A Companies House personal code is an 11 character reference that Companies House issues to an individual once their identity has been verified. It belongs to the person, not to any company, and it is the key that links that person’s verified identity to each role they hold: it is quoted when a director is appointed, when a company is incorporated, in the confirmation statement for existing directors and in the separate service for people with significant control.
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What exactly is the personal code in law?
The code is what the legislation calls a “unique identifier”. Section 1082 of the Companies Act 2006 allows regulations to provide for unique identifiers for, among others, any individual whose identity is verified. Regulation 23 of the Registrar (Identity Verification and Authorised Corporate Service Providers) Regulations 2025 (S.I. 2025/50) then requires the registrar to allocate a unique identifier to every individual whose identity is verified, in whatever combination of letters and numbers the registrar decides. Companies House guidance describes the result as an 11 character code.
The code proves only one thing: that this individual has passed an identity check that meets the Companies House standard, either directly with Companies House through GOV.UK One Login or through an authorised corporate service provider (ACSP). The background to the whole regime is in Companies House identity verification, and the choice of route is covered in GOV.UK One Login or an ACSP.
Who needs a personal code?
Companies House says you will use your code if you are, or are about to become:
- a director, or the equivalent such as an LLP member;
- a person with significant control (PSC);
- an individual applying to register as an ACSP, also called a Companies House authorised agent.
Companies House also says that in future you may need the code to file on behalf of a company. A company secretary who is neither a director nor a PSC does not currently need one. You get one code however many roles you hold, and Companies House says you must not verify again unless it tells you to.
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Where do you find your code?
It depends on how you verified.
| Route | Where the code appears |
|---|---|
| GOV.UK One Login online or in the app | In the Manage account section of your Companies House account, signed in with the email address you used to verify. If you verified after 8 July 2026 it was also emailed to you. |
| GOV.UK One Login at a Post Office | GOV.UK emails the result, usually within one day of the visit. If successful you see the code when you sign back in, and you receive an email containing it. |
| An ACSP | Companies House emails the code to the email address the ACSP gave for you, normally within a few hours. |
If an ACSP verified you, Companies House recommends saving the code to a Companies House account. You sign in with the email address the code was sent to, enter the code and confirm your date of birth. That way you can find the code again and keep your email address up to date.
How is the code used when a director is appointed or a company is formed?
Section 167G(3)(c) requires the notice of a new director to contain a statement that the individual’s identity is verified. In practice Companies House asks for the personal code in the appointment filing, and on an incorporation it asks for the code of each director in the registration application. Whoever prepares the filing therefore needs the new director’s code before submitting it. If the person has not yet verified, the appointment cannot be filed. The other appointment steps are in how to appoint a company director.
When a code is used Companies House may ask for the person’s date of birth to check that the details match its records.
How is it used for existing directors and PSCs?
Directors in post before 18 November 2025 give their code in the company’s next confirmation statement. The person filing enters a code for each director and ticks a statement confirming each director has verified. A director of several companies gives the same code in each company’s statement. See the confirmation statement explained. To file online you also need the company’s authentication code, which is a different thing explained in Companies House authentication codes.
PSCs give their code through the separate Provide identity verification details for a PSC service, within their own 14 day window. The service needs the company number and the code, and asks the user to tick a statement confirming the PSC’s identity is verified. A director who is also a PSC of the same company gives the code twice, once for each role. The timing rules are in when PSCs must verify.
What appears on the public register?
Regulation 2 of S.I. 2025/1116 requires the registrar to place a note on the register stating that an individual’s identity is verified. The code itself is not published. Where an ACSP did the verification and the person links their code, Companies House says the public record shows a verification statement giving the person’s name, the date of verification, the name of the ACSP and the names of the ACSP’s anti money laundering supervisory bodies.
Who can you share the code with, and what if it leaks?
Companies House compares the code to an HMRC Unique Taxpayer Reference: keep it secure, but you can share it with people you trust to file for you, such as your accountant. Practices that file appointments and confirmation statements for clients will therefore collect codes routinely and should store them as carefully as other client identifiers.
If you think your code has been shared or compromised, contact Companies House. It can issue a new code by email and cancel the old one. Regulation 25 of S.I. 2025/50 allows a new identifier to be allocated by notice, and regulation 24 provides that the old one then stops being allocated to you. A code is also discontinued if you stop being verified, for example after failing to respond to a reverification notice under regulations 13 and 14.
Does a client’s personal code satisfy an accountant’s money laundering checks?
No. ICAEW has confirmed that the Money Laundering Regulations do not permit firms to rely on Companies House verification, including personal codes, for anti money laundering purposes. Firms must still carry out their own risk based customer due diligence, as explained in verifying beneficial owners of corporate clients.
Worked example and common problems
Illustration only. Kate is a director of three companies and a PSC of one. She verifies once through GOV.UK One Login and receives one code. Her accountant enters that same code in each company’s next confirmation statement as it falls due, and Kate uses it again in the PSC service during her PSC window. She never verifies a second time.
- Details do not match. Companies House says a code may fail to link because it was mistyped, because your date of birth is wrong on its records, or because an ACSP entered incorrect details. A wrong date of birth must be corrected through WebFiling first; an ACSP error must be fixed by the ACSP.
- Code never arrived. After ACSP verification, check spam and ask the ACSP which email address it gave. Companies House can resend the code.
- Shared email addresses. An email address can be used only once to verify an identity, so two directors cannot use a joint mailbox.
- Verifying again to get a fresh code. Companies House says not to verify again unless it asks you to. If the code is lost, find it in your account or ask the ACSP or Companies House to resend it.
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Related Accountapedia entries
- Authorised corporate service providers
- Identity checks for people filing at Companies House
- When existing directors must verify their identity
- Can someone living abroad be a director of a UK company
- What happens if a director does not verify their identity
- How company benefits reduce your tax code
- Why savings interest appears in your tax code
- Dynamic coding: why HMRC changes your code mid year
- How to correct a wrong tax code
Related cover: Directors and officers insurance. Ask for a quote or call 01795 841 310.
Sources
- GOV.UK: Companies house personal codes for identity verification
- legislation.gov.uk: Act 2006 c. 46, section 1082
- legislation.gov.uk: SI 2025/50
- GOV.UK: Verifying your identity for companies house
- GOV.UK: How to prove your identity for companies house at the post office
- GOV.UK: Using an authorised corporate service provider acsp to verify your ide
- legislation.gov.uk: Act 2006 c. 46, section 167G
- GOV.UK: Confirmation statement guidance
- GOV.UK: Provide psc verification
- GOV.UK: When you need to verify your identity for companies house
Reviewed by Christine Anderson, Broker, Solar Protect. Last reviewed 19 October 2026. Part of Accountapedia, the Solar Protect guide to UK tax and accounting. This page is general information, not personalised advice.