The free route: GOV.UK One Login
GOV.UK says the Companies House identity verification service uses GOV.UK One Login and is free of charge. There is no government fee to verify.
You can verify online with photo ID, such as a biometric passport, a UK photo driving licence or a UK biometric residence permit or card. If you cannot finish online, you can enter your photo ID details in the service first and then complete the check at a Post Office. GOV.UK also lists a route using bank or building society details, with your National Insurance number and some security questions.
When you have verified, you get a Companies House personal code. It is 11 characters long and personal to you, not to your company. If you lose it, you can see it again under 'Manage account' in your Companies House account.
The paid route: an Authorised Corporate Service Provider
An ACSP is an agent registered with Companies House, such as an accountant, solicitor or formation agent. GOV.UK says you can ask an ACSP to verify your identity for you, and that they may charge a fee.
The providers we checked charge per person. BusinAssist lists £20.00 including VAT for its standard service and £40.00 including VAT for fast track. Icon Offices lists £24.99 including VAT for its 7 day service and £49.99 including VAT for 1 working day. Your Company Formations lists £24.99 plus VAT, which is £29.99 including VAT. It also says identity checks for up to four officers are included with its company formation packages.
Agents' own costs vary too. Inform Direct, which sells software to agents, says ACSPs on its platform can trigger biometric identity checks for £4 plus VAT per check, or £5 plus VAT with an address check. That is a price for agents using its software, not a service sold to directors.
If an ACSP verified you and you did not receive your personal code, GOV.UK says to contact that ACSP and check which email address they gave. If it was wrong, they need to contact Companies House.
Worked example: two directors who are also PSCs
Take a small company with two directors who are also its people with significant control. Each person verifies once. One verification covers every role they hold.
- Both use GOV.UK One Login: £0.
- Both use BusinAssist standard: 2 × £20.00 = £40.00 including VAT.
- Both use Icon Offices standard: 2 × £24.99 = £49.98 including VAT.
- Both use Your Company Formations: 2 × £24.99 + VAT = £49.98 + VAT (£59.98 including VAT).
- Whichever route you choose, each role still needs the personal code linking to it (see below).
Verifying is only half the job: linking your code
A personal code on its own does not meet the requirement. It has to be given to Companies House for each role you hold, at the right time.
Existing directors give their code with the company's next confirmation statement. GOV.UK says a company will be unable to file its confirmation statement unless all its directors are verified. A new director gives their code when they are appointed. A new company gives each director's code when it is registered.
A person with significant control (PSC) gives their code through a separate Companies House service, within a 14 day window. For a PSC who is not a director, that is the first 14 days of their birth month. For a PSC who is also a director, it starts the day after the company's confirmation statement date. A PSC added after 18 November 2025 gives it when added, or within 14 days.
SimpleFilings can file these linking forms once you have your code. Providing a PSC's verification details costs £4.99, with no Companies House fee. A confirmation statement costs £4.99 plus the £50 Companies House fee if the current 12 month payment period is unpaid, so £54.99 in total. Appointing a director costs £4.99, with no Companies House fee.
What SimpleFilings does and does not do
SimpleFilings does not carry out identity checks or issue personal codes. You verify yourself for free through GOV.UK One Login, or through an ACSP of your choice, and give us your personal code.
We file the Companies House forms that use your code: a PSC's verification details, a confirmation statement with each director's code, or a new director appointment. You pay £4.99 per filing, and any applicable government fee is included in the total price. There is no subscription.
Which route suits you
- GOV.UK One Login suits you if you have accepted photo ID or UK bank details and are comfortable doing it online. It is free.
- An ACSP suits you if you cannot use GOV.UK One Login, want someone to guide you through it, or need it done quickly and are happy to pay.
- If you are forming a company with a formation agent, check whether identity checks are already included in the package.
When another option may suit you better
- You cannot verify through GOV.UK One Login. An ACSP can check your identity documents for you. SimpleFilings does not carry out identity checks.
- You want your identity check done quickly by someone else. BusinAssist lists a fast track service of a few hours, and Icon Offices lists 1 working day, both at a higher price than their standard service.
- You are forming a new company. Your Company Formations says identity checks for up to four officers are included with its formation packages.
- You want one provider to verify you and also file for the company. An ACSP that offers both may suit you better than verifying yourself and then using a separate filing service.