Quick answers
- When did Companies House identity verification start?
It became a legal requirement on 18 November 2025. Existing directors give their personal code as part of the company's next confirmation statement, during a 12-month transition period. - What happened to company registers of directors and PSCs on 18 November 2025?
They ended. The company's own register of directors, register of secretaries and PSC register ended on 18 November 2025, when the Companies Act sections requiring them were omitted. - What changed at Companies House on 4 March 2024?
Every company must have a registered email address and an appropriate registered office at all times, with no PO Box. - Can I still object to a strike-off by email?
Not from 1 December 2026. From that date, Companies House will only accept objections to a company being struck off through its online service.
In more detail
Most come from the Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act 2023. One comes from HMRC.
The table below gives each date, what changed and what to do, and each year links to the guide with the full detail. Dates are checked against GOV.UK and legislation.gov.uk.
The timeline at a glance
These are the dates that matter most for a small private limited company. Check the linked guide before you act on any of them.
| Date | Change | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| 4 March 2024 | Registered email address required; registered office must be an appropriate address at all times (no PO Box); lawful purpose statement | Give a registered email, check the registered office, and make the lawful purpose statement on each confirmation statement |
| 2 May 2024 | Companies House can issue financial penalties for company law offences | Act on any warning notice within its time limit |
| 18 November 2025 | Identity verification becomes a legal requirement; company registers of directors, secretaries and PSCs ended on 18 November 2025 | Directors verify and give personal codes on the next confirmation statement |
| 31 March 2026 | HMRC's 'File your accounts and Company Tax Return' service closes | Use commercial software for Company Tax Returns; file accounts with Companies House |
| 1 December 2026 | Objections to a company being struck off are online only | Use the Companies House online service, not email |
| 1 April 2028 | Accounts must be filed using commercial software | Plan which software, or which agent, will file your accounts |
2024: registered email, appropriate address, lawful purpose and penalties
On 4 March 2024, Companies House started the first changes under the Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act. Every company must now give Companies House a registered email address, which is used to contact the company and is not published on the public register. If your company has not given one yet, it must be provided on the next confirmation statement.
From the same date, a company's registered office must be an appropriate address at all times, and a PO Box is no longer allowed. Our guide can I use my home address as the registered office explains what counts as appropriate.
Subscribers now confirm a lawful purpose when they form a company, and every confirmation statement must state that the company's intended future activities are lawful. How to file a confirmation statement shows where this appears.
On 2 May 2024, the Financial Penalty Regulations took effect. Companies House can now issue financial penalties as an alternative to prosecution. Its guidance gives amounts from £250 to £2,000, depending on how serious the offence is and whether it has happened before, and a warning notice comes first.
Source: Companies House begins phased roll out of new powers to tackle fraud
2025: identity verification and the end of some company registers
Identity verification became a legal requirement on 18 November 2025. Directors and people with significant control must verify their identity and get a Companies House personal code. Existing directors give their personal code as part of the company's next confirmation statement, during a 12-month transition period. Our guide to Companies House identity verification covers who verifies, how and when.
On 18 November 2025, the Companies Act sections requiring a company to keep its own register of directors, register of directors' residential addresses, register of secretaries and PSC register were omitted, so those company registers ended on 18 November 2025. Read statutory registers for a limited company for what a company still keeps.
Source: When you need to verify your identity for Companies House
2026: HMRC's joint filing service closes and strike-off objections go online
HMRC's 'File your accounts and Company Tax Return' online service closed on 31 March 2026. From 1 April 2026, Company Tax Returns go to HMRC through commercial software, and annual accounts still go to Companies House. Our guide to filing a Company Tax Return after the HMRC service closed sets out the options.
From 1 December 2026, Companies House will no longer accept objections to a company being struck off by email. Objections must be made through its online service. If you need to stop a strike-off, see how to object to a company strike-off.
Source: Filing company accounts and tax returns if you previously used the HMRC online service
2028: software-only accounts filing
From 1 April 2028, all companies must file their accounts with Companies House using commercial software. GOV.UK says the web and paper services will close for accounts filings, with no transition period. Web filing stays available for other filings, such as confirmation statements.
GOV.UK says this applies to all companies, so dormant companies are included. Our guide to software-only accounts filing from 2028 explains what else changes and how to prepare.
What a small company should check now
Most of these changes are already in force. A short check now saves a rejected filing later.
- Look up the company on the Companies House register and check the registered office is an appropriate address.
- Make sure Companies House holds a registered email address that someone reads.
- Check every director has verified their identity and has a personal code before the next confirmation statement.
- Confirm the company files its Company Tax Return through commercial software, if it has to file one.
- Decide how the company will file its accounts from 1 April 2028.
How SimpleFilings can help
SimpleFilings files confirmation statements, registered office and registered email changes and other Companies House forms once you approve them. Our £4.99 service fee is separate from any Companies House fee. We do not carry out identity verification: every director must verify with Companies House, or through an Authorised Corporate Service Provider, and give us their personal code.
Frequently asked questions
When did Companies House identity verification start?
It became a legal requirement on 18 November 2025. Existing directors give their personal code as part of the company's next confirmation statement, during a 12-month transition period.
What happened to company registers of directors and PSCs on 18 November 2025?
They ended. The company's own register of directors, register of secretaries and PSC register ended on 18 November 2025, when the Companies Act sections requiring them were omitted.
What changed at Companies House on 4 March 2024?
Every company must have a registered email address and an appropriate registered office at all times, with no PO Box. Subscribers confirm a lawful purpose when forming a company, and each confirmation statement includes a statement that the company's future activities are lawful.
Can I still object to a strike-off by email?
Not from 1 December 2026. From that date, Companies House will only accept objections to a company being struck off through its online service.
When does software-only accounts filing start?
From 1 April 2028. All companies must then file their accounts with Companies House using commercial software, and the web and paper routes close for accounts filings.
Official sources
12
- Companies House begins phased roll out of new powers to tackle fraud
- Filing your company's confirmation statement
- Companies House approach to financial penalties
- When you need to verify your identity for Companies House
- Companies House confirms identity verification rollout from 18 November 2025
- Companies Act 2006, section 162: register of directors (omitted)
- Companies Act 2006, section 275: register of secretaries (omitted)
- Companies Act 2006, section 790M: register of people with significant control (omitted)
- Filing company accounts and tax returns if you previously used the HMRC online service
- Objections to company strike off to be submitted online only from 1 December 2026
- Using software to file your company's information
- Companies House to bring in changes to accounts filing from April 2028
Written and checked by SimpleFilings against these official pages. Last checked . SimpleFilings is operated by ONAF Limited (company number 12589383), an independent firm, not part of Companies House, HMRC or the government.