Companies House ramps up Gov.UK One Login migration

Jacob Grattage, Reporter, Business & Accountancy Daily. Croner.

Migration to One Login to access company register ramps up as Companies House urges directors to create new accounts as Government Gateway access replaced.

Companies House confirmed the ‘main sign in’ option for accessing Companies House will be via Gov.uk One Login service with date for final mandatory switch in pipeline. The first step will be a refresh of the landing page when users access Companies House, linking to Gov.UK One Login as the primary option.

The latest step is part of a wider transition away from the Government Gateway system to access digital services across government departments. The latest changes build on Companies House’s wider programme to replace gateway access with Gov.UK One Login.

Companies House has now accelerated the migration, making Gov.UK One Login the ‘main sign in option’ for users.

The changes affect the ‘find and update company information’ service which directors use to file and amend records on the company register.

Companies House said the sign-in screen will change ‘in late August’ but did not clarify when exactly this will happen.

The announcement did not give an exact date for the ‘late August’ change.

 Ollie Garrod ACA, accounting expert at Croner said: ‘Companies House has flagged “late August” for Gov.UK One Login to become the default sign in, so this could land any day now.

‘That timing uncertainty is itself the point: directors shouldn’t be waiting for a specific date to act.’

On potential pitfalls for directors delaying creating a One Login account, Garrod warned: ‘The operational risk is fixed regardless of exactly when the switch flips.

‘Any company running a shared Companies House login between officers needs to sort individual logins before that account gets linked to One Login, because a shared account tied to One Login can trigger security controls that lock the whole team out.

‘Whether that’s a live risk today or next week, the fix is the same, and it’s much easier to sort out now rather than after a lockout.’

The announcement stated that ‘in the future, all users will need to move to Gov.UK One Login’, and that ‘we’ll give you plenty of notice before that happens’.

Companies House usually gives 18 months notice of any change affecting company directors, but has not clarified the timetable for the shutdown of the existing Government Gateway. Current users will have to scroll down the new page to find their old log-in entry point.

‘If you already have an account, you can keep signing in with your existing details for now. This option will be further down the sign in page,’ Companies House added.

However, since October 2025 any new company directors registering a new business have only been able to access services through a Gov.UK One Login account.

Companies House has been contacted for comment.