This month marks the start of a new era of corporate transparency in the UK. Driven by the Economic Crime & Corporate Transparency Act (ECCT Act), Companies House has begun rolling out the biggest overhaul to business identity verification rules in decades. If you run a creative agency, a production outfit, or a small media business, some of these changes will hit your admin list very soon.
Here’s what you need to know, and what you need to do next.
1. Mandatory identity verification for directors and PSCs
This is the headline change.
Every director, every Person With Significant Control (PSC), and anyone who files information on behalf of a company will soon need to undergo biometric identity verification.
Some important implications for creative businesses:
- If your agency has two or three directors, all must verify, not just one.
- If a spouse, parent or investor owns >25%, they must verify too.
- If you use a creative producer or studio manager to file your Confirmation Statement through your company’s software or agent, they’ll need verified access.
- New directors cannot be appointed until verified.
Verification will be done either directly with Companies House, or via approved providers such as your accountant.
Action point:
Have your passport or driving licence at the ready and let all directors and significant shareholders of your company know.
2. Stronger checks on company formation
If you’re one of those creative entrepreneurs who forms a new company for every project, be aware that:
- Companies House will now run much stricter checks at incorporation.
- You’ll need verification before you can file.
- New companies must provide a “lawful purpose statement”. A short declaration that you intend to run a legitimate business.
This finally puts an end to the old days of forming a company in 3 minutes with near-zero checks.
Action point:
If you’re planning to spin up a new company for a new agency brand, production arm, or side project, allow a little extra time for the new checks.
3. New powers to query information — and reject filings
Companies House now has the authority to:
- Query suspicious information
- Request evidence
- Reject filings entirely
- Remove incorrect information from the register
For creative agencies, the most common tripwires will be:
- Incorrect PSC information (for example, spouse ownership % not matching the share register)
- Out-of-date registered office addresses (agencies often move studios frequently)
- Inconsistent director details
- Dormant companies that are actually trading
Action point:
Review your statutory records NOW — especially your share register and PSCs — before your next Confirmation Statement.
4. New obligations around registered office addresses
Registered office addresses must now be “appropriate addresses”, meaning:
- You must be contactable there.
- Mail must reach you.
- It can’t be a purely “mail drop" provider.
For creatives working from shared studios or co-working spaces, be careful:
- Some co-working providers no longer allow use as a registered office.
- Some virtual office services won’t meet the new standard.
Action point:
Check that your current registered office meets the new "appropriate address" criteria.
5. More scrutiny on micro-entities and creative side projects
Many creatives operate multiple micro companies:
– personal brand
– agency
– production vehicle
– one-off film project
– merch brand
– digital product side hustle
Companies House changes mean increased scrutiny on:
- Dormant companies that shouldn’t be dormant
- Micro-entity accounts that look inconsistent
- Frequent changes to officers or PSCs
Action point:
Ask your accountant to review your group of companies so you don’t accidentally fall foul of the new transparency rules.
Why this matters now
Creative businesses often rely on speed: set up a brand, launch a project, collaborate quickly, scale fast. But with the new ECCT Act requirements, Companies House is no longer a passive filing cabinet, it’s an active regulator.
You will need:
- Verified directors
- Correct PSC records
- An appropriate registered office
- Cleaner statutory books
- Extra time for incorporations
- Higher-quality accounts and filings
This isn’t optional. Companies House will be enforcing.
What’s Coming Next: Companies House Fees Are About to Rise
Alongside the transparency and ID-verification changes, Companies House has confirmed that many of its statutory filing fees will increase from 1 February 2026.
Here are the headline fee changes to note for creative businesses:
- The digital incorporation fee will increase from £50 to £100.
- The digital Confirmation Statement filing fee will increase from £34 to £50.
- Some paper-filing fees and less usual filings (overseas entity registration, ACSP registration) also see increases.
- A few fees are actually reducing (for example the digital voluntary strike-off fee drops from £33 to £13).
Why this matters for creative businesses:
- If you’re spinning up a new company (for a production arm, new content brand, side-project) the cost to incorporate will double, so it’s worth doing it before February if feasible.
- Your annual cost for Confirmation Statement filings will increase, so you’ll want to budget accordingly.
- If you have multiple companies (common in media/creative world), the cumulative impact can be meaningful.
- The change reinforces the broader theme: compliance is becoming more expensive and more structured — so maintaining tidy statutory records (director/PSC data, registered office address, share registers) is now even more important.
Action point:
If you’re planning to form a new company or file a Confirmation Statement in early 2026, consider doing it before 1 February 2026 to lock in the current (lower) fees. Also revisit your company structure now — ask whether each vehicle is serving a clear purpose given the increased cost of maintenance.
How ESXR can help
We have tools and processes to streamline director and PSC verification, check your statutory records, and keep your compliance tight, so you can focus on running a creative business without the admin headaches.
If you want an early check-up on your statutory filings, just drop us a message.
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