Companies House identity verification: a 2026 guide for directors and PSCs
Guidance checked on 8 September 2026
If you are both a limited company director and a person with significant control (PSC), completing Companies House identity verification is only part of the job. You normally verify your identity once, but must provide your personal code separately for your director role and your PSC role. Completing one does not automatically complete the other.
That distinction matters for owner-managed businesses, where the same person often runs the company and owns most of its shares. A successful identity check can create a false sense that every filing obligation has been dealt with.
This guide explains the separate steps, the dates to check and the records to keep. It is particularly relevant to existing limited company owners in Bromley, London and across the UK who are working through the 2025–2026 transition.
Why identity verification matters in 2026
Mandatory identity verification began on 18 November 2025. Companies House introduced a 12-month transition for existing directors, linked to their next confirmation statement, with separate timing rules for PSCs. The reform is intended to make the company register more reliable and tackle misuse of companies. See the official rollout announcement.
There is no single deadline that every existing business owner can safely put in the diary. Your own company and personal roles determine when action is required. Waiting until the end of the transition could mean missing an earlier obligation.
Start by checking the company register and current guidance, even if you have already received a personal code or your accountant recently submitted a filing.
Are you a director, a PSC, or both?
A director manages a company and has responsibilities attached to that appointment. A PSC is someone who owns or controls it. Those roles frequently overlap, but they are not interchangeable.
Common PSC conditions include holding more than 25% of the shares or voting rights, or having the right to appoint or remove a majority of the board. Significant influence or control can also bring someone within the rules. The threshold is more than 25%, so an exact 25% holding does not satisfy that shareholding condition by itself.
Check the actual ownership and control arrangements rather than assuming every shareholder is a PSC. Complex arrangements may need individual advice. The Companies House PSC guidance explains the conditions and the company's responsibility to identify the relevant people.
Make a simple list of each company you are involved with and whether you appear as a director, a PSC, or both. This becomes the starting point for your filing checklist.
How to verify your identity
You can use the official Companies House service through GOV.UK One Login. The government route is free. Depending on your circumstances, the service may direct you to an app, security questions or a Post Office route. Follow the process offered to you; a Post Office check still starts online.
Alternatively, an Authorised Corporate Service Provider (ACSP) can carry out the check. The agent must be registered with Companies House for this purpose and supervised under anti-money-laundering regulations. An agent may charge a fee.
Use the official identity verification guidance to choose a route. Do not post or email identity documents to Companies House. You normally need to verify only once and should not repeat the process unless Companies House tells you to.
Allow time to resolve problems before your filing is due. Finding out that your identification or account details need attention on the final afternoon leaves little room to put things right.
Your personal code is different from the company authentication code
After successful verification, you receive an 11-character Companies House personal code. It belongs to you, and the same code can link your verified identity to your different company roles. Keep it secure and share it only with a trusted person who needs it to file on your behalf.
You can find it through Manage account using the email address associated with verification. The delivery and account steps differ depending on whether you verified directly or through an agent. Follow the current personal code guidance if you cannot locate it.
The company's authentication code is a separate six-character alphanumeric code used to authorise online company filings. It does not replace your personal code. Companies House explains this distinction in its authentication code guidance.
When preparing information for your accountant, label these clearly. A note saying only “Companies House code” is easy to misunderstand. Never put either code in a public document or blog comment.
Directors: check the next confirmation statement
For an existing director, the personal code is provided through the company's next confirmation statement as part of the transition. The filing also includes a statement confirming verification. If you are a director of several companies, the requirement must be addressed for each company.
Companies House says it will not accept the confirmation statement until all directors have verified. A co-director who has not completed their check can therefore affect the company's filing, even when you have finished your own steps. See the confirmation statement guidance.
New incorporations and new director appointments have their own requirements. Do not assume the timetable for an existing director applies to a newly appointed person. Check the current role-specific deadlines.
