I suggest you shouldn’t ignore this note, particularly if you own, or are responsible for the management of, a UK company.

Some of you will be prepared, some won’t. We thought—better safe than sorry.

The Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act 2023 (ECCTA) is intended to combat economic crime and increase corporate transparency by reforming Companies House and introducing new corporate criminal liability offenses. Key provisions include mandatory identity verification for company directors, new rules for limited partnerships, a "failure to prevent fraud" offense, and enhanced powers for law enforcement to seize crypto assets. Many of these changes are being implemented in phases to allow businesses and regulatory bodies to adapt. We have focused on the following:

• Company books, registers, and records.
• Further new Companies House reforms under the ECCTA, including new verification arrangements for all companies.
• Information and possible problems around filing documents at Companies House.
• Increase in certain Companies House fees.

1. Company Books, Registers and Records

Goodbye to statutory registers (well, most of them).

From 18 November 2025, companies no longer need to maintain:

• the register of directors
• the register of directors’ usual residential addresses
• the register of secretaries
• the register of Persons with Significant Control (PSC)

Instead, all of this information must be submitted to Companies House, where it will be held on the central public register. This shift is part of a wider move towards greater transparency and accountability but also means businesses will need to make sure their filings are accurate, consistent, and compliant.

The register of members must still be kept internally at the company’s registered office or SAIL address under the Companies Act 2006.

2. Further Companies House Reforms: Identity Verification

More reforms under the ECCTA are gradually being rolled out, including identity verification for directors and persons with significant control.

“Why you need to verify your identity”

Identity verification is a new legal requirement intended to help deter people intending to use companies for illegal purposes. By law, you will need to verify your identity to confirm you are who you claim to be.

Companies House believes this will:

• reduce the risk of fraud
• improve transparency, trust, and accuracy of information on the Companies House register

Who needs to verify

• a director
• the equivalent of a director (members, general partners, managing officers)
• a person with significant control (PSC)
• an Authorised Corporate Service Provider (ACSP)
• someone who files for a company (e.g., company secretary)

In most cases, you’ll only need to verify your identity once.

3. Filing Difficulties During the Transition to GOV.UK One Login

Companies House has been re-engineering its back-end systems for months to handle these new requirements. As explained below, I wrote on LinkedIn about the login chaos I encountered last week. It seems to be a symptom of this transitional phase.

Feedback showed that many company secretaries and accountants are waiting until the new One Login and “company claiming” process becomes more reliable before attempting filings.

“Recently I wasted a few hours trying to file some dormant company accounts...”

Companies House is migrating everyone from the old WebFiling system to a new Companies House account using “GOV.UK One Login”. The migration does not always work properly. Users may be sent to a “Create a GOV.UK One Login” page, confirm their email, then be dumped at a dead end.

A likely cause is that the company record has not yet been linked (“claimed”) under the new login.

Each company record includes:

• company name and registered office
• directors, secretaries, PSCs
• filing history
• authentication code

Under the old WebFiling system, entering the company number and authentication code was sufficient. Under the new One Login system:

• You must first log in or create your personal GOV.UK One Login.
• You then add each company by entering its company number and authentication code.

This “links” the company to your account. Until that is done, the system does not know what company you are authorised to file for, leading to dead ends and login loops.

There are fixes, but after significant effort and long helpline wait times, it appears chaos may be on the way as more documents become mandatory filings.

Companies House has traditionally been one of the most effective government agencies. But as the saying goes: “If it ain’t broke—fix it.”

4. Companies House Fee Increases

The confirmation statement fee increased from £13 to £34 last year.

The company formation fee increased from £10 to £50.

Next year:

• Confirmation Statement fee increases to £50 (nearly a 50% increase)
• New Company Formation fee rises to £100 (a 100% increase)

More than 98% of the 5.4 million companies registered in the UK are SMEs.

If you need to talk through how these changes affect your company, please contact us at contact@impactlawyers.co.uk.