The Companies House ID deadline: when yours really is, and what to do

Under the Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act, every company director and person with significant control (PSC) must verify their identity with Companies House. New directors have needed to do this since November 2025. Those appointed before then verify by their own date in the transition year: the filing deadline of their company's first confirmation statement after that (for a PSC who isn't a director, the first 14 days of their birth month). It's free, done once, and takes a few minutes with a passport or driving licence. Companies House estimates six to seven million people are covered. Companies House publishes how many have done it each quarter.

After their date, a director who isn't verified mustn't act as one: it's an offence for them, for the company and for any co-director who lets them. The company can't file its confirmation statement, which makes that filing late too, and an unverified person can't be appointed anywhere else. Companies House can issue financial penalties or prosecute: the first directors were convicted in September 2026, and verifying late didn't undo it. Companies House has said it will also note non-compliance on the public register.

Verify your identity once with Companies House using GOV.UK One Login and photo ID. Search 'verify your identity for Companies House' on gov.uk. Avoid paying anyone who contacts you to 'handle it' for a fee; the official way is free. You'll receive a personal code linking your identity to your appointments. Keep this code safe as you'll need it for every company you're connected to. Alternatively, an authorised agent like your accountant or solicitor can verify you. They might charge a fee, but if they already have your ID, it might be easier.

Since late 2025, the public register shows if each appointment has a verified identity. Our free checker reads it for you. Just enter your company name, and it lists your directors and PSCs with the current details. It also gives you the date the register shows for each person still to verify, which for most companies is before 18 November and for some has already passed. One honest note: the register can be slow to update. Someone who verified recently might not appear for a few days. That's why our checker can re-check weekly and email you any changes, free, until 1 December 2026.

Each client has their own date, and most of them don't know it: telling them first can earn you goodwill. The checker is free for any company. You can run your client list through it in minutes.

If you want more, Katalis can help. We can create a branded version for your website, letting your clients use it directly. Or we can set up a system to monitor your entire client base, alerting you when something needs attention.

See it in action with Bramley & Co, a fictional practice we built at meetkatalis.com/examples/accountant. Their client watch board and AI front desk show exactly how this works with a made-up client list.