Companies House ID checks: the deadline small firms miss

If you are a director of a UK limited company, there is a job you may have put off: verifying your identity with Companies House. It is now the law, and the first directors have been taken to court over it.

Here is what you need to know, in plain English.

What the rule is

Since 18 November 2025, identity verification has been a legal requirement for directors and people with significant control (PSCs). Companies House guidance says that date "is not a deadline". It is the start of a 12-month transition period, during which each person must verify by their own due date (GOV.UK guidance, updated 30 April 2026).

For existing directors, the due date is tied to the company's next confirmation statement: you give your Companies House personal code when that statement is filed, for each company you direct. A PSC who is not also a director has a 14-day window that starts on the first day of their birth month (GOV.UK, updated 30 July 2026).

New directors appointed since 18 November 2025 must verify before they act as a director.

Why this is news now

On 17 September 2026, the Insolvency Service and Companies House announced the first prosecutions for identity verification offences. Three directors were fined at City of London Magistrates' Court the day before (GOV.UK, 17 Sep 2026).

The fines were small, between £80 and £307 each, plus £85 costs and a victim surcharge. But the cases are telling:

• two directors kept acting while unverified, including signing company accounts, and one also took part in board decisions;
• the third director had verified, but was prosecuted for not taking reasonable steps to stop a fellow director acting unverified;
• all three were also convicted because their companies filed confirmation statements late.

The Insolvency Service's senior criminal lawyer, Daniel Hart, put it bluntly: "There is no option to opt out."

How many people still need to act

Law Debenture, a corporate services firm, says Companies House figures published on 30 July 2026 showed that by the end of June only 55% of directors, 50% of LLP members and 42% of PSCs had verified (Law Debenture). Those figures are now several months old, so the number today is likely higher, but plenty of people are still behind.

Law Debenture puts the end of the transition at 17 November 2026; other guides say 18 November. GOV.UK describes a 12-month period from 18 November 2025 and points each person to their own due date. Check your own due date rather than relying on either date.

Our take

This matters to small firms more than big ones. Big companies have company secretaries. In a two-director family business, nobody owns this job, and it is easy to assume the other person sorted it. The September cases show that a director who did verify can still be on the hook for a co-director who did not.

There is also a practical risk. Law Debenture lists possible consequences such as filing restrictions and financial penalties, and says there is no sign of a long grace period after the transition ends. A blocked or late confirmation statement creates more trouble than the few minutes the check takes.

What to do this week

1. Find your due date. If you are a director, look up when your company's next confirmation statement is due on the Companies House register. If you are a PSC, check your 14-day window there too.

2. Verify online, for free. GOV.UK says verification is free online through Companies House. You can use GOV.UK One Login with photo ID such as a biometric passport from any country or a UK photo driving licence. There are other routes too, including a Post Office visit after entering your ID details online.

3. Or ask your accountant. An Authorised Corporate Service Provider, often your accountant or solicitor, can verify you instead.

4. Check every director and PSC. Do not assume. Ask each one for their Companies House personal code or confirmation that they are verified.

5. Diary your confirmation statement. Put the date in your calendar with a two-week reminder. Filing late was part of all three September convictions.

6. Watch for scams. Expect fake "Companies House" emails asking you to pay to verify. The official route is free. Go to GOV.UK yourself rather than clicking a link, and never hand your ID details to someone you do not trust.

The short version

Director ID checks are the law, the transition is ending, and the first fines have landed. Find your due date, verify for free on GOV.UK, and check your co-directors have too.

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