Companies House has put out its business plan for April 2026 through to March 2027. On the surface, it looks like the usual government paperwork. It isn’t. Read it properly, and you can see the direction they’re heading. They’re done being a passive registry. Up to now, companies sent in their information and Companies House published it, as received. That era is ending. Now they want to check what comes in, push back on it when something looks wrong, and dig into records that don’t hold up.
Who This Actually Affects
If your company is registered in the UK, this touches you. But let’s be honest about who carries the real weight here. Directors. PSCs, or People with Significant Control. Company secretaries. And the agents doing the filings. Those are the people who can’t afford to ignore this.
Identity verification is the big one. It’s now baked into compliance rather than being some optional extra. Directors who are already in post have to prove who they are, get a personal code, and then send that code in through the company’s next confirmation statement. PSCs don’t get a pass. They’ve got to verify too, and there’s a deadline attached to it. Companies House has confirmed you can do this either through GOV.UK One Login or through an Authorised Corporate Service Provider, such as an accountant, which is worth knowing if you’d rather not handle it alone.
What Happens If You Sit On It
The consequences aren’t hypothetical. Skip the identity verification, or leave your records wrong or half-finished, and the confirmation statement can get bounced. That’s just the start. You could be looking at financial penalties. Prosecution is possible. Worst case, the company gets struck off the register entirely.
Here’s the figure that puts it in perspective. Companies House is aiming for at least 225,000 enforcement actions across 2026 to 2027. That’s not a body making empty threats. If you want the fuller picture of what’s expected of you, our company compliance checklist for 2026 breaks down every key filing and duty in plain terms.
What Directors Should Be Doing Now
Don’t wait for a deadline to chase you. Go through your details while you’ve still got breathing room. Look at your confirmation statement date. Check the registered office address, the PSC details, the shareholding information, and the personal records sitting on file. Something small, an old entry nobody thought twice about, could be enough to get a filing rejected or land you in enforcement territory now. Accuracy counts for a lot more than it used to.
This applies whether you run a limited company, work as a self-employed accountant client, or operate as a sole trader. The obligations shift depending on your structure, and it’s easy to assume a rule doesn’t apply to you when it does. If you’re unsure where you stand, our FAQs cover a lot of the common questions people bring to us.
Where Lanop Comes In
This is the sort of thing that’s easier with someone who knows the process. Lanop Business and Tax Advisors can take directors through identity verification, handle the confirmation statement filing, and go through company records to spot trouble before it grows. The point is simple. Get compliance done properly, get it done on time, and stop small mistakes from turning into penalties. Sorting it early also means no frantic last-minute filing, and it keeps the company and its officers clear of avoidable risk.
For growing businesses that want a steadier hand on the numbers year-round, our virtual finance director service brings senior oversight without the full-time cost. And if you ever need proof of income for a lender while all this is going on, here’s our guide on how to obtain an SA302 online.
The Bottom Line
The 2026 to 2027 plan changes how UK companies get held to account for what they file. Companies House is moving from quietly logging data to actually policing it. Get ready now, and you’re in a far better position than the people who leave it late. Verifying your identity, keeping records clean, filing confirmation statements right- none of that is box-ticking anymore. It’s what keeps you compliant and keeps the serious problems away from your door.
