How to check a company in the UK (Companies House)

Where can I find official data on a UK company?

The main source is Companies House — the official registrar of companies for England & Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. Its online register (the “Find and update company information” service on GOV.UK) shows the company number, status, registered office, directors, people with significant control and the full filing history, including accounts and confirmation statements.

VAT is separate: UK VAT numbers are issued by HMRC, not Companies House. Since Brexit, UK VAT numbers are no longer in the EU's VIES system — instead, HMRC offers its own “Check a UK VAT number” service.

Alongside the official sources, private services aggregate Companies House data. They can be convenient, but they are not the register — in case of discrepancies, the Companies House record prevails. Basic company data and filed accounts are public — but much of it is self-reported and in English, so you have to read and judge it yourself.

What is the UK company number and how do I read it?

The company registration number (CRN) is an 8-character identifier assigned by Companies House at incorporation. It is usually 8 digits, but companies registered in Scotland start with “SC”, in Northern Ireland with “NI”, and limited liability partnerships with “OC” (or SO/NC), followed by 6 digits.

The CRN is not the VAT number. A UK VAT number is separate, issued by HMRC, and typically has 9 digits (shown as “GB” followed by 9 digits). Not every company is VAT-registered — a business below the VAT registration threshold may have a CRN but no VAT number.

Use the CRN to look the company up on Companies House, and the VAT number to check it with HMRC's “Check a UK VAT number” service. The two identifiers answer different questions: legal existence versus tax registration.

How do I check a UK company step by step?

1. Ask the counterparty for their company number (CRN) — you will also find it on invoices, in contracts and usually in the website footer.

2. Look the company up on Companies House and compare the name, registered office, incorporation date and status with what the counterparty told you. Check the directors and the PSC (people with significant control).

3. Review the latest accounts and the confirmation statement in the filing history. Note whether accounts are overdue — Companies House flags this.

4. If the company should be VAT-registered, verify its UK VAT number with HMRC's “Check a UK VAT number” service — remember UK numbers are no longer in VIES.

5. For larger deals, read the PSC register to understand who ultimately controls the company, and check the officers' history (resignations, other appointments).

6. Verify the status: “Active” is an operating company; “Dormant”, “In liquidation”, “In administration”, “In receivership” or “Dissolved” are signals that call for caution.

What legal forms do UK companies have?

The most common form is the private limited company (Ltd) — limited by shares, with liability limited to the amount unpaid on the shares. A PLC (public limited company) can offer shares to the public and, according to GOV.UK, must have at least £50,000 of nominal share capital, a quarter of it paid up. An LLP (limited liability partnership) combines partnership flexibility with limited liability.

Other forms include a company limited by guarantee (common for non-profits, no share capital) and a CIC (community interest company, for social enterprises). A sole trader and an ordinary partnership are not registered at Companies House — you will not find them there, which does not mean they do not exist.

The legal form tells you who is liable and what must be filed: every Ltd and PLC files accounts and a confirmation statement with Companies House; a sole trader does not.

How do I check a UK VAT number (no VIES after Brexit)?

This is where the UK differs from EU counterparties and where mistakes are common. Because the UK has left the EU, UK VAT numbers are no longer part of the EU's VIES system (with a specific exception for Northern Ireland, which keeps an “XI” VAT prefix for goods under the Northern Ireland Protocol). Trying to validate a mainland UK VAT number in VIES will simply fail — that is expected, not a red flag.

Instead, HMRC provides its own service, “Check a UK VAT number”, which confirms whether a VAT number is valid and shows the registered business name and address. It can also produce a dated proof of the check for your records.

Practical rule: for a UK counterparty use HMRC (not VIES); for an EU counterparty use VIES; and always keep a dated confirmation of the check in case of a tax audit.

How do I check who controls the company (PSC register)?

The UK equivalent of a beneficial owners register is the PSC register — People with Significant Control. According to GOV.UK, a PSC is generally someone who holds more than 25% of shares or voting rights, has the right to appoint or remove a majority of the board, or otherwise exercises significant influence or control. This information is public on Companies House.

