What is the role of Companies House?

Companies House is the UK registrar of companies, operating as an executive agency of the Department for Business and Trade. It is responsible for incorporating companies and holding key data on all corporate entities registered in the UK.  

Understanding the role and powers of Companies House is particularly important if you are thinking about forming a limited company (or you have already done so). This post explains everything you need to know, including the corporate information that Companies House maintains on the public register of companies. 

What is Companies House, and what does it do?

As the registrar of companies in the UK, Companies House is the official government body responsible for the formation, administration, and regulation of companies in England and Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland in accordance with the Companies Act 2006. 

The main functions of the registrar are to: 

• Incorporate, maintain, and dissolve limited companies (including other types of corporate entities) 
• Examine and publish information about every UK-registered company on the public register of companies  
• Promote corporate transparency and growth in the UK economy 

While performing these tasks, the registrar’s priorities are to: 

• Make the public register as accurate and reliable as possible 
• Play a more significant role in identifying, disrupting, and preventing economic crime and wrongdoing
• Make the UK an attractive place to set up and run a business 

Incorporating at Companies House is necessary for anyone wishing to form a UK company. A ‘company’ includes the following types of legal structures: 

• Private company limited by shares 
• Private company limited by guarantee 
• Public company limited by shares (‘public company’ or ‘PLC’) 
• Unlimited company 
• Limited liability partnership (LLP) 
• Limited partnership (LP) 
• Scottish limited partnership (SLP)  
• Charitable company (always limited by guarantee)  
• Community Interest Company (CIC) 
• Overseas entity 

There are various routes to incorporation, but the easiest way to set up a company is through an online company formation agent like Quality Company Formations. Doing so makes the company formation process as quick and straightforward as possible, with applications sent to Companies House for processing and approval.  

Companies House jurisdictions and locations

There are three separate legal systems in the UK – one each for England and Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland. Consequently, Companies House has three different registrars, each responsible for incorporating and maintaining companies in their particular jurisdiction.  

1. Companies House Cardiff is responsible for companies registered in England and Wales, which are subject to English Law. 
2. Companies House Edinburgh is responsible for companies registered in Scotland, which are subject to Scots Law. 
3. Companies House Belfast is responsible for companies registered in Northern Ireland, which are subject to Northern Irish law. 

Which branch should I use?

When setting up a limited company in the UK, the location of its registered office address (official correspondence address) determines which Companies House branch deals with its incorporation and administration. This factor also dictates which UK legal system the company is subject to during its existence. 

For example, a company with a registered office address in England or Wales will be incorporated at Companies House in Cardiff and subject to English law.  

However, UK-registered companies can base their operations in any UK jurisdiction (or overseas). It is simply the registered office address that must remain in the country of incorporation throughout a company’s existence. 

What information does Companies House maintain? 

Companies House maintains information on approximately 5 million UK-registered companies. By ensuring the data on the public register is as complete and reliable as possible, the registrar endeavours to maintain a culture of corporate transparency in the UK. 

The corporate information and statistics available from Companies House are used extensively by members of the public, businesses, public bodies, and other government departments and agencies. 

Once a company is incorporated, either directly with the registrar or through an online company formation agent, it must: 

• Provide information to Companies House for disclosure on the public register 
• Tell Companies House if any details change  
• File certain documents each year, including annual accounts and a confirmation statement  

All company information and documents sent to Companies House are disclosed on public record. This includes basic company details, information on the people who own and control the company, and a record of all statutory filings since incorporation.  

Basic company details

• Company name 
• Company registration number 
• Registered office address 
• Date of incorporation 
• Company status (e.g. active or dormant) 
• Company type 
• Single alternative inspection location (SAIL address), if applicable  
• Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) codes to describe what a company does 

Key people in the company

• Details of every director and company secretary, including their name, service address, and partial date of birth  
• Information on every person with significant control (PSC), including their name, service address, partial date of birth, and nature of control (e.g. more than 25% of shares or voting rights in the company)  
• Details of company members (shareholders or guarantors), LLP members, or limited partners and general partners  

Filing history  

• Changes made to company details and appointments after incorporation  
• Statutory filings, including annual accounts and confirmation statements  
• Notices of late or missed statutory filings  
• Date the last accounts were made up to, and the due date of the next set of annual accounts   
• Statement date of last confirmation statement, and the due date of the next confirmation statement 
• Mortgage charge data 
• Insolvency information and details of any compulsory or voluntary strike-off action 

Individuals and businesses can search the Companies House register online and view all of this information free of charge. We explain how to do this later in this article.  

