If you run a limited company or are thinking about starting one, 2025 was a significant year for Companies House. The changes were not just minor rule tweaks; they marked the beginning of a new approach to how the UK tracks who owns and runs companies. The aim is simple to say, even if the law behind it is not, make the register more trustworthy, and make it harder for criminals to misuse UK companies.
For honest business owners, that is good news. A cleaner register means fewer scams, fewer fake suppliers, and more confidence for banks, customers, and partners when they look you up. But it also means there are a few new steps you need to know about, especially around proving who you are online and keeping your company details up to date.
Below is a clear run-through of what changed in 2025, what it means in practice, and how you can stay on top of it without getting lost in government jargon.
In the past, Companies House mostly accepted what companies told it and published it. The new Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act is changing that. Companies House now has a legal duty to verify, question, and sometimes reject information that appears incorrect. It can remove companies that appear to be set up on a false basis. It can add public notes to warn people when an investigation is underway.
This is happening because too many UK companies have been exploited for fraud over the years, which hurts legitimate businesses. The government is basically asking Companies House to protect the system more actively.
You will feel this shift mainly in two areas: when people are required to prove their identity, and when filings are reviewed more closely.
From 18 November 2025, new directors and People with Significant Control (PSCs) must verify their identity before Companies House will accept their appointment. Existing directors and PSCs also need to verify, but they are being brought in over a transition period of around 12 months, usually linked to the next confirmation statement for each role.
A PSC is anyone who owns or controls more than 25 per cent of a company, or has significant influence over it, so in many small businesses, the director and PSC are the same person.
Why this matters:
This is designed to prevent the classic tricks of economic crime, including fake directors, stolen identities, and individuals hiding behind fabricated details. Over time, it should reduce the use of shell companies and scams.
What you need to do:
If you are already a director or PSC, expect Companies House to display a verification due date for your role when you check online, and you will need to complete the verification before this date. If you are forming a company now, you will be required to verify your identity as part of the process.
Verification is done through GOV.UK One Login, or through a professional formation agent or accountant who is approved to verify on your behalf, more on that in a moment.
On 18 March 2025, Companies House opened applications for Authorised Corporate Service Providers, ACSPs. These are trusted intermediaries, such as formation agents and accountants, who can verify someone’s identity and make filings on their behalf.
Why this matters:
If you use a formation agent, ACSP status is what allows them to continue doing that job smoothly under the new rules. The industry is being pushed toward higher standards, which should gradually squeeze out low-quality or risky operators.
What you need to do:
If you are using an agent to form a company or handle filings, it is reasonable to ask if they are an ACSP and whether they can guide you through verification.
Once your identity is verified, Companies House gives you a Personal Verification Code. It is like a unique reference number tied to you as a real person. You can find it in your Companies House account, and if you verify through certain routes you may also get an email confirming verification and telling you where to view your code.
Here is an important practical point that has caused confusion for some people.
If an ACSP, such as your formation agent, verifies you on behalf of Companies House, you will receive an email about your confirmed identity and your PVC. The code is still yours, and you should keep it safe. However, Companies House is clear that you may need to share it with someone you trust to file on your behalf.
So, if your agent is forming a company for you or filing a confirmation statement on your behalf, they will likely ask you for your PVC. That is normal.
The key thing is to share it only with a professional you trust, and only if you want them to act on your behalf. If you are unsure, contact the agent directly using a number or email you already know is real, rather than replying to a random message.
From 18 November 2025, companies will no longer be required to maintain specific statutory registers, such as separate internal lists of directors, directors’ residential addresses, secretaries, and PSCs. The official version now lives at Companies House.
Why this matters:
It reduces duplication and confusion. Your public Companies House record becomes the main “source of truth.”
What you need to do:
Ensure that the information at Companies House remains accurate and respond promptly if you are asked to confirm or correct any details.
In 2025, Companies House began using new powers to act more swiftly against suspicious companies, including striking off companies that appear to have been set up on a false basis, and placing warning notes on the register when an investigation is underway.
You might never see this directly, but you will feel the benefit. Fewer fake companies improves trust in the system, which helps real businesses win work, open accounts, and trade with less risk.
A significant practical change in 2025 is that Companies House services have moved to GOV.UK One Login. From 13 October 2025, you have to connect your Companies House accounts to One Login to sign in and file online.
