What you need to know about becoming an Authorised Corporate Service Provider

Significant changes impacting accountancy practices and their clients and how they interact with Companies House will be introduced over the coming months. It is important that firms understand what changes lie ahead and are prepared for those changes.

Identity verification (IDV) is a key measure brought in by the Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act 2023. This means Companies House will be required to verify the identity of anyone who is submitting information to the public register, including those acting on behalf of a company or other entity that must register with Companies House. 
 
To complete IDV, directors and people with significant control (PSCs) will have the option of verifying directly with Companies House, using GOV.UK One Login, or through a third-party provider, such as an accountant or other professional service provider. 
 
Third-party providers who wish to offer IDV services will need to register with Companies House as an Authorised Corporate Service Provider (ACSP). ACSPs will also be known as Companies House authorised agents. The registration service will open on 18 March 2025. The fee for registering as an ACSP with Companies House will be £55. ACSPs will be able to carry out and submit IDVs to Companies House from 8 April 2025. 
 
While only ACSPs that plan to provide IDV services are required to register at this time, in the future, third-party providers who plan to file information on behalf of others (such as accounts, confirmation statements, and other forms) will also need to register as ACSPs.  
 
While it is easy to think that accountants submitting accounts and other documents on behalf of clients will require to be ACSPs, the scope is also likely to extend much further. For example, if there is a group of companies and one employee or company files on behalf of all companies in the group then that individual or company will require to become an ACSP. 
 
Those that require to register as an ACSP will be able to do so any time after the ACSP registration service opens. It is expected that anyone wishing to submit information other than IDVs to Companies House will require to be registered as an ACSP by spring 2026 at the latest. 
 
To be eligible to register as an ACSP, individuals and firms must be supervised by a relevant UK Anti-Money Laundering (AML) supervisory body. For ICAS regulated firms your AML supervision through ICAS will qualify. 
 
For sole traders, additional information will need to be provided, for example dates of birth. 
 
Once registered, ACSPs will be provided with a new digital account and a unique identity number. This will allow them to file information and complete IDVs for clients. Other people who work for the ACSP provider will also be able to be added and approved. They will then be able to carry out identity checks and file accounts for clients. 
 
To get ready to register as an ACSP you can:    

• Make sure you understand the upcoming changes to UK company law under the Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act 2023.  
• Review and update your identity verification processes to make sure they meet the new requirements.  
• Locate your AML supervision membership number ready for your registration (for ICAS AML regulated firms this is your ICAS firm number).

Companies House have issued 3 sets of guidance to assist ACSPs:

• Applying to register as an ASCP
• Understanding your role as an ACSP
• How to meet their identity verification standard when verifying someone’s identity as an ACSP.

Learn more