Sell Ltd
Last updated 1 January 1970

PSC Lookup — Persons with Significant Control

TL;DR
Free lookup of beneficial owners (PSCs) for any UK limited company. Live from Companies House — shows control bands, RLE chains and ceased controllers.

No number? Find it via the free company checker.

PSC in plain English

The PSC register was created to end the era of anonymous UK shell ownership. Since 2016, every UK limited company has been required to disclose the individuals — or the entities in a controlling chain — that ultimately own or control it. It's the closest thing the UK has to a public UBO (Ultimate Beneficial Owner) register, and it's genuinely free.

A person is a PSC if they meet one of five statutory tests: more than 25% of shares, more than 25% of voting rights, the right to appoint or remove a majority of directors, or otherwise exercising "significant influence or control" (a catch-all that captures shadow directors and controlling advisors). Ownership is disclosed in bands (25–50%, 50–75%, 75–100%) — not exact percentages.

How to read a PSC filing

  • Individual PSC — an actual person. Name, nationality, month/year of birth and country of residence disclosed.
  • Relevant Legal Entity (RLE) — another company or LLP that itself meets the PSC tests. Follow the chain: look up the RLE and see its PSC.
  • Statement — no PSC identified, or investigation ongoing. Companies without PSCs must file a positive statement saying so.
  • Trust — a trust that meets the tests. Trustee named; beneficiary usually not.

Common ownership-hiding patterns (and how to read them)

Sophisticated ownership structures usually involve an offshore holding entity as the disclosed PSC — often a BVI, Jersey or Guernsey company. Under UK rules the RLE must itself be UK-regulated or you need to disclose the underlying person, so the trick has gotten harder since 2023's ECCTA reforms. But there are still common patterns:

  1. Nominee shareholders — someone holds shares "on trust" for someone else. The nominee is disclosed; the beneficial owner sometimes isn't.
  2. Trust chains — a trust is the PSC, and the trust's beneficiary sits outside the register. This is legal but limits transparency.
  3. Missing filings — some companies simply don't file. That's a criminal offence now, and one Companies House is prosecuting more aggressively.

What paid tools add

Enterprise KYC tools (DueDil/FullCircl, Kompany, Verif AI) automate the RLE traversal — give them a UK company and they'll walk the ownership chain across jurisdictions to the underlying individual, then screen that individual against sanctions and PEP lists. That's expensive (£8k–£40k/year) and worth it when you're an FCA-regulated firm onboarding hundreds of counterparties. For low-frequency lookups, walking the chain manually with this tool works fine.

See our honest ranking in Best paid UK company checker and the head-to-heads: DueDil vs Red Flag Alert, Verif AI vs Sell Ltd.

Adjacent free tools

Frequently asked questions

What is a PSC?

Person with Significant Control. Under the Small Business, Enterprise and Employment Act 2015, every UK company must disclose the individuals or entities who ultimately control it. Broadly: anyone with >25% of shares, >25% of voting rights, right to appoint/remove majority of directors, or otherwise exercising significant influence.

Is PSC data the same as a shareholder list?

No — and this is the most common confusion. PSC captures beneficial control, not every shareholder. A holder of 20% shares appears nowhere; a 26% holder appears here. For the full shareholder register you need the SH01 filings inside the accounts documents.

How reliable is PSC data?

It's filed under criminal penalty for false statement, and Companies House recently gained new verification powers under ECCTA 2023. That said, ~2–4% of PSC filings are known to contain gaps or nominee arrangements. Treat it as high-quality but not infallible.

What does 'ownership 25–50%' actually mean?

Companies House uses banded disclosure — 25–50%, 50–75%, 75–100%. You know the range, not the exact percentage. That's why the free register is a good starting point for UBO checks but not enough for regulated AML.

Can a PSC be another company?

Yes — 'Relevant Legal Entity' (RLE). Chains of RLEs are the usual way UBO ownership is obscured. Follow each RLE back to the ultimate individual — you may need multiple lookups.

Are all directors PSCs?

No. Many directors have no equity — they're employees or paid NEDs. And many PSCs are not directors — silent controlling shareholders, family trusts, private-equity vehicles.

What if a company has no PSCs disclosed?

Either it genuinely has no controllers >25% (rare for SMEs), it's a listed company with a specific exemption, or the filing is missing. The absence of PSC data is itself worth investigating.

Is this good enough for KYC?

For informal or low-risk KYC — yes. For regulated AML onboarding you need a specialist tool that traverses RLE chains automatically, screens against sanctions/PEP lists and produces an audit trail. See our

Can I search PSCs by name?

Not directly — the Companies House PSC index isn't searchable by name in the free API. This tool goes the other way: give a company number, see its PSCs.

How current is PSC data?

Live. Any PSC01, PSC02 or PSC07 filing appears within minutes.

Does PSC show trusts?

Yes — trusts appear when they meet the significant-control tests. The trustee's name is disclosed; the beneficiary usually isn't.

Where do I look next after a PSC lookup?

The PSC's other directorships (via our director-check tool), the company's confirmation statement history (to see how ownership has moved), and the SH01 documents for the exact percentage.

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