Glossary

SIC code

Krishna Prasad Dahal, Chartered Accountant

Reviewed by Krishna Prasad Dahal FCCA, ACA (ICAEW), FCA (ICAI India)ICAEW Council Member · Last reviewed

Definition

A SIC (Standard Industrial Classification) code is a five-digit code that describes what a company does. Companies House uses a condensed version of the Office for National Statistics list, and every company states its intended business activity by SIC code when it incorporates. The code appears on the public register and is confirmed, or changed, on the company’s annual confirmation statement.

Codes that get mixed up

Code Description on the Companies House list
99999 Dormant Company
74990 Non-trading company
62020 Information technology consultancy activities

Dormant and non-trading do not mean the same thing, and the right code depends on what the company is actually doing. Read how the SIC codes for dormant and non-trading companies differ, and how the choice links to HMRC’s view of the company.

Only use codes from the condensed list. Companies House may reject a filing that uses a code outside it.

Changing your SIC code

The confirmation statement is how you report a new SIC code. It has an additional information section for SIC changes, so a company that moves from consultancy into property letting, for example, updates the code with its next statement.

Related questions

  • What is a confirmation statement? The CS01 filing, made at least once every 12 months, that confirms the company's details, including its SIC code.
  • Which SIC code does a dormant company use? 99999, "Dormant Company", while it is dormant.

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