There are a variety of Companies House services designed to be used by limited companies, and anyone who wants to find out information about a registered company. We will consider some of these Companies House services in this blog, along with certain alternatives.
Companies House Search
One of the core Companies House services is its search facility. This allows anyone to conduct an online search of the public register of companies. A wide range of useful company information can be found, both by businesses and consumers, including:
- Registered address – the current official office address of the company
- Date of incorporation – the date on which the company was first registered
- Company status – this indicates whether the company is active or dissolved
- Company type – whether the company is a public limited company (PLC), private company limited by shares, private company limited by guarantee, etc.
- Company number – the Company Registration Number (CRN) which is issued upon company formation
- Current and resigned officers – this includes the names of company directors and company secretaries, along with relevant addresses, and when they were appointed and resigned (if relevant)
- Company director details – the nationality, country of residence, date of birth, and occupation of company directors
- Disqualified directors – details of any disqualified directors associated with the company
- Persons with significant control (PSCs) – this includes the name of each PSC, their date of birth, nationality, correspondence address, country of residence, the nature of their control over the company, and the date on which Companies House was notified of the fact they were a PSC
- Company accounts – this includes the relevant dates of when the last accounts were made up to, and when the next accounts are made up to and fall due
- Confirmation statements – details of when the last confirmation statement was submitted and when the next one is due
- Nature of business – this is the SIC classification of the company
- Company document images – this includes PDF images of relevant documents relating to the company’s filing history, including Confirmation Statements, Micro Company Accounts, Annual Returns, and Termination of Appointments
Other specific Companies House services related to company search include the following tools:
- Company name availability checker – this helps to choose a company name that is unique and will not be rejected on the basis of being too similar to an existing company name
- Alphabetical company search – this provides an alphabetical way of viewing search results
Follow a company
One of the useful Companies House services is the ability to follow a specific company. This essentially sends out email alerts whenever there are changes or additions to company information held on the public register. To follow a company, it is necessary to create a Companies House account (see below).
Company filing
The Companies House services for making annual filings and updates to company information are split over two different web interfaces:
- Companies House (new) – this allows company directors to file full or abridged company accounts and to change a registered office address. Company certificates and certified documents can also be ordered.
- Companies House WebFiling website (old) – this older interface still needs to be used for filing confirmation statements and changing other types of company information.
Company formation
One of the key Companies House services is their company formation service.
But when it comes to company formation, there are several advantages of using a company formation agent such as Quality Company Formations.
Our checking process substantially reduces the average rejection rate of company registration applications from 10% to just 1%. We also provide a wide range of add-on services for companies, including business address services.
Do I need to create an account to use the Companies House services?
Some of the Companies House services require a Companies House account. In particular, registering a company and making annual filings via the newer Companies House services will need a Companies House login. An account is also needed to follow another company.
The older style Companies House WebFiling website uses a different type of account and login. This somewhat dated Companies House service allows companies to submit various filings, including annual accounts and confirmation statements.
Certain Companies House services are available through the modern and easy-to-use online interface provided by Quality Company Formations. Not only can we register your company, but we also offer a full range of filing services at affordable rates and a Full Company Secretary Service.
