Keeping a UK company compliant

The concepts this turns on

Follow the chain in order, or open any term for the full definition and its legal basis.

1. 01
   Companies House Identity VerificationObligation

   The UK requirement, introduced under the Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act 2023, for directors, PSCs, and those filing on behalf of companies to have their identity verified. Verification can be completed directly or through an Authorised Corporate Service Provider.

2. 02
   Authorised Corporate Service ProviderACSPStatus

   A firm registered with Companies House and supervised for anti-money-laundering purposes that is authorised to file information and verify identities on behalf of UK companies. The role was formalised under the Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act 2023.

3. 03
   Person with Significant ControlPSCStatus

   An individual who ultimately owns or controls a UK company, typically by holding more than 25% of the shares or voting rights, or the right to appoint or remove directors. UK companies must identify their PSCs and record them at Companies House.

4. 04
   Confirmation StatementObligation

   The annual filing every UK company must make to Companies House to confirm that its registered details, including directors, PSCs, registered office, and share capital, are up to date.

5. 05
   Annual AccountsObligation

   The statutory financial statements a company prepares for each accounting period and files with the companies registry, showing its financial position for the year. In the UK they go to Companies House, fall due nine months after the financial year end, and a dormant company still files them in a simpler form.

6. 06
   Company Tax ReturnCT600Obligation

   The corporation tax return a company files with the tax authority, reporting its taxable profit and the tax due. In the UK it is the CT600, filed with HMRC within twelve months of the accounting period end, while the tax itself falls due nine months and one day after that end.

7. 07
   Dormant CompanyStatus

   A company that has had no significant accounting transactions in a period and is treated as dormant for filing purposes. Dormancy is a status that has to be maintained rather than an absence of obligation: the company still files a confirmation statement and dormant accounts, and must tell the tax authority it is dormant so that no return is expected.

8. 08
   Beneficial Ownership RegisterObligation

   The official register on which a company records the individuals who ultimately own or control it. Examples are the UK PSC register, Ireland’s Register of Beneficial Ownership, and the UAE’s UBO register.

9. 09
   Registered OfficeObligation

   The official statutory address of a company, used for legal correspondence from the registrar, tax authority, and courts. It must be a genuine address in the jurisdiction of incorporation where documents can be delivered and acknowledged.