PSC identity verification explained

What is a Person with Significant Control?

A Person with Significant Control, usually shortened to PSC, is anyone with notable control or influence over a UK company as defined by the Small Business, Enterprise and Employment Act 2015 and subsequent regulations.

PSCs are listed on a separate Companies House register from directors. Every UK company is required to keep its PSC register up to date and to file changes within fourteen days.

Who counts as a PSC?

An individual is a PSC if they meet any of these conditions in respect of the company:

• Holds, directly or indirectly, more than 25% of the shares.
• Holds, directly or indirectly, more than 25% of the voting rights.
• Has the right, directly or indirectly, to appoint or remove a majority of the board of directors.
• Has the right to exercise, or actually exercises, significant influence or control over the company.
• Has the right to exercise, or actually exercises, significant influence or control over a trust or firm that itself meets any of the above conditions.

A director who also holds more than 25% of the shares is both a director and a PSC. The two roles are tracked separately even when they sit on the same person.

Does every PSC need to verify their identity?

Every individual PSCmust verify their identity under the same rules that apply to directors. The deadline is the company's next confirmation statement date.

Where the PSC is a corporate entity rather than an individual, the rules are different. See the section below on corporate PSCs.

How is a PSC verification different from a director verification?

The verification mechanics are identical. The PSC verifies through GOV.UK One Login or via an ACSP, receives a Personal Code, and that Personal Code is linked to their PSC entry at Companies House.

Three practical differences for the firm tracking the work:

• PSC details on the register are less visible day-to-day. Directors are obvious from companies house filings; PSCs are often confirmed only at confirmation statement time. Easy to overlook.
• PSCs are often not your direct contact. The director instructs you. The PSC may be a passive shareholder, a parent in a family business, or a co-investor. Chasing the verification needs a route through the director rather than a direct ask.
• Change is more common than people assume. Share transfers, restructures and investor exits all change the PSC register. Each change triggers a new verification obligation for any new individual PSC.

What happens when a PSC changes?

When a new individual PSC is added to the register, the individual must verify their identity immediately, not at the next confirmation statement. The PSC notification form filed at Companies House requires the individual to already hold a Personal Code.

When a PSC ceases (sells their shares, transfers control, dies), the firm needs to file a cessation notification. That filing does not require fresh identity verification from the outgoing PSC. It does require the firm to have accurate dates and to update the register within fourteen days of the change.

PSC verification when the PSC is a corporate entity, not an individual

A relevant legal entity (RLE) can be listed as a PSC in certain circumstances, typically where a UK parent company with its own PSC register sits above the company on the register.

An RLE is permitted as a PSC entry when all three apply:

• The entity itself meets the conditions to be a PSC of the company.
• The entity keeps its own PSC register, or is required to under similar transparency rules.
• The entity holds the relevant interest directly, not through nominee or trustee arrangements.

Where an RLE is the registered PSC, the identity verification requirement transfers up the chain. Theindividuals controlling the RLE must be verified, not the RLE entity itself. In practice this usually means tracking verification for the directors and PSCs of the parent UK company.

For complex group structures, the verification chain can extend several layers up. Map the full beneficial-ownership chain before assuming the company-level PSC entry covers the obligation.

How do I track PSC verification alongside director verification?

Treat PSCs as a parallel layer of the same workflow rather than a separate exercise. For each client your firm should capture, for both directors and PSCs:

• The full list of current officers and PSCs from Companies House.
• Whether each is an individual or a corporate entity. For corporate PSCs, the chain of individuals to track verification for.
• Verification status: pending, in progress or verified.
• Personal Code reference (masked) and expiry date.
• Evidence of verification: One Login confirmation or ACSP record.
• Confirmation statement deadline the verification is linked to.

For the full per-client workflow including PSCs, see the Companies House IDV 12-month transition checklist. For the mechanics of how the deadline is set for each client, see confirmation statement deadline rules. For the two verification paths available, see verify directors via GOV.UK One Login and ACSP registration explained.