Identity verification for people with significant control (PSCs)

People with significant control (PSCs) must verify their identity for Companies House and then give their personal code within a set 14-day period. When that period falls depends on whether you are also a director and when you became a PSC. If you cannot meet it, you can ask for one 14-day extension, but only before the deadline passes.

Who counts as a PSC?

A PSC is usually anyone who holds more than 25% of a company’s shares or voting rights, can appoint or remove a majority of the directors, or has significant influence or control. Companies House’s PSC guidance, last updated 30 July 2026, sets out the full conditions, including rules for trusts and firms.

The identity verification rules apply to individual PSCs. Companies House says officers of corporate PSCs, sometimes called relevant legal entities, do not need to verify yet. It has not given a date for when they will.

When must a PSC give their personal code?

Your 14-day window depends on which of these describes you. Companies House sets the rules out in when you need to verify your identity, last updated 30 July 2026.

If you are a PSC but not a director, use your birth month. Companies House’s example: if your date of birth is 22 January, your 14-day period starts on 1 January.

If you are a PSC and a director, you give your code separately for each role. As a director it goes in the confirmation statement. As a PSC you use the PSC service within 14 days starting the day after the confirmation statement date. Filing the confirmation statement early does not move those dates.

If you became a PSC after 18 November 2025, you give your code when you are first added to the register, or within 14 days.

The guidance does not say which year’s birth month applies. As the requirement started on 18 November 2025, it should fall within the 12-month transition, but check the dates the PSC service shows you when you sign in. If your birthday is in November, check now.

How to give your code: step by step

You use the Companies House service called Provide identity verification details for a PSC. Companies House says it takes up to 10 minutes.

1. Verify your identity first if you have not already. See how to verify your identity.
2. Find your 11-character personal code. Our guide to the Companies House personal code explains where it is.
3. Get the company number from the company or the public register.
4. Sign in to the PSC service and select “Start”.
5. Enter your personal code and tick the statement confirming your identity is verified.
6. Repeat for each company where you are a PSC, using the same code.

You cannot use the online service if your personal information is protected at Companies House, or if you are waiting for a decision on a protection application.

How to get a 14-day extension

You can ask for a 14-day extension through the PSC service if you cannot provide your details on time. You must ask before your verification deadline has passed.

Companies House’s approach to non-compliance adds three points:

• if you meet the extended deadline, you are treated as compliant
• if you miss the extended deadline, you are in breach and a default letter follows
• after two digital extensions, any further request goes to an examiner

What happens if a PSC does not verify?

A PSC who does not verify may commit an offence. Companies House can issue a financial penalty, or the case can be prosecuted in court with a fine. A note will also be published against your name on the public register.

Companies House usually sends PSC non-compliance letters to your residential address, not the company’s service address. Our guide to fines and prosecutions explains the penalty rules and the first convictions in September 2026.

What companies and advisers should do

1. Pull the PSC register for each company and note each PSC’s role and date of birth month.
2. Flag PSCs who are also directors. They need to give their code twice.
3. Diarise windows, especially November birthdays and confirmation statement dates in the next month.
4. Check the company’s PSC filings are up to date. Changes must be reported within 14 days.
5. Keep a record of who has verified and when.

HMRC also writes to company owners about PSC records; see HMRC letters to people with significant control.

Frequently asked questions

When do PSCs have to verify their identity for Companies House?

It depends on your role. A PSC who is not a director gives their code in the first 14 days of their birth month; a PSC who is also a director has 14 days from the day after the confirmation statement date.

Do I need to verify twice if I am a director and a PSC?

No, you verify once and get one personal code. You then give that code twice: in the confirmation statement as a director, and through the PSC service as a PSC.

Can a PSC get more time to verify?

Yes. You can request a 14-day extension through the PSC service, but only before your deadline has passed.

Do officers of a corporate PSC need to verify?

Not yet. Companies House lists officers of corporate PSCs among the people who do not need to verify yet, without giving a date.

Does a PSC who has died need to verify?

No. A deceased PSC stays on the register until a grant of probate or letters of administration is received, and no verification is needed.