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Data sources and updates

Being clear about where information comes from matters more than the information looking impressive. This page sets out our single data source, how current it is and what it cannot tell you.

Free to search. Company Search UK is an independent service and is not Companies House or part of the UK Government.

Our source

All company information on this site comes from the Companies House public register, retrieved through the official Companies House public data service. We do not merge in third-party datasets, scores or estimates.

Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

How current the information is

Search results and company summaries are retrieved when you search. Recently retrieved data may be served briefly from a short-lived cache to keep the site responsive, and any paid report is built from a fresh retrieval at the time of the order.

Every report records the exact date and time its data was retrieved, so the document is unambiguous about the point in time it represents.

Known limits of the register

  • Companies House does not verify most of what is filed with it
  • Filings can be late, so the register can lag behind reality
  • Small and micro-entity accounts contain very little financial detail
  • Ownership chains involving overseas entities can be hard to follow
  • Nothing on the register is a credit assessment or a statement of solvency

Corrections

We cannot amend the public register. If information about a company is wrong, it has to be corrected with Companies House by the company itself. If you think we have presented register data incorrectly, please contact us and we will look into it.

Free website search compared with the paid PDF report

Searching this site and viewing a company summary is free. The optional PDF report is paid, and what you are paying for is convenience: retrieval, formatting, a dated snapshot and a document you can download and keep. The underlying information is public and is also available directly from Companies House at no charge.

Free on this website

No charge

  • Company name, number and status
  • Incorporation date, company type and jurisdiction
  • Registered office address
  • Previous company names
  • Nature of business and SIC codes
Search a company free

UK Company Information Report

£14.99 one-off, per report

  • Everything in the free summary
  • Officers, and persons with significant control
  • Filing position, accounts dates and filing history summary
  • Registered charges and insolvency information
  • A dated, formatted A4 PDF to download, print, email and keep
See what the report includes

Related pages

Check a UK company now

Searching and viewing the company summary is free. Add the optional UK Company Information Report for £14.99 only if you want a dated PDF you can download, print, email and keep.

Independent of Companies House

Company Search UK is an independent service. It is not Companies House, it is not part of the UK Government, and it is not affiliated with or endorsed by either. Information comes from the Companies House public register and is presented as recorded at the date and time of retrieval. Nothing on this site is a credit report, credit score, identity or anti-money-laundering check, certified document, professional due diligence, or legal, financial or accounting advice.