Accounting

Company formation & filings

PSC register changes

The register of people with significant control exists to make the real ownership and control of UK companies visible. Every company must identify the individuals who meet any of five conditions, holding more than 25% of the shares, holding more than 25% of the voting rights, having the right to appoint or remove a majority of the board, otherwise having significant influence or control, or controlling a trust or firm that meets a condition, and record them on its own PSC register and at Companies House, with the band of their holding and the nature of their control. Where a qualifying UK or listed company sits in the chain it is recorded as a relevant legal entity instead, and the individuals appear on that entity's own register.

£39 · fixed, per change — no Companies House fee applies

Next deadlines

  • Companies House identity verification for directors and PSCs, phased in from 18 November 2025
  • Confirmation statement due within 14 days of your review date, at least once every 12 months
  • Companies House accounts due 9 months after your year end (a 31 December year end files by 30 September)
  • Corporation Tax payment, 9 months and 1 day after your year end (a 31 December year end pays by 1 October)

Fees

Packages, fixed and published

£39

Add a PSC (PSC01)

£35

Update a PSC's details (PSC04)

£35

Remove a PSC (PSC07)

£79

Full PSC register review + corrections

Who this is for

PSC Register Changes

Limited companies and LLPs across the UK where ownership or control has changed: companies that have issued or transferred shares, businesses taking on an investor or buying out a founder, family companies passing shares between generations, companies that have inserted a holding company or trust, and companies whose PSC register has never been reviewed against who actually owns and controls them.

What is included

Inside the fixed fee

  • Analysis of who meets the PSC conditions: over 25% of shares or votes, the right to appoint or remove the majority of the board, or significant influence or control
  • Notification of a new PSC (PSC01), change of details (PSC04) or cessation (PSC07), filed within 14 days
  • Relevant legal entities and indirect holdings through trusts or other companies identified and recorded correctly
  • Identity verification status of each PSC checked under the rules in force since November 2025
  • The company's own PSC register updated and the statutory notices to PSCs issued where required
  • Full PSC register review against the shareholding and articles, with corrections filed, in the £79 package

In detail

How psc register changes works

Changes must be filed within fourteen days and, unlike shareholder details, cannot wait for the confirmation statement. A new PSC is notified on PSC01, a change in a PSC's details or band on PSC04, and a cessation on PSC07, with equivalent forms for relevant legal entities. None carries a Companies House fee. Our fees are £39 to add a PSC, £35 to update one and £35 to record a cessation, and each includes the analysis of whether the person actually meets a condition, the update to the company's own register and the notices to the individual the Act requires. Since 18 November 2025 every new PSC must also verify their identity with Companies House within fourteen days of registration, and we check that status before filing.

The register goes wrong in predictable ways. Owners assume a share transfer reported on the next confirmation statement also updates the PSC position, which it does not. Transfers that move a holding across the 25%, 50% or 75% band boundaries are missed because the person remains a PSC and nobody realises the band is itself a registrable detail. Holding companies inserted above a trading company are not recorded as relevant legal entities. Shares held by trustees, nominees or on behalf of others are recorded in the wrong name, because the rules look through to who ultimately controls. And companies with four or more unrelated shareholders each at 25% or below fail to file the statement that they have no PSC.

The consequences matter more than the filing suggests. An incorrect PSC register is an offence for the company and its officers, and it is one of the first things lenders, buyers and banks check in due diligence; a register that does not match the register of members or the cap table stalls a transaction until it is fixed. Where the company cannot establish who its PSCs are, it must serve statutory notices requiring individuals to confirm, and persistent failure to respond allows the company to impose restrictions on the shares concerned. We issue those notices where the position is unclear and document the responses.

Our £79 full review is for companies that have never reconciled the register against reality or have had several changes of ownership. We compare the PSC register with the register of members, the articles, any shareholders' agreement and the group structure, identify everyone and every entity meeting a condition, determine the correct bands and nature of control, and file every correction with Companies House as a set, with the identity verification status of each PSC confirmed. Most companies that have not done this need at least one correction. Everything is handled online, fees are fixed and nothing is filed until the company has approved it.

Process

From first message to filed

  1. Scope the job

    We find out what you need filed, when it is due and what state the records are in, and tell you which fixed-fee package applies.

  2. Agree the price

    The fee is confirmed in writing. There is no hourly billing and nothing added for questions during the work.

  3. Hand over the records

    Photographs, PDFs, software access or a spreadsheet, sent however suits you. We confirm what we have and what is missing within two working days.

  4. Approve, then we submit

    You review the draft with our explanation, sign off, and we file. Receipts, copies and the next deadlines come back to you immediately.

Worth knowing

Rules that come up in this work

Making Tax Digital for Income Tax

Making Tax Digital for Income Tax began in April 2026 for sole traders and landlords with qualifying income over £50,000, extends to those over £30,000 in April 2027 and is planned for £20,000 in April 2028. It requires digital records in compatible software and four quarterly updates to HMRC each year, with a final declaration replacing the traditional return. Payment dates are unchanged.

Late filing penalties

Penalties are the clearest reason to work to deadlines. A Self Assessment return one day late costs £100 regardless of whether any tax is due; three months late adds £10 a day. Late company accounts start at £150 and reach £1,500, and double if the previous year was also late. None of this is negotiable afterwards except through a narrow reasonable-excuse appeal.

