Companies House identity verification requirements are progressing, but the latest figures suggest that a considerable number of people with significant control (PSCs) have yet to complete the process.
As of 23 September 2026, 68% of company directors had linked their verified identity to their directorships, compared with just 56% of PSCs. More concerningly, 18% of directors and 26% of PSCs were already overdue.
For many, the issue may not be a failure to verify their identity, but a misunderstanding of what happens next.
Once an individual has successfully verified their identity with Companies House, they receive an 11-character personal code.
However, having a personal code does not automatically mean all compliance requirements have been met.
Directors must link their code to each directorship they hold, while individuals who are also PSCs must submit the same code separately for that role.
This distinction is particularly important for owner-managed businesses, where directors are frequently also the company's PSCs.
Since 18 November 2025, directors have been required to provide their Companies House personal code when filing their company's first confirmation statement following the introduction of the new rules.
Where an individual holds multiple directorships, the code must be provided for each company.
Newly appointed directors must supply their personal code as part of the appointment process.
Although identity verification itself may have been completed, Companies House will continue to treat a directorship as unverified until the personal code has been correctly linked.
The requirements for people with significant control operate slightly differently, and this appears to be contributing to the lower compliance rate.
For individuals who are both a director and PSC of the same company, the personal code must be submitted separately for the PSC role within 14 days of the company's confirmation statement date.
Where an individual is a PSC but not a director of that company, the submission window is the first 14 days of their birth month.
For example, someone born on 28 October would need to submit their code between 1 and 14 October 2026.
Anyone becoming a PSC must provide their personal code within 14 days of being added to the Companies House register.
Unlike directors' verification requirements, outstanding PSC verification does not currently prevent a company from filing its confirmation statement. However, the individual remains responsible for meeting their own deadline.
The introduction of mandatory identity verification is an important change to company compliance, but the separate requirements for directors and PSCs have created some confusion.
For owner-managed businesses in particular, it would be easy to assume that verifying your identity as a director automatically satisfies the requirements for your PSC role.
Unfortunately, that is not the case.
With more than a quarter of PSCs already overdue, we would encourage company directors and shareholders to check that their personal codes have been submitted correctly for every relevant role and company.
The process itself is relatively straightforward, but missing a deadline can leave an individual non-compliant even where their identity has already been verified.
If you are unsure whether your Companies House identity verification requirements have been completed, please contact your usual Forrester Boyd adviser.
Further information on the identity verification requirements is available here.
All data and figures referred to in our news section are correct at the date of publishing and should not be relied upon as still current.
