Update – 18th March 2025:

Further to the postponement by Companies House of the start date for the registration of Authorised Corporate Service Providers (ACSPs) which was originally due to roll out on 25th February, Companies House has advised that the new start date is now to be 18th March 2025.

A Companies House spokesperson stated:

  • “We are transforming our technology infrastructure to implement new measures under the Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act and have built in time to ensure everything operates properly before customers are required to comply with changes.
  • We have identified areas with our service to register as an authorised corporate service provider that require final testing.
  • We are addressing these ahead of launching the service to make sure it works perfectly for our customers.”

Get ready to register as an Authorised Corporate Service Provider (ACSP) with Companies House from 18th March 2025

Authorised Corporate Service Providers (ACSPs) are individuals or organisations that undertake anti-money laundering (AML) supervised activity, such as:

  • Company formation agents
  • Solicitors
  • Accountants
  • Chartered secretaries and governance professionals

Becoming an ACSP

To become an ACSP, agents must be supervised within the UK by one of the relevant Anti-Money Laundering (AML) supervisory bodies, such as:

  • HMRC
  • Financial Conduct Authority
  • The Insolvency Practitioners Association
  • Solicitors Regulation Authority

There are 25 supervisory bodies in the UK in total and a full list of supervisory bodies can be found on the GOV.UK site.

Registering as an ACSP with Companies House 

If you hold a senior role within the business, such as a director or sole trader, you’ll need to complete a registration process to register your business as an ACSP.

From 18th March 2025, you can apply to become an ACSP using Companies House’s new ‘Apply to register as a Companies House authorised agent’ service.

You’ll be asked to complete identity verification as part of the application and provide information about the business. You’ll also need to pay a £55 registration fee.

Once registered, you’ll be provided with a new digital account and unique identity number. This will allow you to file information and complete identity verification for your clients.

The person registering the business as an ACSP can add other people who work for the business to the authorised agent account once it’s registered and approved.

For further information on any points raised in this article, please contact Amanda Sells on 01392 260125 or email amandasells@wbw.co.uk.

WBW Solicitors has offices in Axminster, Bovey Tracey, Brixham, Chard, Exeter, Exmouth, Honiton, Launceston, Newton Abbot, Paignton, Seaton, Sidmouth, and Torquay.

This article is for general information only and does not constitute legal or professional advice. Please note that the law may have changed since this article was published.