Payments on account

Payments on account catch out most people in their second year of self-employment. HMRC assumes next year's tax will match this year's and collects half in January and half in July, in advance, on top of the balancing payment. If profits are dropping you can apply to reduce them, but reducing them too far attracts interest. We calculate the right figure rather than guessing.

The Self Assessment calendar

The tax year runs from 6 April to 5 April. Anyone new to Self Assessment must register by 5 October after the end of the tax year in which their untaxed income began. The online return and the balancing payment are due by 31 January, with a second payment on account on 31 July where they apply. Paper returns have an earlier deadline of 31 October and are rarely sensible.

Director's loan accounts

A director's loan account records money moving between a director and the company that is not salary or dividend. If the director owes the company money nine months and one day after the year end, the company pays section 455 tax at 35.75% of the balance, refundable only when the loan is repaid. Loans over £10,000 are also a benefit in kind unless interest is charged at HMRC's official rate.

Salary versus dividends

The salary-and-dividend split is the central planning decision for an owner-managed company. Salary costs employer National Insurance above £5,000 but is deductible; dividends are not deductible but attract lower personal rates and no National Insurance. The optimum changes each April with the thresholds and depends on the director's other income, so it should be set deliberately every year.

Corporation Tax rates and marginal relief

Companies pay Corporation Tax at 19% on profits up to £50,000 and 25% on profits over £250,000. Between those figures marginal relief applies, producing an effective rate that rises gradually and a marginal rate of 26.5% on each pound in the band. The thresholds are divided by the number of associated companies, so a director with two companies has thresholds of £25,000 and £125,000 for each.

Questions

PSC Register Changes: your questions answered

Who is a person with significant control?

An individual who meets any of five conditions: holds more than 25% of the shares; holds more than 25% of the voting rights; has the right to appoint or remove a majority of the directors; otherwise has the right to exercise, or actually exercises, significant influence or control; or has such control over a trust or firm that itself meets one of the conditions. Most small companies have one to three PSCs.

Is there a Companies House fee?

No. PSC01 (new PSC), PSC04 (change of details), PSC07 (ceasing to be a PSC) and the related forms are filed free. Our fees of £39, £35 and £35 are the total cost. The £79 full review covers analysing the whole position and filing whatever corrections are needed.

What are the shareholding bands?

The register records whether a PSC holds more than 25% but not more than 50%, more than 50% but less than 75%, or 75% or more of the shares, and the same for voting rights. Moving between bands is a change that must be filed on PSC04 within 14 days, which catches many share transfers that owners assume are below the radar.

How quickly must changes be filed?

The company must update its own PSC register within 14 days of learning of the change and notify Companies House within a further 14 days. In practice, file within 14 days of the change. Failing to keep the register is an offence for the company and its officers.

What is a relevant legal entity?

A company or other body that would be a PSC if it were an individual and that is itself subject to its own transparency requirements, such as a UK company or one listed on a regulated market. Where a UK holding company owns a subsidiary, the holding company is recorded as a relevant legal entity on the subsidiary's register, and the individuals are recorded on the holding company's.

How are shares held through a trust or nominee treated?

The register looks through to who ultimately controls. Trustees who hold shares meeting a condition are PSCs; a settlor or beneficiary with significant influence over the trust may be too. Nominee holdings are attributed to the person on whose behalf they are held. These cases need careful analysis and are a common source of errors.

Do PSCs need to verify their identity?

Yes. Since 18 November 2025 new PSCs must verify their identity with Companies House within 14 days of being registered, and existing PSCs verify during the transition year. A PSC who is also a director verifies once. We check status before filing and explain the process to the individual.

What if nobody meets the conditions?

Then the company records a statement that it has no PSC or registrable relevant legal entity, which is common where four or more unrelated shareholders each hold 25% or less. The statement is filed on PSC08. If the company is still identifying its PSCs, a different statement applies temporarily.

What happens when a founder sells out to an investor?

The founder ceases to be a PSC (PSC07) if their holding drops to 25% or below, or moves band (PSC04) if it stays above. The investor becomes a PSC (PSC01) if they cross 25%, or a relevant legal entity if they are a qualifying company. Each filing has its own form and date, and we file them as a set.

Does the confirmation statement update the PSC register?

No. Unlike shareholder details, PSC changes must be filed on their own forms when they happen, not left for the confirmation statement. The statement merely confirms the register is correct. Companies that only review the PSC position annually are routinely in default.

What are the statutory notices to PSCs?

A company that knows or suspects someone is a PSC must serve notice requiring them to confirm, and may serve notice on others who might know. PSCs must also notify the company themselves. Failure to respond can lead to restrictions on the shares. We issue the notices where the position is unclear.

What does the full review involve?

For £79 we compare the current PSC register against the register of members, the articles, any shareholders' agreement and the group structure, identify every person and entity that meets a condition, work out the correct bands and nature of control, and file all the corrections needed with Companies House. Most companies that have never done this need at least one correction.

Where

A national service

PSC Register Changes is a Companies House or HMRC filing that works identically wherever your business is based, so it has one page for the whole United Kingdom rather than a page for each town. The process, the fee and the turnaround are the same for a company in Belfast, Glasgow, Cardiff or London. England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland: all covered.

Related

Other services in company formation & filings

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