Companies House Reforms
25th of June, 2025There are changes for our Company clients also with the Companies House Reforms.
Following the passing of the Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act 2023, Companies House have been given new powers and are in the process of implementing them with a view to cracking down on Companies and Company Directors who are operating fraudulently or are not who they say they are.
Previously Company Directors could register on Companies House without proving their ID.
Under the new Act, Companies House can actively remove any names and addresses used without consent and have greater powers to query, remove and refuse information and to share data with other agencies.
In the 11 months from 4 March 2023 they have exercised this power to
- remove 73,400 registered office addresses
- remove 59,500 officer addresses and 49,100 PSC addresses
- remove 10,200 documents from the register including false mortgage satisfaction filings
- prevented over 7,000 suspicious filings (in a 10 month period).
Basically, Companies House will no longer just allow all information to be uploaded without question and is aiming to improve corporate accountability so that company directors are who they say they are; prevent economic crime, making it harder to use UK companies for money laundering, fraud or other illicit activities and enhance trust in UK business.
Authorised Corporate Service Provider (ACSP)
As Agents we have the option to become an "Authorised Corporate Service Provider" which would mean that we can conduct identity verification on behalf of clients. We are supervised for Anti-Money Laundering and therefore could become registered as this, subject to training for identifying false documents or the use of digital identification verification software to perform this check. Currently we are considering this option and will advise when we have established our role. From Spring/Summer 2026 we will need to be verified in order to submit Company Accounts and Confirmation Statements.
Who has to Verify their Identity with Companies House?
- All Directors of Companies
- All Persons with Significant Control (PSCs)
- Anyone filing on behalf of a company
When does this have to be done?
- It can be done on a voluntary basis now, but will be compulsory for existing Directors and PSCs from a date (yet to be announced) in Autumn/Winter 2025.
How can Identity Verification be done?
- Either by presenting required documents to an ACSP
- In person at the Post Office
- Online, directly with Companies House via Gov.uk One.
The instructions for those verifying their identity online will require a Companies House Account to be set up and photo ID to be uploaded. Upon successful completion the individual will receive an 11 digit personal code which will need to be used to link the individual's verification to Companies House records.
It will not be possible to submit a Confirmation statement without the 11 digit personal codes of all the Directors and Persons with Significant Control..
For Agents and Company Directors, it will not be possible to submit Company Accounts without the Agent and the Directors of the Company having had their ID successfully verified.
At MacDonald Accountancy Services Limited we will be aiming to work with clients as an ACSP to conduct their ID verification or to assist them with self verification in order that all our Company Directors and Persons with Significant Control do hold a Personal code which is also known to us.
We will endeavour to accomplish this before other filings such as Company Accounts and Confirmation Statements are due.
