Guidance on the PSC Regime
Most UK incorporated companies, UK LLPs and UK Societates must identify the people who have significant control over them. This information must be provided to Companies House, which holds a register of People with Significant Control (PSC register) for each entity registered with it. Companies House must always have information about a company's PSCs, or an update on the status of a company's investigations to establish whether or not they have any.
This duty arises under the Companies Act 2006, as amended by the Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act 2023.
This collection provides a short guidance note and a practical checklist aimed at directors and company secretaries to help you understand the PSC regime, the information that must be provided to Companies House and the timeframe within which this must happen. The abolition of a company's own individually held statutory PSC register is a significant change to the PSC regime and companies need to make sure that they get the process right.
When Should You Use These Templates?
✅ You need to understand what the PSC regime requires and who may need to be recorded as a PSC
✅ You are compiling the information to send to Companies House for the first time and want a structured approach
✅ You need a practical checklist for collecting, recording and maintaining PSC information
✅ You are a director or company secretary responsible for PSC compliance
Guidance on the PSC Regime is part of Corporate. Just £38.50 + VAT provides unlimited downloads from Corporate for 1 year.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where do we start when identifying our company's PSCs? +
Start with the company's own records: the articles of association, the register of members and any shareholders' agreement, then trace indirect holdings through any corporate shareholders. Most owner-managed companies can identify their PSCs from these alone. Where the position is unclear, statutory notices compel confirmation. The Guidance Note and checklist in this section walk through each test and the information Companies House needs.
Is holding exactly 25% enough to make someone a PSC? +
No. Each ownership condition requires more than 25% of the shares or voting rights, so a holder of exactly 25% does not meet those tests, although they could still qualify under the significant influence or control condition on other facts. Joint arrangements are aggregated, so two holders acting together can qualify through their combined stake. The guidance note explains the thresholds and the control bands used in filings.
Do we still keep our own PSC register? +
Not as a statutory requirement. From 18 November 2025 the company's individually held statutory PSC register was abolished and the Companies House register is the sole official record, with information filed directly. Many companies still keep an internal record for governance and due diligence, using the templates in the PSC and RLE Registers section, but the legal duty is now to keep Companies House accurate and current.
Does the PSC regime apply to our LLP as well? +
Yes. LLPs must identify their PSCs and file the information directly with Companies House in much the same way as companies, with the ownership conditions adapted: rights to more than 25% of surplus assets on a winding up, more than 25% of members' voting rights or the right to appoint or remove a majority of those involved in management. LLP specific notices, registers and forms sit in the PSC Documents for Limited Liability Partnerships section.
