Published 28 August 2026 · updated 9 September 2026 · 5 min read
Every UK company must identify its people with significant control and record them on a public register. It is one of the few company filings where an error is a criminal matter rather than a fine.
Who counts
Anyone who meets one or more of the statutory conditions. In practice, for most small companies, that means anyone holding more than 25% of the shares or more than 25% of the voting rights. It also catches anyone who can appoint or remove a majority of directors, or who otherwise exercises significant influence or control.
Where it gets complicated
- A company above you. If a holding company owns your shares, you look through it: the PSC is usually the person at the top of the chain, and the intermediate company is recorded as a relevant legal entity.
- Trusts. Control exercised through a trust needs the people behind it identified.
- Joint arrangements. Shareholders who have agreed to vote together may be treated as holding each other's rights.
- Influence without shares. Someone who directs how the company is run, without owning any of it, can still be a PSC. This is the condition people most often miss.
When there is nobody
A company with four equal shareholders may have no PSC at all. That is a legitimate answer — but it must be recorded as such. Leaving the register blank is not the same as recording that there is no PSC, and Companies House treats the two differently.
Keeping it current
The register must be updated when the position changes, and confirmed annually on the confirmation statement. A share issue or transfer that pushes someone over 25% changes the PSC position the day it happens, not the day you next file.
Why it is worth being careful
Failing to comply is an offence by the company and its officers. More practically, banks read the PSC register during onboarding, and a register that does not match what you tell them is one of the quickest ways to have an application refused.
Nothing here is advice about your situation
It is general information about how UK company registration works, written to be accurate at the time of publication. Rules and fees change. Where a decision matters — tax, structure, an insolvent company — take advice on your own facts.