The Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act is the largest reform to UK company law in decades. The transitional window for existing directors and PSCs closes this November — shortly.
It is not limited to large or regulated businesses. Every director and every person with significant control must verify, regardless of nationality, residence, or the size of the company.
The timetable has moved more than once. These are the dates as they currently stand.
Already mandatory. Since 18 November 2025 a company cannot be incorporated, and a director cannot be appointed, without verification completed first. A new PSC must supply their identifier within 14 days of the appointment being notified.
Must verify by 18 November 2026. In practice verification is tied to your confirmation statement date, so for many companies the effective deadline falls earlier than November. Unverified officers can block the company's confirmation statement from being filed.
The same timetable applies. New members verify before membership is notified; existing members verify during the 2026 window, linked to the confirmation statement.
Verification for those filing on a company's behalf, and mandatory registration as an Authorised Corporate Service Provider, has been pushed back to no earlier than November 2026. If your accountant files for you, ask whether they are ACSP registered.
PO Boxes are no longer permitted. You must maintain an appropriate, monitored UK address where documents can be acknowledged.
Companies House can now query, reject and remove information it considers inaccurate or misleading, and share intelligence with enforcement bodies.
From 26 January 2026 the option to keep member information centrally at Companies House was removed. Companies must maintain their own register.
A continuing move toward mandatory software-based filing, alongside a substantial increase in Companies House fees from 1 February 2026.
Directors are now personally responsible for ensuring the information on the register is accurate and verifiable.
Verification tends to expose discrepancies that were already there — a name that doesn't match the passport, an old address, a PSC entry that was never updated. Those are worth correcting before you verify, not after.
The ECCTA timetable has been revised several times and further changes are possible. This page reflects our understanding as at September 2026; confirm the current position at gov.uk or speak to us before acting.