Companies House ID Verification: Two Months Left Before Enforcement Begins

Companies House's identity verification requirement is no longer new, but its transition period is running out fast. With enforcement due to begin once the window closes on 17 November 2026, and roughly half of directors still not verified according to the latest figures, it's a good moment for Bury and Greater Manchester business owners to check where they stand.

What's Changing at Companies House

Since 18 November 2025, identity verification has been a legal requirement under the Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act 2023. Every director, every person with significant control (PSC), and every authorised agent filing on a company's behalf now has to prove who they are to Companies House, not just to HMRC or a bank.

It's a genuine shift in how the register works: for the first time, Companies House is actually checking that the people named as directors are who they say they are, rather than simply recording whatever is submitted.

The Transition Period Is Running Out

Companies House gave everyone a 12-month runway to get verified, running from 18 November 2025 to 17 November 2026. That window is now down to about two months. The latest management information, covering April to June 2026, shows how much is still outstanding:

• 55% of directors have verified their identity

• 50% of LLP members have verified

• 42% of people with significant control (PSCs) have verified

That leaves roughly half of the UK's directors, and more than half of PSCs, still needing to act before compliance activity begins.

Who Needs to Do What, and When

• Existing directors: provide your Companies House personal code the next time the company files its confirmation statement — the statement cannot be filed until every director is verified.

• New directors: must verify before they can be appointed.

• PSCs who are also directors: verify within 14 days of the confirmation statement date.

• PSCs who aren't directors: verify within the first 14 days of your birth month each year.

• Accountants and solicitors filing on clients' behalf: register as an Authorised Corporate Service Provider (ACSP) and verify before filing.

How to Verify

There are two routes. The first is GOV.UK One Login, which is free and done directly with Companies House using the app, security questions, or a Post Office ID check, depending on the documents available. The second is via an authorised agent — a regulated professional, such as an accountant, who is registered with Companies House to verify identities on clients' behalf, usually for a fee.

Either way, the result is a personal Companies House code that has to be quoted on future filings, so it's worth keeping a note of it once issued.

What Happens If You Miss It

Once the transition period ends, Companies House has said it will move from a supportive approach to compliance activity against those who haven't verified. The practical consequences include:

• Confirmation statements blocked until every director is verified

• Delays to company incorporations and new officer appointments

• A note added to the public register flagging non-compliance

• In serious or persistent cases, criminal prosecution, fines, or disqualification

For most small businesses this won't come out of nowhere — the real risk is a confirmation statement filing suddenly stalling because nobody checked in advance.

What to Do Now

If you're a director of a UK company, or you sit on the PSC register, it's worth checking your verification status before it becomes urgent:

• Confirm whether you and any co-directors have already verified through GOV.UK One Login

• Check your company's next confirmation statement due date, and make sure verification happens well before it

• If you'd rather not deal with it yourself, ask whether your accountant is registered as an Authorised Corporate Service Provider and can verify on your behalf

At Jackson Lee Accountants in Bury, we're building this check into our regular client reviews so nobody's confirmation statement gets stuck in November. If you're not sure whether you or your fellow directors have verified yet, it's a five-minute conversation worth having now rather than in three months' time.