If you run a limited company, there is a new piece of admin with a hard deadline attached, and a lot of directors still have not heard of it. Companies House now requires every director and every person with significant control (PSC) to verify their identity. The transition period ends on 18 November 2026, and for most companies the real deadline arrives sooner than that. Here is the plain-English version.
What has changed?
Under the Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act, Companies House has moved from simply recording information to actually checking who is behind UK companies. Since 18 November 2025, identity verification has been compulsory for anyone setting up a new company or being appointed as a director or PSC.
Existing directors and PSCs were given a 12 month transition period to catch up. That period is now half over, and it ends on 18 November 2026.
When is your deadline?
This is the part that catches people out, because your personal deadline is probably not 18 November.
- Existing directors must verify by the date their company’s next confirmation statement is due during the transition year. If your confirmation statement is due in September 2026, that is your deadline. You will need to include your personal code with the statement.
- PSCs who are also directors only verify once. Doing it as a director covers both.
- PSCs who are not directors get a personal window instead: the first 14 days of their birth month. If your birthday is 24 February, your window runs from 1 to 14 February. If you need longer, you can request a 14 day extension online, but only once your window has started and before it ends.
For a typical owner-managed company, where the director and the shareholder are the same person, one verification does the whole job. But if your spouse holds shares and counts as a PSC without being a director, they have their own deadline, and it is easy to miss.
How do you verify?
There are two routes, and the direct one is free:
- GOV.UK One Login. You verify online using the app and a photo ID such as a passport or driving licence, with a Post Office option if you prefer to do it in person. It takes most people a few minutes.
- Through an authorised agent. Accountants and other firms registered with Companies House as authorised corporate service providers can verify you as part of their service.
Once verified, you receive a Companies House personal code, an 11 character code that belongs to you rather than your company. Keep it safe and treat it like a password. You will need it for confirmation statements, new appointments and other filings, and you never need to verify again for future companies.
What happens if you ignore it?
Failing to verify is an offence. Companies House can impose financial penalties, block you from filing, and prevent new appointments, and the company itself can face consequences too. Given that verification is free and quick, it is not a corner worth cutting.
Our clients do not need to worry about this
We track confirmation statement dates for every limited company client, so we know exactly when each director’s verification falls due, and we chase it well before the deadline rather than after. If you would like that kind of watchfulness on your side, our Ltd Company Starter service is from £105 per month. Get your instant quote and see your fixed monthly fee in under a minute.