Company checker FAQ — 30 answered questions
Searching & the basics
How do I find a UK company on Companies House?
Go to find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk and search by name or number. Every UK limited company is on the register — for free, no login required.
Is the Companies House data trustworthy?
For structural data (name, number, directors, addresses, filings dates) — yes, it's the statutory record. For financial data, remember accounts are directors' declarations and small filers aren't audited.
How much does a company check cost?
Nothing. The core Companies House data has been free since 2015. Paid tools bundle it with a credit score and monitoring.
Can I download the PDFs?
Yes — every filing has a PDF download on the filing history tab. Free.
How do I get bulk data?
Companies House publishes free monthly data snapshots and a paid Free Company Information API. Third-party APIs (Sell Ltd, Endole, Creditsafe) enrich it with credit scores.
Officers & PSC
How do I check a director's history?
Search their name on Companies House and click the officer record. Every appointment is listed with dates. Or use our free director check for a phoenix-pattern view.
Can I see a director's other companies?
Yes — every appointment is public. Our officer network explorer maps the connections visually.
How do I check who owns a company?
Read the PSC register on Companies House. For deeper detail (shareholders, holding chains) see our ownership guide.
What does 'no PSC identified' mean?
The company hasn't disclosed a Person with Significant Control. Occasionally legitimate (widely-held), often a red flag on smaller entities.
Can I check director disqualifications?
Yes — the Insolvency Service publishes the register of disqualified directors at gov.uk/government/publications/register-of-disqualified-directors.
Filings & accounts
How often do UK companies file accounts?
Once a year, 9 months after year-end (small companies) or 6 months (public companies).
What's a CS01?
The annual confirmation statement — a lighter filing confirming who the directors, PSCs and shareholders are.
What are 'total exemption small' accounts?
Small company accounts under FRS 102 Section 1A — abridged, unaudited, no P&L on file.
How do I read micro-entity accounts?
They're two pages, balance sheet only. See our dedicated guide.
Do all filings appear immediately?
There's usually a lag of a day or two between filing and public appearance. Overdue filings resolve on the register within 24-48 hours of the corrected filing being accepted.
Financial health & credit
How do I check a business credit score?
Free options include our credit score tool, which uses transparent Companies House heuristics. Paid tools (Creditsafe, Experian) run proprietary models.
Are Companies House accounts audited?
Only medium and large companies are required to be audited. Small and micro-entity filers are exempt.
How do I check for charges (secured lending)?
The 'Charges' tab on Companies House shows every registered charge. Multiple recent charges from short-term lenders is a distress signal.
How do I check for CCJs?
Public via the Registry Trust (trustonline.org.uk) for a small fee, or bundled into paid credit reports.
Can I check payment behaviour?
Large filers must report payment practices twice a year on gov.uk/check-when-businesses-pay-invoices. Useful signal on B2B suppliers.
Risk, fraud & insolvency
How do I check if a company is real?
Follow our 10-step legitimacy guide — combines Companies House, HMRC and Gazette checks.
How do I check for insolvency?
Search the London Gazette (thegazette.co.uk) and check Companies House filing history for 'Statement of affairs' or 'Progress report'.
How do I check for a phoenix company?
Cross-reference the director's other appointments — a dissolved company with the same director in the same sector is a phoenix pattern.
What's a VAT missing-trader (MTIC) fraud?
A scheme where a fraudulent supplier disappears without paying HMRC, leaving the buyer with an unrecoverable input tax claim. Always check VAT numbers.
What if I've been defrauded?
Report to Action Fraud (actionfraud.police.uk). Preserve evidence. If the entity is real but a shell, pursue directors personally for misrepresentation.
Using Sell Ltd
What does Sell Ltd do?
We're the free UK checker and marketplace for buying, growing and selling limited companies. Everything on Companies House, plus credit scoring, plus a live marketplace of businesses for sale.
Is Sell Ltd free?
Company checker, credit score, director check, PSC lookup — all free. Paid plans unlock IM generation, buyer outreach, and marketplace listings.
How is Sell Ltd different from Endole?
Endole is a data reseller. Sell Ltd is built for people buying and selling companies — the data is the starting point, not the product.
Can't find your question?
Every UK company topic we've written is linked from the free UK company checker hub. For definitions of specific terms, see the Companies House glossary. For our full suite of interactive tools, browse the free company checker, credit score tool, director check, and PSC lookup.
Frequently asked questions
How do I find a UK company on Companies House?
Go to find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk and search by name or number. Every UK limited company is on the register — for free, no login required.
Is the Companies House data trustworthy?