Statistics at Companies House  

Companies House releases quarterly and annual statistics based on the data held on the companies register, including information on incorporations, dissolutions, late filing penalties, and other types of corporate bodies in the UK. This data is helpful for: 

• Governments – to understand the probable impact of policy changes and monitor the effects of economic measures on businesses 
• Banks – to form an understanding of their corporate customer base 
• Other businesses – to research and understand their market share and plan marketing strategies accordingly 
• International businesses – to make decisions on viable UK locations 
• Academic institutions – to inform their curriculum and research into businesses at both local and national levels 
• Public service organisations – in their decision-making and the evaluation of business-related policies 

You can explore all recent and historical Companies House statistics online at GOV.UK. 

Is every UK company on the Companies House register? 

Companies House is the registrar for all UK companies, which means that details of every UK-registered corporate entity are disclosed to the public on the Companies House register. The disclosure of company data is a legal requirement of incorporation. 

Other services available from Companies House

In addition to incorporation services, the registrar provides a range of digital facilities that make it easy to manage your own company online. These services also provide public access to information on other UK-registered companies and the people who own, manage, and control them. 

The ‘Find and update company information’ service

Commonly referred to as ‘Companies House service’ or ‘Companies House search service’, this online facility provides open access to the Companies House register. With the ‘Find and update company information’ service, you can view all of the public data that the registrar holds on UK-registered companies.

How to search for a company at Companies House

To find information on any company on the register, visit the Companies House search service online and follow these steps: 

1. Enter the relevant company name, company registration number, or officer in the name search box. 
2. Select the name of the company or person you are looking for – you may need to scroll through if it’s not one of the top results on the list. 
3. You’ll be taken to the company’s profile page on the Companies House database, where you can view all publicly available details about the company. 

An advanced search function is also available, which enables users to search for specific information on UK companies. 

Companies House ‘Follow’ 

The Companies House search service includes a feature called ‘Follow’. This enables individuals and businesses to register their details to receive free email alerts when a particular company files new information. Users can then download a copy of the documents free of charge. 

WebFiling service

If you own or manage a company, you can use WebFiling to send information and documents to Companies House online. 

You can also use WebFiling to sign up for email reminders of your company filing deadlines. However, the Companies House search service will eventually provide comprehensive filing facilities and take over from WebFiling. 

Information centres

Companies House has three information centres located in Cardiff, Edinburgh, and Belfast. These centres offer services such as access to digital search facilities, help and advice, and document ordering and filing services. 

Is Companies House different from HMRC?

Companies House and His Majesty’s Revenue & Customs (HMRC) are separate agencies within the UK government. While Companies House is the UK’s registrar of companies, HMRC is the UK’s tax authority.  

All UK business owners and individual taxpayers have obligations towards HMRC, but only companies are required to deal with Companies House. 

If you form a company or trade as self-employed, you must register for tax with HMRC. Registration with HMRC may also be required if you receive income from shares or property. 

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However, unlike Companies House, HMRC does not publicly disclose the information it receives from businesses and individual taxpayers. All personal details and tax information sent to HMRC remain confidential.   

HMRC will only disclose information to certain third parties (e.g. other government agencies or departments) in specified circumstances where it is legally permitted. 

Companies House reforms and new powers 

Following the introduction of the Economic Crime and Corporation Transparency Act 2023 (ECCT Act), Companies House has greater enforcement powers over company incorporation and the information disclosed on the register.  

The ECCT Act gives the registrar enhanced powers to query, challenge, alter, and remove company information submitted to the register, perform identity checks on the people who set up and control companies, and share more data with other agencies. 

These new measures will help Companies House achieve the following objectives: 

1. Ensure that anyone required to deliver a document to the registrar does so (and that the requirements for proper delivery are complied with). 
2. Ensure the information in the register is accurate and that the register contains everything it ought to contain. 
3. Ensure that records kept by the registrar do not create a false or misleading impression on members of the public. 
4. Prevent companies and others from carrying out unlawful activities or facilitating others to carry out unlawful activities.

Where a company fails to comply with its legal obligations, the registrar can use its enforcement powers to impose financial penalties, pursue civil action or criminal prosecution, and ask the courts to disqualify certain people within the company from acting as directors.  

Thanks for reading  

We hope you’ve found this post informative and helpful. If you have any questions, please comment below. For more limited company guidance and business advice, explore the Quality Company Formations Blog.