Guides
Guides to UK company records
Eight guides covering the questions we are asked most. Each starts with a short direct answer and links to the primary sources.
How to find a UK company registration number
Three reliable ways to find a UK company registration number, and how to confirm you have the right company before you rely on it.
Published 2026-09-17 · Reviewed 2026-09-17 · companies.house editorial team
Company number vs VAT number vs UTR
The three reference numbers UK businesses are asked for most often, what each one identifies and where to find it.
Published 2026-09-17 · Reviewed 2026-09-17 · companies.house editorial team
How to choose a SIC code
A practical method for picking a SIC code from the official Companies House condensed list, including what to do when two codes both look right.
Published 2026-09-17 · Reviewed 2026-09-17 · companies.house editorial team
How to read a company profile
What each field on a UK company record means, in the order it usually matters, and which fields are frequently misread.
Published 2026-09-17 · Reviewed 2026-09-17 · companies.house editorial team
What company status does and does not tell you
Active, dissolved, in liquidation and other register statuses explained, with the conclusions you should not draw from them.
Published 2026-09-17 · Reviewed 2026-09-17 · companies.house editorial team
Annual accounts vs confirmation statements
Two separate Companies House obligations with separate deadlines: what each one contains and why the dates rarely line up.
Published 2026-09-17 · Reviewed 2026-09-17 · companies.house editorial team
Registered office vs trading address
Why a company's registered office is often not where it works, and what that means when you are checking a business.
Published 2026-09-17 · Reviewed 2026-09-17 · companies.house editorial team
How to research a supplier using public company records
A repeatable checklist for using the public register to reduce risk when taking on a new supplier, and where the register stops being useful.
Published 2026-09-17 · Reviewed 2026-09-17 · companies.house editorial team
We verify legal statements, fees and deadlines against current primary sources before publishing, and hold anything unverifiable as a draft rather than publishing it. Our bylines are honest: guides are written and reviewed by the companies.house editorial team, not by invented named experts. See our editorial policy.