For structural data (name, number, directors, addresses, filings dates) — yes, it's the statutory record. For financial data, remember accounts are directors' declarations and small filers aren't audited.
How much does a company check cost?
Nothing. The core Companies House data has been free since 2015. Paid tools bundle it with a credit score and monitoring.
Can I download the PDFs?
Yes — every filing has a PDF download on the filing history tab. Free.
How do I get bulk data?
Companies House publishes free monthly data snapshots and a paid Free Company Information API. Third-party APIs (Sell Ltd, Endole, Creditsafe) enrich it with credit scores.
How do I check a director's history?
Search their name on Companies House and click the officer record. Every appointment is listed with dates. Or use our free director check for a phoenix-pattern view.
Can I see a director's other companies?
Yes — every appointment is public. Our officer network explorer maps the connections visually.
How do I check who owns a company?
Read the PSC register on Companies House. For deeper detail (shareholders, holding chains) see our ownership guide.
What does 'no PSC identified' mean?
The company hasn't disclosed a Person with Significant Control. Occasionally legitimate (widely-held), often a red flag on smaller entities.
Can I check director disqualifications?
Yes — the Insolvency Service publishes the register of disqualified directors at gov.uk/government/publications/register-of-disqualified-directors.
How often do UK companies file accounts?
Once a year, 9 months after year-end (small companies) or 6 months (public companies).
What's a CS01?
The annual confirmation statement — a lighter filing confirming who the directors, PSCs and shareholders are.
What are 'total exemption small' accounts?
Small company accounts under FRS 102 Section 1A — abridged, unaudited, no P&L on file.
How do I read micro-entity accounts?
They're two pages, balance sheet only. See our dedicated guide.
Do all filings appear immediately?
There's usually a lag of a day or two between filing and public appearance. Overdue filings resolve on the register within 24-48 hours of the corrected filing being accepted.
How do I check a business credit score?
Free options include our credit score tool, which uses transparent Companies House heuristics. Paid tools (Creditsafe, Experian) run proprietary models.
Are Companies House accounts audited?
Only medium and large companies are required to be audited. Small and micro-entity filers are exempt.
How do I check for charges (secured lending)?
The 'Charges' tab on Companies House shows every registered charge. Multiple recent charges from short-term lenders is a distress signal.
How do I check for CCJs?
Public via the Registry Trust (trustonline.org.uk) for a small fee, or bundled into paid credit reports.
Can I check payment behaviour?
Large filers must report payment practices twice a year on gov.uk/check-when-businesses-pay-invoices. Useful signal on B2B suppliers.
How do I check if a company is real?
Follow our 10-step legitimacy guide — combines Companies House, HMRC and Gazette checks.
How do I check for insolvency?
Search the London Gazette (thegazette.co.uk) and check Companies House filing history for 'Statement of affairs' or 'Progress report'.
How do I check for a phoenix company?
Cross-reference the director's other appointments — a dissolved company with the same director in the same sector is a phoenix pattern.
What's a VAT missing-trader (MTIC) fraud?
A scheme where a fraudulent supplier disappears without paying HMRC, leaving the buyer with an unrecoverable input tax claim. Always check VAT numbers.
What if I've been defrauded?
Report to Action Fraud (actionfraud.police.uk). Preserve evidence. If the entity is real but a shell, pursue directors personally for misrepresentation.
What does Sell Ltd do?
We're the free UK checker and marketplace for buying, growing and selling limited companies. Everything on Companies House, plus credit scoring, plus a live marketplace of businesses for sale.
Is Sell Ltd free?
Company checker, credit score, director check, PSC lookup — all free. Paid plans unlock IM generation, buyer outreach, and marketplace listings.
How is Sell Ltd different from Endole?
Endole is a data reseller. Sell Ltd is built for people buying and selling companies — the data is the starting point, not the product.
Can I list my business for sale?
Yes — free to list. See our seller journey.
Can I browse businesses for sale?
Yes — the marketplace is free to browse.
Keep exploring
Every UK company research tool we've built, plus honest reviews of the paid alternatives.
- Free UK Company CheckerFree hub — check any UK limited company, compare against paid tools
- Endole review 2026Long-form review: pricing, features, real Trustpilot verdict
- Endole alternativeFree tools that match or beat Endole's paid data
- Endole pricing (2026)Every tier decoded — where the hidden costs sit
- Is Endole free?The honest answer — what's free, what's paywalled
- Endole vs Companies HouseThe statutory register vs the paid data reseller
- Endole vs CompanyCheckFeature and pricing comparison of the two UK data resellers
- Endole vs DueDilSME research vs Experian's B2B intelligence platform
- Endole vs Red Flag AlertGeneral research vs a specialist financial-health monitor