Reading the PSC register is valuable before larger deals: it shows who ultimately stands behind the counterparty and helps spot shell-like structures. Note an important nuance: historically, Companies House has largely not verified the data filed with it — much of it is self-reported. This is changing under the Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act 2023 (ECCTA), which introduces identity verification for directors and PSCs, being rolled out in stages. Until verification is fully in force, treat the register as a strong but not infallible source.

Do UK companies publish accounts, and what should I look at?

Yes — every Ltd and PLC must file annual accounts and a confirmation statement with Companies House, and both are public (in English). Smaller companies may file abridged or “micro-entity” accounts, so the smallest companies disclose limited detail — a thin set of figures at a micro company is normal, not concealment.

What to look at: net assets / shareholders' funds (are they positive and not declining), the trend across two or three years, and whether accounts are overdue (Companies House shows a due date and flags late filing). A “Dormant” status means the company has had no significant transactions — fine in itself, but odd for a party proposing an active deal.

Also useful: the confirmation statement date (confirms the company is keeping its record up to date) and the officers' history. Persistent late filing or a long gap since the last accounts is a warning sign worth clarifying before you extend credit.

What is ECCTA and why does it matter for verification?

The Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act 2023 (ECCTA) is a major reform of Companies House. Historically, Companies House acted largely as a passive recipient of filings and did not verify most of the data. ECCTA changes that: it gives Companies House stronger powers to query and reject information and introduces mandatory identity verification for directors and PSCs, being introduced in stages.

Why it matters for you: as verification takes effect, the reliability of the register improves — but during the transition, older records may still contain unverified data. Practically, this reinforces a habit good verifiers already have: cross-check the register against other signals (a real website and address, a working phone number, consistent accounts, a VAT check with HMRC) rather than relying on a single source. We track this reform in a dedicated article; here, the takeaway is to treat pre-verification data as strong but not conclusive. This is general information, not legal advice — always check the current rules on GOV.UK.

What to watch out for? Warning signs

Typical warning signs when verifying a UK counterparty: a very young company seeking a large contract or long payment terms; a status other than “Active” (dormant, in liquidation, in administration, dissolved); overdue accounts or a long gap since the last filing; frequent changes of name, directors or registered office; a registered office at a mass-mailbox address shared by hundreds of companies; and discrepancies between what the company says about itself and the Companies House record.

Because much data has historically been self-reported (see ECCTA), do not rely on the register alone — cross-check with a real website, a working phone number and a VAT check at HMRC. No single signal is decisive; several at once are a good reason to ask for explanations, secure the payment or choose another supplier.

Beware of “real-company” impersonation and cloned firms: fraudsters copy a genuine company's name and number and change only the bank details. Confirm payment details through an official channel (the company's website, a call-back to a published number), not from the invoice you received — especially with a sudden change of bank account just before a payment.

When and how often should you check a UK counterparty?

The minimum is a check before the first contract and before any transaction involving prepayment or deferred payment terms. A company's status on Companies House can change within weeks: entering liquidation or administration, or being struck off and dissolved, rarely announces itself far in advance.

Good practices: repeat the check when renewing a contract and when raising a trade-credit limit; monitor key suppliers and customers periodically, for example quarterly; and save dated confirmations of your checks (the HMRC VAT result, a snapshot of the register) — they document your diligence should the transaction later prove problematic. Because the data is self-reported and spread across Companies House and HMRC, a repeatable routine — or a report that pulls it together for you — matters more than any single manual check.

How long does checking a UK company take and what does it cost?

Doing it yourself is not one click. You look the company up on Companies House in English, read the latest accounts and confirmation statement, and verify the VAT number separately with HMRC (not VIES) — and much of that data is self-reported, so you have to judge how reliable and current it is. The smallest companies file abridged or micro-entity accounts that omit turnover, which you still have to interpret.

