GlossaryUK
What is Companies House?
The UK registrar of companies
Short answer
Companies House is the UK government body that incorporates and dissolves limited companies and registers company information, making it available to the public. Tax is handled by HMRC, not Companies House.
Explained
Companies House holds the UK register of companies and the Register of Overseas Entities, with separate registrars for England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. A company’s formation details, directors, shareholders, PSCs, confirmation statements and annual accounts are filed here.
Making sure the information on the register is accurate is one of the registrar’s statutory objectives. That is why identity verification is now required for directors and PSCs, and company information can be viewed online by anyone.
Good to know
- Companies House is a government body; agents and formation firms are not part of it.
- Directors’ names and some personal details appear on the public register.
- The company number comes from Companies House; the UTR comes from HMRC.
This page is general information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change; check the official source for the latest position or talk to us.
All terms
