PSC (Persons of Significant Control) verification must be completed within 14 days of notification to Companies House or the company risks losing filing ability. This tight window means practices must verify PSCs immediately on instruction.
What is the 14-day PSC verification window?
When a PSC change occurs (e.g., a new owner joins the company), the company must notify Companies House within the required timeframe (typically within 14 days of the change). Companies House then requires verification of the new PSC within 14 days of notification. If verification doesn’t complete, Companies House flags the company as having a ‘verification in progress’ status and may restrict certain filings.
What triggers the 14-day clock?
The clock starts when the company notifies Companies House of the PSC change. The company must upload evidence of the new PSC’s identity and confirm they’ve contacted the PSC to verify the information. In practice, practices should trigger their PSC verification workflow the moment the client informs them of a PSC change. Don’t wait to notify Companies House first.
What happens if verification isn’t completed in time?
If verification isn’t completed within 14 days, Companies House displays a ‘verification in progress’ notice on the public register. More critically, the company can face restrictions on filing confirmations statements or other document changes until verification is cleared. In extreme cases, repeated non-compliance can lead to strike-off proceedings.
Practices that miss verification windows lose client trust fast. One missed PSC verification can cost you a client and damage your firm’s reputation.
How do you verify a PSC who doesn’t respond quickly?
In this case, send a second request via different channels (email, post, phone). If there’s still no response within 7 days, escalate to the client (the company director) and ask them to contact the PSC directly. Make it clear to the client that non-verification risks compliance issues.
If the PSC genuinely cannot be reached, document your attempts and notify Companies House of the impediment. Companies House has provisions for this, but documentation must be thorough.
What’s the most common reason PSC verification fails?
Identity mismatch. The PSC submits a passport in their married name, but the company records list them by their maiden name. Documents show different middle initials. Dates of birth don’t match. These are easily resolved with client clarification, but they cause delays. To prevent this, ask the client to confirm the exact name, date of birth, and address the PSC will use for verification before you request the verification document.
How do practices manage multiple PSC verifications simultaneously?
Automated deadline tracking is essential. Inform Direct by Bright maintains a verification status dashboard so you can see at a glance which PSCs are verified, which are pending, and which are approaching deadline. Without this, managing five simultaneous verifications across 100 clients becomes impossible.