Companies House Identity Checks Belong in the Board Calendar

Companies House Identity Checks Belong in the Board Calendar

A director’s identity verification should not become a last-minute company secretarial rescue. Build it into the appointment and filing process, assign an owner and keep the related personal code available through a controlled route.

Companies House guidance says new directors must verify their identity before they are appointed. Existing directors need to verify in time for the company’s next confirmation statement during the transition period. People with significant control have requirements linked to their role and circumstances. Check the current official guidance for the relevant individual rather than relying on a copied deadline. Companies House, when to verify your identity Companies House, PSC guidance

Turn the rule into a repeatable workflow

For each director and PSC, track the role, verification status, relevant deadline trigger, personal code handling and evidence that the filing step is complete. Restrict access to personal information. The goal is a reliable company process, not a spreadsheet of sensitive identifiers visible to everyone.

Add identity verification to appointment checklists, board onboarding, PSC change workflows and the annual confirmation statement timetable. When the company changes its people or control structure, the company secretary should know which follow-up actions are triggered.

Protect the confirmation statement process

The confirmation statement is a statutory filing and must reflect the company’s current information. Companies House guidance explains that directors must verify before the company files its confirmation statement under the new requirements. Build a pre-filing check that confirms who needs to act, what has been completed and which exception needs escalation. Companies House, filing your company’s confirmation statement

Keep an exception route, not just a reminder

A reminder is not a control. If a person has not verified, identify the accountable contact, the deadline, the business consequence and the decision required. Escalate before the filing date. For incoming directors, do not let the appointment process pass its verification checkpoint without the required status being confirmed.

Keep a record of who checked the official guidance and when. Companies House requirements can apply differently depending on whether the person is a director, a PSC or both. Avoid assumptions based on someone else’s timeline.

The test for the company secretary

Can you identify each relevant person, the action due, its owner and the evidence of completion without chasing several inboxes? If not, the process is not under control.

The return is practical: fewer avoidable filing delays, less dependence on individual memory and a clearer record of who checked what. Make the governance calendar do the work before the deadline does it for you.