Companies House ID checks: the 18 November 2026 deadline

Identity verification at Companies House has been a legal requirement since 18 November 2025. New directors and people with significant control (PSCs) have had to verify from that date. Existing directors and PSCs got a 12-month transition, and it ends on 18 November 2026. Companies House estimates that 6 to 7 million people need to verify by then.

There’s also one piece of good news in the latest update. The plan to check the identity of people who file documents for companies, originally pencilled in for November 2026, has been pushed to no earlier than November 2027.

How verification works

You verify once, either online through GOV.UK One Login or through an Authorised Corporate Service Provider (ACSP), such as an accountant or company formation agent registered with Companies House. Either way, you get a personal code. That code is what links you to your roles at each company, so keep it safe.

Who has to do what

New directors: give your personal code when the company is incorporated or when you’re appointed.
New PSCs: give your code when you’re registered, or within 14 days.
Existing directors: the company gives each director’s personal code in its next confirmation statement filed during the transition.
Existing PSCs who are also directors: you have a 14-day window that starts the day after the company’s confirmation statement date.
Existing PSCs who aren’t directors: your 14-day window is the first 14 days of your birth month.

If a PSC can’t make the window, a 14-day extension can be requested. Every existing PSC must have verified by 18 November 2026.

Timeline of Companies House identity verification: from 18 November 2025 new directors and PSCs must verify, with a 12-month transition for existing ones; existing directors give their code on the next confirmation statement; the transition ends on 18 November 2026; checks on people who file start no earlier than November 2027. — The transition for existing directors and PSCs ends on 18 November 2026, and checks on filers come later.

Who it affects

Anyone who’s a director or a PSC of a UK company, including founders of one-person companies and freelancers who trade through a limited company. Living outside the UK doesn’t change that. A US founder who owns 60% of a UK subsidiary is a PSC and needs to verify just like a UK resident does.

If you hold several roles

You only verify once, however many companies you’re involved in. The same personal code links you to each role, so a serial founder who sits on five boards and is a PSC of three of them uses one code everywhere. What differs is timing. Each company’s confirmation statement date, and your birth month if you’re a PSC but not a director, decides when each role has to be linked. Keep a simple list of your companies and their confirmation statement dates so nothing slips.

If your accountant or company secretary normally handles filings, ask whether they’re registered as an ACSP. If they are, they can verify you and, from no earlier than November 2026, file for your company as an authorised agent. If they aren’t, you’ll need to verify through One Login yourself or find a provider who is registered.

What changed in the August 2026 update

Companies House updated its transition plan on 5 August 2026. The key change: identity checks for people who file on behalf of companies (presenters and agents) were due in November 2026, and that’s now “no earlier than November 2027”, with at least six months’ notice promised. Some older guides and blog posts still say November 2026, so be careful which one you read.

Separately, ACSPs can file for clients as authorised agents from no earlier than November 2026, and Companies House says that in future every agent filing for clients will have to register as an ACSP.

A worked example

Tom and Aisha run Harbor Line Consulting Ltd. Its confirmation statement date is 3 March.

Tom is a director and owns 60% of the shares, so he’s also a PSC. He verified through One Login in February 2026, and the company included his code in the confirmation statement it filed in March. As a PSC who is also a director, his 14-day PSC window started on 4 March 2026.
Aisha owns 40% but isn’t a director. She’s a PSC only, so her window is the first 14 days of her birth month. She was born in October, so she has to verify between 1 and 14 October 2026.

If Aisha were born in January, her window would have been January 2026, already past. In that case the right move is to verify immediately and check her status with Companies House, rather than waiting for November.

My honest take: for most people with a passport and a smartphone, the online check is quick. The risk isn’t the process, it’s forgetting. Put the date in your calendar today.

What to do now

List every director and PSC of each company you’re involved with, including overseas shareholders.
Check whether each person has already verified and has a personal code.
For PSCs who aren’t directors, work out their birth month window and diarize it.
Make sure your next confirmation statement includes each director’s code.
If a PSC is abroad or can’t use One Login, find an ACSP early.
Diarize 18 November 2026 as the absolute deadline for existing directors and PSCs.

If you’re setting up a new company, our guide to choosing a business structure and our founders’ agreement guide are good next reads.

Sources

This article is general information, not legal or tax advice. Laws differ between countries and states and change over time, so check the rules that apply to you or speak to a qualified professional.