Commercial credit reports (risk scoring, arrears data, group structures) add a further cost and are worth considering for larger trade-credit limits. If you check counterparties regularly or do not read English fluently, a UKCompany report shortens the whole process to a single search: Companies House data, statuses and financials in your language, VAT verified against HMRC. Searching is free, and you only buy full reports when you actually need them.

The key UK terms at a glance

Company number (CRN) — the 8-character company identifier from Companies House. Ltd / PLC / LLP — the main legal forms (private limited, public limited, limited liability partnership). PSC — People with Significant Control, the UK beneficial-owner register (over 25%). Confirmation statement — the annual filing confirming registered details are current. Accounts — the annual financial statements; the smallest firms may file micro-entity accounts. Dormant — no significant transactions; dissolved — the company no longer exists; in administration / in liquidation — insolvency processes. HMRC — the tax authority; a UK VAT number is checked there, not in VIES. ECCTA — the 2023 reform bringing identity verification to Companies House.

These dozen or so terms are enough to navigate Companies House and a counterparty's documents with confidence.

How do I check a UK company in my own language?

Companies House is in English, but the details are easy to misread — “dormant” is not “dissolved”, an LLP is not a Ltd, and a UK VAT number must be checked at HMRC, not VIES. For a non-native reader, small distinctions like these are exactly where mistakes happen.

UKCompany shows UK company data in 9 languages: statuses, legal forms and financial fields are translated and explained, VAT is verified against HMRC, and the report links to the sources so you can always check the original. Enter the company number or name in the search and see the full report — the fastest way from “I have an offer from the UK” to “I know who I am dealing with”.

Frequently asked questions

How many characters does a UK company number have?

Eight. Usually 8 digits, but Scottish companies start with “SC”, Northern Irish with “NI” and LLPs with “OC” (or SO/NC) followed by 6 digits.

Is checking a company on Companies House free?

The register, status, PSC and filed accounts are public on Companies House, and the UK VAT number is verified separately at HMRC (not VIES). But the data is self-reported (a known weakness ECCTA is meant to address), spread across the register and HMRC, and left for you to read and judge. Our report gathers these signals and flags the risks in one place.

Why can't I find a UK VAT number in VIES?

Because the UK left the EU, mainland UK VAT numbers are no longer in VIES. Verify them with HMRC's “Check a UK VAT number”. Northern Ireland keeps an “XI” prefix for goods.

What is the PSC register?

The register of People with Significant Control — the UK's beneficial-owner register. A PSC generally holds over 25% of shares or votes, or otherwise exercises significant control. It is public on Companies House.

What does a “Dormant” status mean?

That the company has had no significant accounting transactions in the period. It is legitimate in itself, but unusual for a party proposing an active deal — worth clarifying.

What is a confirmation statement?

An annual filing confirming that the company's registered details (address, directors, PSCs, share capital) are up to date. A missing or overdue confirmation statement is a warning sign.

Are UK company accounts available for free?

The filed accounts of Ltd and PLC companies are public on Companies House, but they are in English, and the smallest companies may file abridged or micro-entity accounts that omit turnover and much of the detail. You still have to read the figures and judge whether they are current. Our report reads them for you and highlights what is missing.

Does Companies House verify the data it holds?

Historically, largely no — much data was self-reported. This is changing under ECCTA (2023), which introduces identity verification for directors and PSCs, rolled out in stages. Until then, cross-check the register with other signals.

How do I check a UK company in my own language?

Enter the company number or name in the UKCompany search — the report shows Companies House data, statuses and financials in your language, verifies VAT against HMRC, and links to the official sources.

Related guides

• Companies House reform (ECCTA): identity verification and what it means for checking a UK company
• How to check a UK VAT number after Brexit (VIES vs HMRC)
• What is a Ltd company (private limited company)?
• Ltd company charges — how to check secured debt
• Invoice from a Ltd company — what to watch out for
• What is Companies House? The UK company register explained