How to check a UK company for free on Companies House

You can check any UK company for free on Companies House's "Find and update company information" service, and you don't need to register. Search by company name, number or officer name to see the company's status, registered office, directors, owners, filed accounts and when its next filings are due. It is a public record of what the company has filed, not a credit check or a guarantee that the business is reliable.

This guide shows how to run the check, what each part of the record means, and what the register can't tell you.

How do I search for a company on Companies House?

Go to Find and update company information and type the company name, company number or a person's name into the search box. Companies House says the service makes all of the public data it holds on companies available free of charge, and you do not need to register to view it. [S1]

There are also free tools for an advanced company search, an alphabetical search, a dissolved company search and a company name availability checker. [S2]

If you're checking a company you're about to pay, sign with or quote for, search by company number rather than name where you can. Numbers are unique; names can be similar.

What can I see about a company for free?

According to Companies House, the free record includes: [S1][S3]

• basic company information, including company type and registered office address
• the nature of business (SIC code)
• company status, for example live or dissolved
• the date of the last accounts and confirmation statement filed, and when the next ones are due
• images of the documents in the filing history
• current and resigned officers
• previous company names
• mortgage charge data
• insolvency information

Records of companies dissolved since January 2010 are also on the service. Companies House says it will keep dissolved company records for 20 years from the date of dissolution, and is currently reviewing that retention period. [S1]

What do the main tabs tell me?

Overview. Status, address, incorporation date, SIC code, and the accounts and confirmation statement due dates. A company whose next accounts date has already passed has not yet filed them. Private companies normally have 9 months from the end of their accounting period to file accounts. [S4]

Filing history. Every document the company has filed. Document images from 2003 onwards are free to download; older paper documents that need scanning cost £3 each from Companies House. [S1] This is where you'll find the accounts themselves. Small companies and micro-entities may file simpler accounts, and small companies can choose not to send their profit and loss account to Companies House, so you may only see a balance sheet and notes. [S5]

People. Current and past directors and secretaries, and the people with significant control (PSCs). A PSC is usually someone who holds more than 25% of the shares or voting rights, can appoint or remove a majority of the directors, or can otherwise influence or control the company. [S6]

Charges. Mortgage charge data: security the company has given over its assets, for example to a lender. [S1]

Insolvency. Insolvency information, if the company has any. [S1]

How do I check a company director?

Click a director's name to see the other companies they are, or have been, appointed to. This is a quick way to spot patterns, such as a run of recently dissolved companies.

Two other free registers help:

• Disqualified directors. The Companies House disqualified directors register includes disqualifications given by the courts, the Insolvency Service, the Competition and Markets Authority, and others. It shows the reason, when it started and whether the person has permission to keep acting as a director. [S7]
• Individual Insolvency Register. Search bankruptcies, Debt Relief Orders and Individual Voluntary Arrangements in England and Wales by name, or by trading name for sole traders. Scotland and Northern Ireland have separate registers. [S8]

Since 18 November 2025, directors and PSCs have had to verify their identity with Companies House (our guide explains how). [S9] That makes it harder to impersonate someone on the register, but Companies House itself says it does not make it impossible. [S9]

What doesn't Companies House tell you?

It's worth being clear about the limits:

• It is not a credit check. The register shows what has been filed, not whether a company pays its bills on time.
• Accounts get basic checks only. Companies House says it makes basic checks on accounts, for example that the right documents are there, for the right year, and have been authenticated. [S1]
• Not every document is closely reviewed. Companies House checks filings are complete and valid and makes further enquiries if it doubts their accuracy, but says a close review of each document is not always possible given the volume it receives. [S1]
• It is not comprehensive. Companies House's own disclaimer says the information is not intended to be comprehensive and advises users to get independent professional advice before acting on it. [S1]

If you spot something you think is wrong, Companies House asks you to contact it with any evidence you have. [S1]

Can I get alerts when a company changes?

Yes. Companies House's free "Follow" service emails you when a company you follow files something, as soon as the filing is accepted, with a link to the company's filing history, where you can download the document for free. You need to register an email address and password to use it. [S1] This is useful for key customers, suppliers or a business you're partnering with: you'll hear about a change of director, new accounts or an insolvency notice without having to check.

If you need to watch a lot of companies, Companies House also offers its data free through an API. [S1]

A quick checklist before you sign or pay

1. Search by company number and confirm the name, status and registered office match what you've been given.
2. Check the next accounts and confirmation statement due dates. Late filings are worth a question.
3. Open the latest accounts in the filing history.
4. Look at who the directors and PSCs are, and click through to their other appointments.
5. Search the disqualified directors register and, where relevant, the insolvency register.
6. Follow the company if it's an ongoing relationship.

None of these steps replaces professional advice. We are not lawyers or accountants, and for anything high-value it's sensible to take advice and run a commercial credit check as well.

Questions

Is Companies House search free?

Yes. Viewing company information on Find and update company information is free and you do not need to register. [S1]

Can I see who owns a UK company?

Usually, yes. The People tab lists people with significant control, typically anyone with more than 25% of the shares or voting rights. [S6]

Can I download a company's accounts for free?

Yes, for anything filed from 2003 onwards: filed accounts are in the filing history as free document images. Older paper documents that need scanning cost £3 each. [S1]

Does Companies House check the information is true?

It checks filings are complete and valid and investigates if it doubts accuracy, but it only makes basic checks on accounts and can't closely review every document. [S1]

Can I see dissolved companies?

Yes, for companies dissolved since January 2010. [S1]

Disclosure: Your Evenings, the UK business that publishes this guide, also runs a pay-per-use Companies House data tool on the Apify Store. It looks up many companies at once and reports monthly changes, using Companies House's free monthly company data, and covers company-level data only. You don't need it to do anything in this guide. Read more about Your Evenings.

Sources

• S1: Companies House: Searching the Companies House register (last updated 9 June 2026; read 1 November 2026)
• S2: Companies House: Find and update company information (read 1 November 2026)
• S3: GOV.UK: Get information about a company (read 1 November 2026)
• S4: Companies House: Life of a company – Part 1 accounts (section 5; read 1 November 2026)
• S5: GOV.UK: Prepare annual accounts for a private limited company: micro-entities, small and dormant companies (read 1 November 2026)
• S6: Companies House: People with significant control (PSCs) (read 1 November 2026)
• S7: GOV.UK: Search for disqualified company directors (read 1 November 2026)
• S8: GOV.UK: Search the bankruptcy and insolvency register (read 1 November 2026)
• S9: Companies House: Verifying your identity for Companies House (read 1 November 2026)

This guide summarises the official sources above. It isn't legal, tax or accounting advice.

Written with AI assistance by the Your Evenings team at Your Evenings Ltd. Last updated 1 November 2026.