Guides for compliance, KYB and AML teams

Plain-English guides to UK company rules and checks: what a company's status means, what it has to file and when, and what to check before you trade with it, lend to it or take it on as a client.

• How to check if a director is disqualifiedHow-to

  Search the person's name on the Companies House disqualified directors register, which records court orders, Insolvency Service undertakings, competition disqualifications and sanctions-based bans, with start dates, reasons and any court permission to act. Also search the bankruptcy and insolvency register, because an undischarged bankrupt cannot act as a director without the court's permission.

• How to check a UK company against the sanctions listHow-to

  Search the company's current and former names, its directors and its persons with significant control on the UK Sanctions List search tool, which since 28 January 2026 has been the only UK list. Then check ownership: a company more than 50% owned or otherwise controlled by a designated person is caught even if it is not named.

• How to find who owns a UK company (the PSC register explained)Guide

  Search the company on the Companies House register and open its People tab. Its persons with significant control (PSCs) are whoever holds more than 25% of the shares or votes, can appoint or remove most of the board, or has significant influence or control. Where another company is named, repeat the search on that company until you reach individuals.

• KYB checks on a UK limited company: a 2026 checklistChecklist

  KYB on a UK limited company means proving it exists and is active on the Companies House register, identifying its directors and the people who own or control it, screening them against the UK Sanctions List, checking the directors for disqualification, and reviewing Gazette notices, filing history and accounts before recording a pass, refer or fail decision.

• How to check a UK company before you trade with itHow-to

  Find the company on the Companies House register and check its status, registered office, filing history, accounts, directors and people with significant control. Then search The Gazette for insolvency notices, screen the company and its owners against the UK Sanctions List, check its VAT number and confirm the account name before you make the first payment.

• What active proposal to strike off means on Companies HouseDefinition

  Active proposal to strike off means Companies House has published a notice in The Gazette that the company will be removed from the register. Either Companies House believes it is no longer carrying on business, or its directors have applied to close it. Unless the strike-off is stopped, the company can be dissolved once two months have passed.

• AML customer due diligence on a UK limited company: a checklist for accountantsChecklist

  For a limited company client, obtain and verify its name, number, registered office and trading address; take reasonable measures to verify its constitution and directors and understand its ownership; identify every beneficial owner and verify them from independent sources; keep a dated PSC register excerpt; assess risk, apply enhanced checks where required, then monitor and keep records for five years.

• Companies House identity verification: the 2026 deadline and what accountants need to doGuide

  There is no single national deadline. Existing directors must be verified by their company's first confirmation statement filed since 18 November 2025. Existing PSCs who are not directors have a 14-day window starting on the 1st of their birth month, the last ending 14 November 2026. The legal transition period runs for 12 months from 18 November 2025.

• How to check whether a director or PSC has verified their identityHow-to

  Search the company on the Companies House register and open the People tab. Each director shows either 'Verification requirements complete' or 'Identity verification due' with a date, and each PSC shows a 'due from' and 'due by' window. Status is recorded per appointment, so check each company separately; the Companies House API returns the same dates.

• How to check if a UK company is legitimate (and spot a scam)How-to

  Find the company on the Companies House register by its number and confirm it is active, then check that the details you were given match: name, registered office, directors, incorporation date and business. Verify any VAT number with HMRC, check the FCA register for financial services, and treat new companies, mismatches and default addresses as warning signs.

• Reporting PSC discrepancies to Companies House: when and howHow-to

  Regulation 30A of the Money Laundering Regulations requires obliged entities, including accountants, to report to Companies House any material discrepancy between the PSC register and the ownership information they gather, at any stage. It is material if it may reasonably be linked to money laundering, terrorist financing or concealing details of the client's business. Report online, one report per PSC.

• Supplier due diligence checklist for UK companiesChecklist

  Supplier due diligence in the UK means confirming the supplier is a real, active company, knowing who owns and controls it, screening it and its people against the UK Sanctions List, testing its financial standing from filed accounts, checking insurance, data protection and modern slavery compliance, and keeping that picture current by monitoring for the life of the contract.

• Supplier economic and financial standing under the Procurement Act 2023Guide

  Under section 22 of the Procurement Act 2023, a contracting authority may test a supplier's financial capacity only through proportionate conditions of participation, and cannot demand audited accounts the supplier is not legally required to have. The government's guidance note scores eight standard metrics, uses consolidated figures where prepared and allows a parent company guarantee as mitigation.

• Which UK sectors have the most companies with net liabilities? Filing and solvency by sector, 2026Data study

  Hospitality has the highest share of companies with net liabilities: 27.8% of active UK hospitality companies with accounts dated in the 24 months to 3 October 2026, against 18.3% of all active companies with recent accounts, CompanyStack's analysis of the Companies House register shows. Real estate is next at 25.2%; health and social work is lowest, at 13.4%.

• Winding-up petitions: how to find them and what they meanGuide

  Search The Gazette by company name or number for notice code 2450, 'Petitions to wind up (Companies)'. In England and Wales the notice must appear at least seven business days after the company is served and seven business days before the hearing. If a winding-up order follows, the company's payments after the petition date can be void.

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