One Login is the government’s new single sign-in system, replacing older logins like Government Gateway over time. The idea is better security, one verified identity, and fewer different passwords.
Why some people find it tricky:
As members have discussed on UK Business Forums, including a thread by member Newchodge, One Login can be awkward if you use more than one email address. Many small business owners have a personal email they have always used for Companies House, plus a business email they use elsewhere. One Login expects one clear identity tied to one email, so people can get stuck when they are not sure which email their old Companies House account was linked to, or when different services use different addresses.
What you can do to reduce hassle:
Select the email address you want to use long-term for company administration, and ensure that your Companies House account uses it. If you have multiple directors in a business, each person should have their own One Login account with a unique email address, rather than sharing a single login.
If you are unsure what email your Companies House WebFiling account uses, log in and check your account details before you need to file something urgently.
For most small business owners, the actual paperwork they file has not increased significantly. The key difference is that Companies House now requires assurance that real people are associated with real companies and that the data is accurate and reliable.
That comes with a bit more “identity friction” at key moments, setting up a company, adding a director, confirming PSC details, filing your confirmation statement. But it also brings a long-term upside, fewer scams, cleaner data, and a register that banks and suppliers can trust more quickly.
If you are using a good formation agent or accountant, they should be guiding you through the new steps, and asking for your PVC only when it is needed. If you are handling tasks yourself, expect a few extra screens and checks within One Login.
The switch-on on 18 November has not been entirely smooth. Many users have seen technical issues, slow services, and confusing messages. That is frustrating, especially for founders in the middle of setting up a business. But the direction of travel is clear, and Companies House is continuing to refine the system as it beds in, with daily updates and active engagement with the industry.
These changes are easier to handle when we talk them through together. If you have had a smooth verification, a confusing One Login moment, or a question about what to do next, post it on the UK Business Forums community. Someone else will face the same issue, and your question or tip could save them hours.
Come into the forums, share what you are seeing, ask for help if you need it, and let’s keep building a community where business owners support each other through the practical realities of running a company in the UK.
For honest business owners, that is good news. A cleaner register means fewer scams, fewer fake suppliers, and more confidence for banks, customers, and partners when they look you up. But it also means there are a few new steps you need to know about, especially around proving who you are online and keeping your company details up to date.
Below is a clear run-through of what changed in 2025, what it means in practice, and how you can stay on top of it without getting lost in government jargon.
The big shift: Companies House is becoming a gatekeeper, not just a filing cabinet.
In the past, Companies House mostly accepted what companies told it and published it. The new Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act is changing that. Companies House now has a legal duty to verify, question, and sometimes reject information that appears incorrect. It can remove companies that appear to be set up on a false basis. It can add public notes to warn people when an investigation is underway.
This is happening because too many UK companies have been exploited for fraud over the years, which hurts legitimate businesses. The government is basically asking Companies House to protect the system more actively.
You will feel this shift mainly in two areas: when people are required to prove their identity, and when filings are reviewed more closely.
1, Identity checks for directors and owners have started
From 18 November 2025, new directors and People with Significant Control (PSCs) must verify their identity before Companies House will accept their appointment. Existing directors and PSCs also need to verify, but they are being brought in over a transition period of around 12 months, usually linked to the next confirmation statement for each role.
A PSC is anyone who owns or controls more than 25 per cent of a company, or has significant influence over it, so in many small businesses, the director and PSC are the same person.
Why this matters:
This is designed to prevent the classic tricks of economic crime, including fake directors, stolen identities, and individuals hiding behind fabricated details. Over time, it should reduce the use of shell companies and scams.
What you need to do:
If you are already a director or PSC, expect Companies House to display a verification due date for your role when you check online, and you will need to complete the verification before this date. If you are forming a company now, you will be required to verify your identity as part of the process.
Verification is done through GOV.UK One Login, or through a professional formation agent or accountant who is approved to verify on your behalf, more on that in a moment.
2, Formation agents are now officially part of the verification system
On 18 March 2025, Companies House opened applications for Authorised Corporate Service Providers, ACSPs. These are trusted intermediaries, such as formation agents and accountants, who can verify someone’s identity and make filings on their behalf.
