Company data explained
Clear, factual answers to the questions people ask about UK companies and the Companies House register — what the data means, and how to use it.
What is an SIC code?
An SIC code (Standard Industrial Classification) is a five-digit number that records what a UK company does. Companies House uses SIC 2007 — a condensed list of around 730 codes — to classify every company’s main activity. A company must give at least one SIC code (and may give up to four) when it incorporates and again on each annual confirmation statement.
Read guide →How to find a company’s directors
You can find any UK company’s directors free on the public Companies House register. For each current and former officer, the register shows their name, role (director, secretary, etc.), date of appointment, nationality, occupation, partial date of birth (month and year), and a correspondence (service) address. Search the company by name or number on Company Shark and open its officers list.
Read guide →What is a dormant company?
A dormant company is a registered company that has had no “significant accounting transactions” during a financial year — essentially, it is not trading. It still legally exists and stays on the register, but because it is inactive it can file simplified dormant accounts and is treated differently by HMRC. “Dormant” is about activity, not a separate company type.
Read guide →How to check if a company is still trading
To check if a UK company is still trading, look at its “company status” on the register (Active, Dissolved, Liquidation, etc.), then check the dates of its most recent accounts and confirmation statement. A company that is Active and has filed on time is almost certainly still operating; overdue filings or an insolvency status are warning signs.
Read guide →What is a registered office address?
A registered office is the official address of a UK company, held on the public register, where legal and government mail is sent. Every company must have one, it must be in the same UK jurisdiction the company is registered in (England & Wales, Scotland, or Northern Ireland), and — since 2024 — it must be an “appropriate address” where someone can acknowledge delivery of documents.
Read guide →UK company number explained
A UK company number — the Company Registration Number or CRN — is the unique 8-character identifier Companies House gives a company when it incorporates. It never changes for the life of the company. England & Wales numbers are 8 digits (e.g. 01234567); Scottish companies are prefixed SC, Northern Irish ones NI, and other forms have their own letters (OC for LLPs, etc.).
Read guide →What is a person with significant control (PSC)?
A person with significant control (PSC) is someone who owns or controls a UK company — the people behind the business, as opposed to the directors who run it. The main tests are holding more than 25% of shares, more than 25% of voting rights, the right to appoint or remove most of the board, or otherwise exercising significant influence or control. Companies must keep a PSC register and report it to Companies House.
Read guide →Ltd vs PLC vs LLP: UK company types explained
The three most common UK business structures on the register are the private company limited by shares (Ltd), the public limited company (PLC), and the limited liability partnership (LLP). All give their owners limited liability and must file at Companies House, but they differ in how they raise capital, who can own them, and how they are run.
Read guide →Company status explained (Active, Dissolved & more)
A company’s status is the official state of its registration at Companies House. The most common values are Active (on the register, not dissolved), Dissolved (closed and removed), Liquidation and Administration (insolvency processes), and “Active proposal to strike off” (being removed, usually for overdue filings). Status describes the registration — not, on its own, whether the business is trading.
Read guide →How to find a company’s accounts
Every UK company must file annual accounts at Companies House, and they are public and free to view. The filing history lists each set of accounts, confirmation statements, and other documents with their dates. Small and micro companies can file abridged or “filetted” accounts that omit a profit-and-loss account, so the public version may show less detail than the full accounts.
Read guide →What is a confirmation statement?
A confirmation statement (form CS01) is an annual filing in which a UK company confirms that the information Companies House holds about it — registered office, officers, people with significant control, share capital and SIC codes — is correct and up to date. Every company and LLP must file one at least once a year, even if nothing has changed and even if the company is dormant.
Read guide →Company insolvency explained
Insolvency is when a company can no longer pay its debts as they fall due, or its liabilities exceed its assets. The main UK processes are liquidation (winding the company up and selling its assets), administration (a rescue process led by an administrator), receivership (a secured creditor recovering what it is owed), and a Company Voluntary Arrangement or CVA (a deal to repay creditors over time). Each appears as a status and as filings on the public register.
Read guide →How to find UK companies by industry
The way to find UK companies in a specific industry is to search the register by SIC code — the official classification of what each company does. Pick the SIC code(s) for your target industry, then narrow by location and incorporation date to produce a clean, current list you can export. Company Shark groups related SIC codes into industries to make this easier.
Read guide →Browse every UK industry
Explore the official SIC 2007 classification — over 1,000 industry codes, each with live company counts and examples.
Browse SIC codes