PSCs: make the separate submission in the correct window
If you were already both a director and PSC of the same company when the requirements began, the PSC submission has a 14-day window starting the day after the company's confirmation statement date. It is completed separately using the PSC verification service.
The confirmation statement date and the deadline for filing that statement are different dates. Copy the relevant details from the register carefully. Current identity verification guidance also says that filing a confirmation statement early does not change the PSC verification period.
For an existing PSC who is not a director of the same company, the window is normally the first 14 days of their birth month. People becoming PSCs after 18 November 2025 have different timing rules. Check your own displayed dates rather than borrowing another person's deadline. These distinctions are set out in the Companies House deadline guidance.
The PSC verification service asks for the relevant information, including the personal code and confirmation of verification. Someone filing on your behalf can use it. There is a different process for protected PSCs and people with a protection application pending.
A worked example: one owner, two roles
Consider an illustrative business owner who is both a director and PSC, with a confirmation statement date of 31 March 2026. Assume the existing-director-and-PSC transition rules apply.
The director information is dealt with through the confirmation statement. The separate PSC submission window runs from 1 April to 14 April 2026. Companies House uses these dates in its explanation of PSC verification.
The owner should keep two completion records: one for the director information in the accepted filing, and another for the PSC submission. Receiving a personal code is not a substitute for either record.
If that owner is also involved in another company, they should create another row in their checklist. One person's verification may be reused, but the roles and company dates still need individual attention.
A practical checklist for business owners
List your roles. Record each company name and number, and your director and PSC positions. Flag anything on the register that needs correcting.
Check the dates. Record the confirmation statement date, its filing deadline and the separate PSC window where applicable. Set reminders before action is due.
Complete verification. Use the official service or an appropriately authorised agent, then locate and securely retain your personal code.
Agree who will file. Confirm who is handling the director information and who is handling the PSC submission. Give each task an owner.
Track acceptance. Keep the confirmation messages and review the relevant entries on the company register. Follow up on any rejection or unresolved status.
Close every row. Mark each role complete only when its required steps are confirmed. Do not treat a conversation or document upload as proof of acceptance.
A small spreadsheet or shared checklist is often enough. Keep confidential codes outside a widely shared tracker. The tracker should show responsibility, dates and completion evidence without exposing the credentials themselves.
What if something goes wrong?
If a personal code will not link, compare the details used for verification with the company record. Companies House identifies incorrect codes and date-of-birth mismatches as possible causes. Where an agent performed the check, contact them if the verified details need attention. Use the official troubleshooting guidance rather than repeatedly entering guesses.
If you cannot meet a PSC deadline, the official service allows you to request a 14-day extension before the deadline has passed. Follow its conditions and check the outcome; do not assume that requesting an extension has automatically resolved the issue. See PSC submission and extension guidance.
Ignoring the requirement can lead to enforcement, including financial penalties or prosecution. If a deadline has already passed, act promptly and contact Companies House or seek appropriate advice about the actual circumstances.
Questions directors commonly ask
Does my accountant filing the confirmation statement finish everything?
Not automatically. Ask whether your PSC submission is also required and who will complete it. A useful question is: “Can you confirm which roles and companies are complete, and which dates remain outstanding?”
Does identity verification replace annual accounts or tax returns?
No. Keep identity verification, the confirmation statement, annual accounts and tax work as separate entries in your compliance calendar. Completing an identity check does not mean your wider accounting work is finished.
Should I send my personal code by ordinary email?
Agree a secure method with the trusted person handling your filing. Check the recipient and the purpose before sharing. You do not need to disclose your code to obtain a general explanation of the rules.
Get your company administration organised
If you run a limited company in Bromley, London or elsewhere in the UK, use this check as an opportunity to review your wider accounting calendar. Clear records and agreed responsibilities make it easier to see what is due and avoid last-minute confusion.
Explore mysimplytax.com's limited company accounting services or contact the team to discuss your company accounts and ongoing support. Bring your company number and a list of outstanding tasks so the conversation can focus on what your business needs.
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