Definition
The Companies House authentication code is a six-character code of letters and numbers that Companies House issues to every company. It works as the company’s electronic signature, so anyone filing online for the company, through WebFiling or commercial software, needs it. Companies House posts the code to the registered office, which is why directors often go looking for it when accounts or a confirmation statement fall due.
Getting or replacing the code
Request the code by signing in to Companies House WebFiling. It arrives by post at the registered office and can take up to 10 working days, so ask well before a deadline. If you cannot get into the registered office, Companies House can post it to your home address instead. Companies House never gives the code out by email or phone.
Authentication code or personal code?
The authentication code belongs to the company. The 11-character Companies House personal code belongs to a person who has verified their identity. Filing your confirmation statement online needs both: the company’s code to authorise the filing and a personal code for each director.
Keep it private
Anyone holding the code can change the company’s details online. Share it only with people you trust to file, such as an accountant handling your micro-entity accounts filing, and change it in WebFiling when a previous accountant stops acting.
Related questions
- What is a Companies House authentication code and how do I get one? It is the company's six-character filing code, requested through WebFiling and posted to the registered office.
- How do I file a confirmation statement? Sign in, enter the authentication code, check the company's details and give each director's personal code.
Related terms
-
WebFiling
WebFiling is Companies House's online service for filing company information without buying software.
Read definition -
GOV.UK One Login
GOV.UK One Login is the government's single sign-in account for online services, protected by two-factor authentication.
Read definition -
Registered office address
A registered office address is a company's official address on the Companies House register, where Companies House, HMRC and others send formal post…
Read definition -
Confirmation statement
A confirmation statement (form CS01) is the filing in which a company confirms that the information Companies House holds about it is correct, such as its officers…
Read definition