Why this matters:
If you use a formation agent, ACSP status is what allows them to continue doing that job smoothly under the new rules. The industry is being pushed toward higher standards, which should gradually squeeze out low-quality or risky operators.
What you need to do:
If you are using an agent to form a company or handle filings, it is reasonable to ask if they are an ACSP and whether they can guide you through verification.
3, Your Personal Verification Code, PVC, is yours, and you may need to share it
Once your identity is verified, Companies House gives you a Personal Verification Code. It is like a unique reference number tied to you as a real person. You can find it in your Companies House account, and if you verify through certain routes you may also get an email confirming verification and telling you where to view your code.
Here is an important practical point that has caused confusion for some people.
If an ACSP, such as your formation agent, verifies you on behalf of Companies House, you will receive an email about your confirmed identity and your PVC. The code is still yours, and you should keep it safe. However, Companies House is clear that you may need to share it with someone you trust to file on your behalf.
So, if your agent is forming a company for you or filing a confirmation statement on your behalf, they will likely ask you for your PVC. That is normal.
The key thing is to share it only with a professional you trust, and only if you want them to act on your behalf. If you are unsure, contact the agent directly using a number or email you already know is real, rather than replying to a random message.
4, Less internal admin for companies, registers are being centralised
From 18 November 2025, companies will no longer be required to maintain specific statutory registers, such as separate internal lists of directors, directors’ residential addresses, secretaries, and PSCs. The official version now lives at Companies House.
Why this matters:
It reduces duplication and confusion. Your public Companies House record becomes the main “source of truth.”
What you need to do:
Ensure that the information at Companies House remains accurate and respond promptly if you are asked to confirm or correct any details.
5, Companies House now has sharper enforcement tools
In 2025, Companies House began using new powers to act more swiftly against suspicious companies, including striking off companies that appear to have been set up on a false basis, and placing warning notes on the register when an investigation is underway.
You might never see this directly, but you will feel the benefit. Fewer fake companies improves trust in the system, which helps real businesses win work, open accounts, and trade with less risk.
6, One Login is now the way into Companies House services
A significant practical change in 2025 is that Companies House services have moved to GOV.UK One Login. From 13 October 2025, you have to connect your Companies House accounts to One Login to sign in and file online.
One Login is the government’s new single sign-in system, replacing older logins like Government Gateway over time. The idea is better security, one verified identity, and fewer different passwords.
Why some people find it tricky:
As members have discussed on UK Business Forums, including a thread by member Newchodge, One Login can be awkward if you use more than one email address. Many small business owners have a personal email they have always used for Companies House, plus a business email they use elsewhere. One Login expects one clear identity tied to one email, so people can get stuck when they are not sure which email their old Companies House account was linked to, or when different services use different addresses.
What you can do to reduce hassle:
Select the email address you want to use long-term for company administration, and ensure that your Companies House account uses it. If you have multiple directors in a business, each person should have their own One Login account with a unique email address, rather than sharing a single login.
If you are unsure what email your Companies House WebFiling account uses, log in and check your account details before you need to file something urgently.
What all of this means for you in real life
For most small business owners, the actual paperwork they file has not increased significantly. The key difference is that Companies House now requires assurance that real people are associated with real companies and that the data is accurate and reliable.
That comes with a bit more “identity friction” at key moments, setting up a company, adding a director, confirming PSC details, filing your confirmation statement. But it also brings a long-term upside, fewer scams, cleaner data, and a register that banks and suppliers can trust more quickly.
If you are using a good formation agent or accountant, they should be guiding you through the new steps, and asking for your PVC only when it is needed. If you are handling tasks yourself, expect a few extra screens and checks within One Login.
A quick word on the rollout so far
The switch-on on 18 November has not been entirely smooth. Many users have seen technical issues, slow services, and confusing messages. That is frustrating, especially for founders in the middle of setting up a business. But the direction of travel is clear, and Companies House is continuing to refine the system as it beds in, with daily updates and active engagement with the industry.
Last thing, please share your experience on UK Business Forums
These changes are easier to handle when we talk them through together. If you have had a smooth verification, a confusing One Login moment, or a question about what to do next, post it on the UK Business Forums community. Someone else will face the same issue, and your question or tip could save them hours.
Come into the forums, share what you are seeing, ask for help if you need it, and let’s keep building a community where business owners support each other through the practical realities of running a company in the UK.
