Personal code submissions: common themes and practical tips

Don’t forget your PSCs

Most firms are now familiar with providing director codes on the confirmation statement. Fewer have realised that PSCs require a separate VS01 submission. Our data shows that many PSC personal codes due since November remain unfiled.

To stay on top of this:

• Use our automated VS01 filing tool – this will submit any due or overdue VS01 as soon as the filing window opens, so deadlines aren’t missed – without you having to track each one manually. If you haven’t switched it on yet, it’s worth doing now.
• Run the personal code due-date report to identify which PSC codes you still need to collect.

VS01 deadlines are easy to overlook alongside the more familiar confirmation statement cycle. Switch on the automated filing tool once and it takes care of the rest – no chasing, no spreadsheets, no missed deadlines. It’s one of the most popular features we’ve launched this year.

Get proof of the verification and the code

Almost all rejected submissions containing personal codes could have been avoided. Rejections from Companies House are valid in most cases and nearly always relate to one of the following:

• Date of birth – a mismatch to the details verified
• Name (including middle names) – differing to the verified details
• Personal code – incorrectly entered

Seeing proof of what was used to verify the individual allows you to ensure that their name and date of birth are an exact match. Any discrepancy between the verified details and those held on file will lead to a rejection.

Obtaining the personal code securely from the client,  as a screenshot or in text, will reduce the risk of error. Many rejections have been caused by transposed characters, or letters and numbers that look alike being mixed up.

What to do if Companies House reject a submission

Across the tens of thousands of personal code submissions made so far in 2026, very few have needed Companies House intervention to be accepted. In our experience, where a submission is rejected, it is almost always for a legitimate reason and requires a correction to the name, date of birth or personal code before it can be resubmitted.

In some cases, the error lies in the data entered by the Authorised Corporate Service Provider (ACSP) when confirming the individual’s verification. If you are an ACSP, you can correct this while logged in to the GOV.UK service.

If a submission is rejected:

• Carefully review the data on the original filing and compare it to the verification details.
• Correct any errors in the records (for example, name or date of birth).
• Resubmit the personal code once those corrections have been processed.

Why might a code be accepted on one role but not another?

In some cases, a director or PSC’s code is accepted on one role but rejected on another within the same company, or as a director of a different company. This is because Companies House treats each record individually. Every director or PSC record must be an exact name and date of birth match to the verified details.

Unfortunately, explaining to Companies House that the code was accepted on another role is not sufficient. The necessary corrective filings must be made before resubmitting.

In this scenario, the Inform Direct report of persons is particularly useful. It provides a single spreadsheet of all records, which can be filtered to quickly identify discrepancies in name or date of birth.

What to do if a filing will be late

Certain corrections to personal data, such as updating a date of birth, require a second filing at Companies House. Processing times can mean the verification filing falls after the due date.

In this scenario, you can make a representation directly to Companies House for not filing an identity verification statement on time. This ensures you have a record of having taken the appropriate steps.

Still have clients who need verifying?

If you still have directors or PSCs who haven’t been through the identity verification process, you don’t need to send them elsewhere. Our identity checking solution lets you verify clients directly through Inform Direct — quickly, securely, and without the hassle of navigating them through a separate service.

Thousands of identity checks have already been completed through the platform. Here’s why firms are choosing to verify through Inform Direct:

• One place for everything – verify, collect personal codes, file at Companies House, and track compliance all from a single dashboard.
• Faster turnaround – most checks are completed in minutes, so you’re not waiting on clients to figure out a third-party process.
• Fewer rejections – because the verified details flow straight into your filings, the risk of name or date of birth mismatches drops significantly.
• A better client experience – a simple, guided process your clients can complete on any device.