How to correct wrong date of birth at Companies House

Sara White, Editor, Business & Accountancy Daily. Croner.

Companies House warns companies to check details for dates of birth of directors and person with significant control (PSC) as ID verification requirements highlights problem with wrong information.

This has become an issue since mandatory ID verification requirements were introduced by Companies House last autumn as the register clearly cannot process identity verification process if the original data does not correlate with the passport or other documents used for proof of date of birth.

It is vital to ensure dates of birth are correct before going through the identification process, and not surprisingly there are a lot of incorrect records on Companies House, which are only coming to light since the tightening of the rules as a result of mandatory ID verification.

Companies House stressed: ‘It’s important that your date of birth registered with Companies House is correct. To complete identity verification requirements, your details must be correct and match our records.’

All records on the register now state the due date for ID verification for directors and people with significant control (PSCs) so it is easy to check whether there are any details that are wrong and update them in time.

These rules apply to UK registered companies and limited liability partnerships (LLPs).

Time is of the essence. It may take up to 20 working days for a correction to be processed, as Companies House is ‘currently experiencing high demand’.

To update the incorrect record on the Companies House register, a replacement of the original filing document has to be re-submitted.

After the replacement has been submitted, there is then a wait period while Companies House checks the details, so it is not possible to complete an identity verification until it is processed.

Companies House advised: ‘To avoid delays, follow the guidance and submit your replacement filing online if possible. For example, to correct the date of birth for a director appointed after the company was registered.

‘If you’re authenticated to file online for the company, you can sign in to WebFiling and view the director or PSC’s details to see if their date of birth has been corrected.’

The updated guidance sets out the various requirements, for example If a director or PSC was added as part of company registration (IN01), and for a director appointed after the company was registered via AP01 appoint a director filing, which can be updated online via Companies House WebFiling service.

There are different requirements if the director was appointed before 1 October 2009, and while they do not need to file a replacement document or a form RP01, they will have to file the correct ‘change of particulars’ form.

The ‘date of change of particulars’ must be 30 September 2009 or earlier. If the error was made on the original appointment filing, the director’s appointment date must be provided.

There is also an update to the guidance explaining how to check if a company is registered for protected online filing, known as ‘PROOF’.