Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act
Changes to UK company law
On 26th October 2023 the Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act (ECCTA) received Royal Assent. This act brings a number of reforms to Companies House which are being introduced in a phased approach. Details of the reforms, further guidance, and timescales can be found on the gov.uk website here.
Identity verification and Authorised Corporate Service Providers (ACSPs)
Companies House are introducing identity verification measures to anyone setting up, running, owning or controlling a company in the UK. Verification can be undertaken directly via Companies House or via an indirect route through an Authorised Corporate Service Provider (ACSP).
Identity verification
Individuals are now able to voluntarily verify their identity. This can be done directly with Companies House through the GOV.UK One Login or through an ACSP.
Identity verification will eventually become mandatory for:
- new directors and people with significant control (PSCs)
- existing directors and PSCs
- anyone acting on behalf of a company
Authorised Corporate Service Providers (ACSPs)
Businesses and sole traders are now able to apply to become an ACSP here.
To register a business as an ACSP you must have a senior role within the firm such as a director, general partner, partner or member. Once registered as an ACSP, the agent can add other people within the business to the authorised agent account.
When verifying your client’s identity as an ACSP, you must meet the Companies House identification standard, if you do not meet this standard Companies House can suspend or stop your business from acting as an authorised agent. Members should be aware that this standard is not the same as the risk based approach to Client Due Diligence (CDD) under the Money Laundering, Terrorist Financing and Transfer of Funds (Information on the Payer) Regulations 2017 (MLRs), and Companies House have specific requirements to ensure you meet their identity verification standards. Further information on how to meet these standards, and the minimum checks required can be found here.
To apply, agents must be registered with a UK supervisory body for Anti-Money Laundering (AML) purposes and will need to provide their AML reference to Companies House. You can find your AML reference on the CIOT/ATT online register of supervised firms here and on your confirmation/renewal emails. Companies House will liaise with CIOT to ensure members are AML supervised.
Further information on ACSPs and how to register can be found here https://changestoukcompanylaw.campaign.gov.uk/authorised-corporate-service-providers/
Measures already introduced under ECCTA
Registered office addresses
Companies must have an appropriate address as their registered office address. Documents should be able to be delivered to this address and would be expected to come to the attention of a person acting on behalf of the company, acknowledgment of the delivery should also be possible. Companies are not able to use a PO Box as a registered office address.
Registered email addresses
Companies now need to provide a registered email address when incorporating a company, and existing companies will need to provide this when they file their confirmation statement. This email address will be used for communication with Companies House and will not be publicly available.
Statement of lawful purpose
Companies now need to confirm that they are forming a company for a lawful purpose at registration, and will need to confirm their intended future activities are lawful on their annual confirmation statement
Registrar’s powers
The registrar now has improved powers to query and remove incorrect or inconsistent information on the Companies House register. There are also stronger checks on company names to reduce misleading or fraudulent use of company names to deceive the public.
We will keep this webpage updated as secondary legislation and guidance is introduced. Further information and timeframes can be found on the gov.uk website here.
Suppression of personal information
One of the measures implemented to prevent the abuse of personal information held on the Companies House register, is the suppression of personal information from public view. Individuals are now able to suppress their registered office address, where it’s their home address, from historical documents on Companies House.
Future measures to be implemented
Protecting personal information
From summer 2025, individuals will be able to apply to suppress further personal information from historical documents. This will include residential addresses, day of birth for documents registered before 10 October 2015 (only the month and year of birth have been publicly displayed since 10 October 2015), business occupation and signatures. Further information on these changes can be found here.
Limited Partnerships requirements
From spring 2026, limited partnerships will be required to file their information through an ACSP. Limited partnerships will also need to provide more information to Companies House than is currently required. Further information can be found here.
Improving transparency of company ownership
New requirements will be introduced in relation to the transparency of shareholder information and restrictions on the use of corporate directors. Further information can be found here.
Changes to accounts
Companies House are transitioning to filing accounts by software only, this will be a phased approach over the next 2-3 years. There are also changes to small company filing options and audit exemptions. Further details on the future changes to accounts can be found here.
Timelines and further details on the new measures brought in under the ECCTA can be found here. If members have any further queries regarding the ECCTA and ACSPs, please contact [email protected].
Last updated 21 May 2025