Guides for lenders and credit 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.

• Group accounts or company accounts: which figures to rely onComparison

  Rely on the accounts of the company you contract with. Group accounts consolidate the parent and its subsidiaries for the parent's members, but a creditor can claim only against the legal entity it trades with unless another group company has guaranteed the debt. Use group figures for context and the guarantor's own figures for any guarantee.

• How to check a business customer's creditworthiness in the UKHow-to

  Confirm the exact legal entity you will invoice and that it is active, then check its filing record, latest balance sheet and notes, registered charges, Gazette notices and the judgments register. Add trade references and a signed credit application. Turn the findings into a limit, terms and any security, then monitor the company for changes.

• How to read a UK company balance sheet in ten minutesGuide

  Read it top to bottom in the statutory order: fixed assets, current assets, creditors due within a year, net current assets, longer-term creditors and provisions, then capital and reserves, which equal net assets. Compare each line with last year, then read the creditors and security notes. Small companies rarely publish turnover, so most judgements rest on this page.

• How to set a credit limit for a new business customerHow-to

  Calculate the peak balance your trade will create (monthly sales including VAT multiplied by the months from delivery to payment), then test it against what the customer's filed accounts can support, such as a share of net worth or working capital. Take the lower figure, and use terms or security to bridge any gap.

• Net current liabilities and net liabilities: what they meanDefinition

  Net current liabilities means a company's creditors due within one year exceed its current assets such as stock, debtors and cash. Net liabilities means its total liabilities exceed its total assets, so capital and reserves are negative. The first is a short-term liquidity signal, the second a solvency signal; neither alone proves insolvency.

• 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%.

• Warning signs a UK company is in financial troubleGuide

  Public warning signs include overdue accounts or confirmation statements, falling or negative net assets, rising tax creditors, new all-assets charges, a going-concern warning, auditor or director departures, a registered office moved to the Companies House default address, and Gazette notices such as winding-up petitions. Slow or part payments in your own ledger often come first.

• What lenders look at when they assess a small businessGuide

  Lenders ask whether the business can repay from its cash flow, how much capital the owners have at risk, what security or guarantees back the loan, and whether the company and its directors can be trusted on the record. They test this with filed and management accounts, bank data, credit files, charges and director history.

• Micro, small and medium company thresholds from April 2025Guide

  For financial years starting on or after 6 April 2025, a company must stay within at least two of three limits. Micro-entity: turnover £1 million, balance sheet total £500,000, 10 employees. Small: £15 million, £7.5 million, 50. Medium: £54 million, £27 million, 250. Size usually changes only after two consecutive years over or under the limits.

• 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 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 find and read a UK company's accountsHow-to

  Search the company on Companies House's free Find and update company information service, open the Filing history tab, tick the Accounts filter and click View PDF on the latest set. Electronic filings also offer Download iXBRL. Most small companies file only a balance sheet and notes, so turnover and profit are often missing.

• 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.

• How to get UK company financial data through an APIHow-to

  The Companies House REST API does not return financial figures: the company profile gives only accounts dates and the accounts type. The figures are in the filed accounts. Fetch them through the Document API (iXBRL for electronic filings, PDF for paper), download the free Accounts Data Product in bulk, or use an API that has already parsed them.

• 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.

• Late filing penalties for company accounts in 2026Guide

  A private company that files accounts late pays £150 if up to one month late, £375 up to three months, £750 up to six months and £1,500 beyond that. Public companies pay £750, £1,500, £3,000 and £7,500. The penalty doubles if the previous year's accounts were also late. It falls on the company and is rarely waived.

• 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.

• 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.

• 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.

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