Following the Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act (ECCTA), Companies House were given a host of new powers to tighten compliance and crack down on fraudulent filings.
In 2024, Companies House contested the filings of 75,600 companies for reasons including inappropriate addresses, false documents, and the wrongful inclusion of personal data.
Throughout 2025, Companies House is continuing to expand the level of scrutiny it places on business filings.
With even more changes on the horizon for 2026, it is time to know exactly what has changed, is changing, and will change in the not-too-distant future.
What has changed with Companies House?
The first wave of changes saw a redefinition of how businesses can file with Companies House.
For too long, there were very few restrictions on the business addresses that were accepted by Companies House.
This resulted in people using PO boxes, their own homes, or making up an address when filing.
This was paired with inappropriate email addresses to make some companies uncontactable and thus able to avoid interaction with Companies House.
Part of the 2024 changes were to clamp down on ineligible addresses.
PO boxes are no longer valid but, for businesses who would struggle to provide a valid address, there is still the option to use a third party provided they are registered for this purpose.
All filings also now carry the need to declare the legality of the business operations.
Companies House now requires a fee to file, but they have also added a penalty charge for those who misfile or skip filings, so filing is still a cheaper option.
The Strategic Intelligence Assessment was also released for the first time, offering a detailed analysis of economic crime threats and how it plans to tackle them.
This has shaped a lot of the changes coming into 2025, and this year’s Strategic Intelligence Assessment will be more important as it will shape the 2025-2030 strategy.
How is Companies House changing this year?
While last year’s changes probably caught your eye, given that they were enforced with the new penalties, some of the changes this year may have passed unnoticed.
One of the earlier changes was the ability to suppress a residential address.
This has proven quite valuable for those who made filings using residential addresses before the new rules and now want that struck from the record.
It is worth checking the information you have on Companies House and verifying that it is all still relevant and compliant with the new rules.
The main headline change for this year and next concerns identity verification.
We are currently in a period of time where anyone who needs to file with Companies House can voluntarily verify their identity.
From the autumn, any filings for new businesses will only be accepted if those filing have their identity verified.
This is the start of a wider trend, and all filings will follow suit over the next year.
Companies will have 12 months from their most recent filing to verify the identity of the person filing before they can continue filing.
This is an essential process as companies will be struck off if the filings are not kept up to date.
Third-party firms can still assist with this process, but they are also subject to greater scrutiny.
Only firms that are registered Authorised Corporate Service Providers (ACSPs) will be able to make filings on behalf of clients.
This ensures that they are compliant with the latest anti-money laundering guidelines, and they will have specialist knowledge to determine the validity of Companies House filings before a business submits them.
From 2026, Limited Partnerships will need an ACSP to conduct filings on their behalf and will need additional information.
For everyone else, using an ACSP is a personal decision, and filings and identity verification can be conducted directly with Companies House.
What changes are coming to Companies House in the future?
While we cannot fully know for certain what changes are waiting in the wings, we can observe the general trends and make reasonable deductions.
The early changes have been largely successful, with a notable increase in compliance.
Companies House were given the power to more quickly strike off illegitimate filings this year, so a further expansion of the powers is not an unreasonable expectation for the future.
A big focus seems to be on the verification of identity and the activities of a business.
Greater scrutiny is likely to be placed on the filings themselves as standards increase.
This might lead to more administrative work and may make the use of an ACSP more beneficial.
It is important to be aware that ACSPs can charge for their services even if the service they are providing would not incur a direct expense from Companies House.
The current wave of Companies House changes has been shaped by the 2020-2025 strategy.
The new 2025-2030 strategy will be released this year, which will highlight how things will change in the coming years.
Each year, the Strategic Intelligence Assessment will offer insight into the effectiveness of Companies House and will also be a good indicator of upcoming changes.
To better stay compliant with current and future changes to Companies House, now is the time to improve your processes, e.g. how you keep your records.
Making filings easier should keep any additional requirements from adding undue stress to whoever is responsible for making them.
One thing is clear, and that is that Companies House will continue to strive for greater compliance and fewer fraudulent filings.
As a business, the onus is on you to make sure your filings are timely and accurate.
Seeking professional advice can help you to achieve this, and our team are on hand to provide up-to-date guidance on staying compliant with Companies House.
