What is Companies House

Full definition

Companies House is a UK Government executive agency sponsored by the Department for Business and Trade. Its primary statutory functions are to incorporate and dissolve limited companies, register company information, and make that information available to the public.

The principal legislation governing Companies House is the Companies Act 2006, which sets out the requirements for company formation, the obligations of directors and officers, and the information that must be filed and maintained on the public register.

Every limited company incorporated in England and Wales, Scotland, or Northern Ireland must register with Companies House before operating as a limited entity. Upon successful registration, the company receives:

• A Company Registration Number (CRN): a unique eight-character identifier that the company must display on its letterheads, emails, and website.
• A Certificate of Incorporation: the legal document confirming the company exists as a separate legal entity and recording the company number and date of formation.

The registration process requires a company name, a registered office address, at least one director, identification of persons with significant control (PSCs — those holding more than 25% of shares or voting rights), a Memorandum of Association, and Articles of Association. Online registration via Companies House typically completes within 24 hours and carries a fee of 100 pounds (as of 2024).

Why it matters (legal requirement and trust)

Registration with Companies House is a legal prerequisite for operating as a limited company under the Companies Act 2006. The ongoing filing obligations are equally statutory: failure to submit annual accounts or a Confirmation Statement on time is a criminal offence for which directors can be prosecuted and fined, and the company may be struck off the register.

For trades businesses, Companies House registration has direct commercial significance. Customers, contractors, and lenders routinely check the public register before entering into significant contracts or extending credit. The register reveals how long a business has been incorporated, who its directors are, whether accounts are being filed on time, and whether there are any outstanding charges. A clean, up-to-date filing history is a credibility signal; overdue accounts or a struck-off notice is a red flag that informed buyers will act on.

For homeowners commissioning building work, confirming that a contractor is a registered limited company — and cross-referencing the CRN on the Companies House register — is a basic due diligence step that can be completed in under a minute using the free search at find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk.

How registration and filing work

1. Incorporate: Apply online via the Companies House service. Provide the company name, registered office, director details, PSC information, and constitutional documents. Pay the 100-pound fee. Receive the CRN and Certificate of Incorporation, usually within 24 hours.
2. File annual accounts: Prepared to statutory standards (full, abbreviated, or dormant depending on company size), submitted to Companies House within nine months of the financial year end for private companies.
3. Submit a Confirmation Statement: Filed at least once a year to confirm that the information held at Companies House is accurate.
4. Notify changes: Any changes to directors, the registered office address, share capital, or PSCs must be reported to Companies House, usually within 14 days.
5. Identity verification: From 2025, directors and PSCs must verify their identity with Companies House under reforms introduced by the Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act 2023.

All filed documents become part of the public register, freely searchable and downloadable at no cost.

Difference from HMRC registration

Dimension	Companies House	HMRC
Purpose	Incorporation and public disclosure of company information	Tax administration (Corporation Tax, VAT, PAYE)
Legal basis	Companies Act 2006	Taxes Management Act 1970 and related tax statutes
Information publicly accessible	Yes — full public register, free access	No — tax records are confidential
Registration triggers	Incorporating a limited company	Trading, employing staff, or exceeding VAT threshold
Annual filing	Annual accounts and Confirmation Statement	Corporation Tax return (CT600), VAT returns if applicable
Sponsoring department	Department for Business and Trade	HM Treasury

Related terms

UK GDPR, TrustMark, NICEIC.