UK Companies House ID Verification for Freelancers in 2026
Directors and PSCs of UK limited companies must verify their identity, and the deadline is closer than it looks.
The Delivvo team· August 29, 2026 7 min read
If you are a director or a person with significant control (PSC) of a UK limited company, you now have to verify your identity with Companies House, and the clock is already running. Verification became a legal requirement on 18 November 2025, which opened a 12-month transition, so existing directors and PSCs have until roughly mid-November 2026 to comply. New directors must verify before they are appointed, and no one can incorporate a new company without it. Pure sole traders, who are not on the Companies House register, do not need to do any of this. Here is who must verify, how to do it, and what happens if you leave it too late.
Why this is happening
For years the Companies House register accepted names with no proof that the person behind them was real. The Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act 2023 (ECCTA) changed that, and mandatory identity verification is the centrepiece. The point is to make it harder to hide behind a shell company, and to give the register some real weight. It is a big job: Companies House estimates that 6 to 7 million individuals will need to verify by mid-November 2026. If you run even a tiny one-person Ltd, you are one of them.
The check itself is a one-off. You prove who you are once, get a code, and reuse it for the rest of your time on the register. So while the deadline pressure is real, the task in front of you is small. The trouble only starts when people ignore it, assume an accountant has quietly handled it, and then get caught out at confirmation-statement time with no code to file.
The timeline: what already happened, and what's next
Keep reading
The rollout is phased, and knowing where you sit in it tells you how urgent this is.
8 April 2025: voluntary verification opened. Anyone could verify early through GOV.UK One Login or an authorised agent.
18 November 2025: verification became compulsory for new directors, new PSCs, and every new incorporation, and the 12-month transition clock started for people already on the register.
Through to mid-November 2026: existing directors and PSCs verify, in most cases triggered by their company's next confirmation statement.
From 2027, with notice in advance: the requirement is due to extend to third-party agents and others who file on a company's behalf.
So new companies and new appointments are already fully caught. If you have had your Ltd for a while, your personal deadline is tied to your next confirmation statement, which for most companies lands well before the November 2026 backstop.
Who must verify, and who doesn't
The rule covers people on the register. According to the Companies House guidance, that means every director of a UK company, every PSC, members of a limited liability partnership (LLP), directors of overseas companies with a UK establishment, and anyone registering as an Authorised Corporate Service Provider.
It does not, for now, cover ordinary sole traders. If you freelance in your own name, have no limited company, and are not a director or PSC anywhere, there is nothing on the Companies House register to verify, so this requirement does not touch you. That changes the moment you incorporate. The day you set up a Ltd, you become a director who must verify before the company can exist.
Person verifying documents alone on a laptop in a calm home office
How to verify: the two routes
There are two ways to prove your identity, and one of them is free.
The free route is GOV.UK One Login. You create or reuse a One Login account, then confirm your identity using the app with a photo ID such as a passport, by answering security questions online, or in person at a participating Post Office. Once you pass, you get a Companies House personal code. This code is a unique identifier that is personal to you, not your company, and you reuse it for every role you hold.
The paid route is an Authorised Corporate Service Provider (ACSP): an agent, such as an accountant, solicitor, or company formation agent, that is supervised for anti-money-laundering and registered with Companies House. They can verify you on your behalf and may charge a fee. If your accountant already handles your filings, this can be the easier path. Either way, you only do the identity check once, and the same personal code links to each directorship or PSC role you hold.
Deadlines that actually apply to you
The timing depends on your role, and the windows are short.
New director or new company: verify before the appointment is filed or the company is incorporated. No personal code, no incorporation.
Existing director: provide your personal code with your company's next confirmation statement filed on or after 18 November 2025.
PSC who is also a director: your 14-day window starts the day after your company's confirmation statement date.
PSC who is not a director: verify within the first 14 days of your birth month.
New PSC: verify within 14 days of being added to the register, or of the date on the direction letter you receive.
Because a confirmation statement is annual, most existing officeholders will hit their trigger inside the transition year, well before the mid-November 2026 backstop. Do not wait for the letter.
Focused person at a desk taking notes before completing an online form
What happens if you miss it
Failing to verify on time is a criminal offence. You can face a financial penalty, and Companies House may place a note against your name on the public register, which is not a look you want next to your company. In practice you can also be blocked from filing and from acting as a director, which freezes normal company activity until you sort it out. Banks, lenders, and larger clients increasingly check the register before they deal with a company, so a flagged director record can cost you work as well as a fine. There is a 14-day extension available to PSCs, but only if you request it before your window closes, not after. The safe move is to verify early and treat your personal code like any other credential: save it, and give it to whoever files on your behalf.
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Frequently asked questions
I'm a freelancer with no limited company. Do I need to verify?
No. Identity verification applies to people on the Companies House register: directors, PSCs, LLP members, and similar roles. A sole trader working in their own name is not on that register, so there is nothing to verify. If you later incorporate, you will need to verify before the company can be set up.
How long does verifying with GOV.UK One Login take?
For most people it is quick, often the same day, if you use the app with a valid passport or other photo ID. Verifying by answering security questions online or at a Post Office can take a little longer. Do it early rather than on the day your confirmation statement is due, so a snag does not push you past a deadline.
What is a Companies House personal code?
It is a unique identifier tied to you, not your company, that proves you have verified your identity. You get it once and reuse it for every director or PSC role you hold. You will need to provide it when you file a confirmation statement and when you are appointed to a new role.
I already have an accountant. Can they handle it?
They can verify you if they are registered as an Authorised Corporate Service Provider, and they may charge for it. Many accountants and formation agents are ACSPs. The free alternative is to verify yourself through GOV.UK One Login and simply hand them your personal code for their filings.
The takeaway
If you have a UK Ltd, this is a real deadline, not a nice-to-have. Verify yourself now through GOV.UK One Login, save your personal code somewhere safe, and make sure every director and PSC in your company does the same before your next confirmation statement. Sole traders can ignore it right up until the day they decide to incorporate. It takes minutes to do. Missing it is a criminal offence, so it is not worth the gamble.
