During the October 2026 Facebook Live, I explained who needs to verify their ID with Companies House, the three ways to do it (GOV.UK One Login online, in person at a Post Office, or through an authorised agent), what the personal code is and where it goes, and what happens if the deadline is missed. I also covered HMRC’s gradual move from Government Gateway to GOV.UK One Login and how to spot fake “verify your account” messages, following on from September’s scam session. We finished with a short look at the Companies House accounts changes, now expected from April 2028.
Directors, people with significant control (PSCs) and LLP members who were in post before November 18th, 2025 have until November 17th, 2026 to verify their identity with Companies House. In practice, most existing directors have had to confirm their verification when filing their company’s Confirmation Statement during the last 12 months. If your Confirmation Statement was due earlier this year, you may already be late.
Why you need to verify your ID with Companies House
Verification of ID has been compulsory for all new directors since November 18th, 2025. Existing directors, PSCs and LLP members were given 12 months to verify their ID with Companies House, and this period ends on November 17th, 2026. This step was brought in under the Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act 2023, and it is intended to reduce the number of fake directors and fraudulent companies on the Companies House register. By the end of June 2026, 55% of directors, 50% of LLP members and 42% of PSCs had verified their ID, so many of you with a limited company may still need to act.
Who needs to verify their ID?
Who needs to verify their ID with Companies House is fairly straightforward, and all those required will have received a notification from Companies House by now informing them that they must verify their ID. The list is as follows:
- Company Directors, including sole directors of one-person companies
- People with significant control, usually anyone holding more than 25% of the shares or voting rights
- LLP members
Any new director of a company must verify their ID before they can be appointed, and a new company cannot be incorporated until every proposed director has had their ID verified.
Companies House have stated that anyone who files documents on behalf of a company will need to have their ID verified at a later date, and this is currently expected to be no earlier than November 2027. Once a firm date is announced, I will provide an update through the social media channels and the monthly newsletter.
How to verify your ID with Companies House
There are a few different ways that you can verify your ID with Companies House.
- Online through the GOV.UK One Login, using the ID Check app with photo ID such as a biometric passport or UK photocard driving licence, and by answering security questions. This is the easiest and quickest way to verify.
- In person at a participating Post Office. The result usually arrives by email within a day. You cannot just walk into the Post Office and ask them to verify your ID. First, you need to go to the “Verify your Identity for Companies House” service and go through the steps listed. You can read more about how to do this on the government website.
- Through an Authorised Corporate Service Provider (ACSP), such as an accountant registered with Companies House. There is usually a fee for this sort of service. You can read more on how to get your ID verified through an ACSP on the government website. The government has a list of ACSPs as well, which you can look at on their website. (It was last updated on November 12th, 2026).
Once your ID has been verified, you will receive an 11-character personal code, shown under “Manage Account” in your Companies House account. This code belongs to you as an individual, and not the company, so one code will cover all your roles. You need to make sure that you save this code, as you will require it when submitting an annual return with Companies House and other official documents.
Giving your code to Companies House
After your ID has been verified, and you have received your personal code, store it in a safe place. I have saved a copy to my laptop in a PDF file, but I have also printed a hard copy and put it in our family safe. That way, I know where it is and can access it, even if my laptop isn’t accessible.
For directors, the code goes on the company’s next Confirmation Statement. If any director has NOT been verified, the Confirmation Statement cannot be filed at all. Please make sure that all directors of the company have had their ID verified before the next Confirmation Statement is due.
For PSCs who are also directors, your director role is confirmed on the Confirmation Statement, but your PSC role has to be confirmed separately using the “Provide identity verification details for a PSC” service. Your 14-day window for this starts on the company’s Confirmation Statement date.
For example, take a husband-and-wife company where both are directors, and each owns 50% of the shares. Both people would only have to verify their ID once. When the Confirmation Statement is filed, both personal codes would be submitted. Each person would then need to provide their code again for their PSC role.
For PSCs who are not directors, the 14-day window starts on the 1st of their birth month. Someone born on January 22nd has from January 1st to the 14thto provide their personal code to Companies House.
Anyone can check their window on the Companies House register, and a 14-day extension can be requested before the original deadline passes.
The names and dates of birth you provide as part of your verification must match the Companies House register, so if any mistakes were made when you became a director or a PSC, you will need to correct them first.
What happens if you miss the deadline?
If you, or any of the other directors or PSCs of a company, miss the deadline for verifying their ID with Companies House, the Confirmation Statement for the company cannot be submitted. This could result in possible financial penalties, restrictions on filings, director disqualification, criminal offences, and potential company strike-off. Companies House has not announced any grace period after November 17th, so please do not wait to see what happens.
As soon as the deadline has passed, you will be blocked from submitting the Confirmation Statement and other statutory updates. This can cause a knock-on effect by not being able to apply for bank accounts, loans, funding and corporate contracts. These restrictions will be lifted as soon as everyone’s identity has been verified.
It is a criminal offence for both you as an individual and the company to act as an unverified director or to fail to meet required filing deadlines. If you continue to act and not verify your ID, you could be fined up to £5,000 as an individual, and there is a risk of being disqualified from acting as a company director.
If the problem carries on, persistent non-compliance can also lead to the company being struck off the register.
This is already happening. In September 2026, Companies House and the Insolvency Service issued a warning to directors after the Insolvency Service brought its first prosecutions for failing to comply with the new ID verification rules.
If you miss the deadline, you will receive a default letter from Companies House. It will explain that you have missed the ID verification deadline, and explain what the consequences of that are. If you have a very good reason for being unable to complete the process by the deadline, you will have 28 days from the date on the default letter to contact Companies House and make a representation to them. After the 28-day window, they will not accept any representation you make.
Companies House will require evidence that there were exceptional circumstances that caused you to miss the deadline. They will write to you and tell you whether they have accepted your representation. If it has been accepted, Companies House will pause enforcement action to allow you to get everything sorted out. Usually, this is up to a 2-month period. The website explains how to do this.
You can read more about what happens if someone is not compliant on the government website.
GOV.UK One Login and your HMRC Login
Since February 9th, 2026, new HMRC customers have set up a GOV.UK One Login using an email address and a password, instead of a Government Gateway ID.
Those who have an existing Government Gateway account will carry on using their login details as normal, and will be contacted when it is their turn to switch to a GOV.UK One Login account. HMRC plans to have all users across by 2030. Sole traders are to currently keep using their Government Gateway details for the business tax.
Just a note to be careful of scam emails, as fraudsters copy these changes made by HMRC. Never click a link in a text or email to “switch your login”. Go to GOV.UK directly and report suspicious messages as covered in September.
Looking ahead: Companies House Accounts Changes
The changes announced by Companies House, which were originally planned to take effect from April 2027, have now been postponed until April 1st, 2028.
Small companies and micro-entities will have to file a profit and loss statement, although they will be able to opt out of it appearing on the public register. Abridged accounts will no longer be allowed to be submitted, and accounts will have to be submitted using commercial software. HMRC’s joint filing service, which let you submit your Corporation Tax return and your Companies House accounts together, closed on March 31st, 2026.
Companies House are also planning to limit how often a company can shorten its accounting period. Once this has been officially announced, a Facebook live about that particular item will be presented.
Make sure you remember three important dates: the November 17th, 2026 deadline for ensuring your identity has been verified with Companies House, the date your Confirmation Statement is due, and the PSC window.
If you are not sure whether you or your fellow directors have verified your identity, or you need help working out your PSC window, send me an email.