-on effects land in your wider compliance calendar. A blocked confirmation statement does not stop your accounts deadline, so you can end up with two problems at once. If you file annual statutory accounts for a property company, it is worth reading our checklist ahead of profit and loss filing, since transparency reforms are tightening on several fronts at the same time.
The group most at risk
Resident-owned companies are one of the highest-risk groups. RMC and RTM directors are usually unpaid volunteers who took the role on reluctantly, and plenty of them do not think of themselves as company directors at all. The rules apply to them in the same way as they apply to a trading company board.
If you sit on one of these boards, verify now and keep a note of your code with the company records. Our guide to RTM annual accounts covers the other filing obligations that catch volunteer boards out, and the RICS and ARMA best practice guidance is worth reading alongside it.
Agents supporting those boards should check every client’s position, not just their own. Our guidance on commercial property management accounting and service charge accounting sets out where company filings and service charge reporting overlap. Deadlines for year-end service charge statements tend to sit close to confirmation statement dates, which is how boards end up with three things late at once.
Landlords operating as sole traders have their own autumn admin under quarterly reporting, covered in our note on MTD agent access.
FAQs
What happens if I do not verify by 18 November 2026?
You risk committing an offence if you continue to act after your relevant deadline without meeting the identity verification requirements. Your company can also be unable to file its confirmation statement if its directors have not verified. Companies House has said it may mark the public register where someone has not complied.
Do I need to verify for every company I am a director of?
You normally verify your identity once and receive one Companies House personal code. That code then has to be linked to each directorship separately, usually through each company’s confirmation statement.
Is identity verification free?
Verifying directly with Companies House through GOV.UK One Login is free. An authorised corporate service provider may charge for verifying you or managing the filing process on your behalf.
Get your filings in order before November
If you are not sure whether your directors have verified or when your confirmation statement is due, we can check it quickly. FHP Accounting provides company secretarial services, company tax returns and bookkeeping, supports managing agents with client company filings, and can take the admin off your desk entirely through our outsourced finance department. Get in touch and we will review your filing position before the deadline.
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.
