United Kingdom business credit reports

Information to prepare for your United Kingdom company check

• Registered company name
• Companies House company number, including any leading letters or zeros
• Registered office address and postcode

Include the identifiers you have. If the legal entity is uncertain, ask our team before ordering. Do not substitute your billing details for the subject company’s details.

Start with Companies House

Companies House provides public company information, including registered details, officers, document images, charges, and insolvency information. You can search the register using a company name or number. Keep the registered number with your request so that a similarly named business is not mistaken for your subject company.

Source: GOV.UK: get information about a company (opens in a new tab).

Registration information and a credit assessment

A Companies House search can answer basic identity questions. When a credit team needs a company report, it may also want available financial information, payment experience, and an assessment presented together. Check the report description and sample format against those requirements before buying.

Check the entity and accounting period

A UK group may contain several companies with related names. Identify the specific company on the contract or invoice. In the delivered report, read the financial period alongside the report date: a recently compiled document can still contain accounts for an earlier financial year.

Use a UK registration match in a company credit review

• Retain the complete Companies House number, including leading letters and zeros, across the report request and any documents supplied. A familiar group name alone may refer to more than one company.
• Compare the registered office with the trading address without assuming they must be identical. Ask the counterparty to explain a discrepancy and identify which address is used for its actual operations.
• Define the information missing from your Companies House review. If your team needs available payment experience or an assessment, compare the report description with that need before ordering.
• Read the financial year and company or group scope alongside the report date. Recently obtained information may describe an earlier period or a different entity from the one on your agreement.

For help defining the enquiry, contact our report team with the company details you have.

What can the report include?

Depending on the company and available sources, a report may cover registration, ownership, financial statements, payment information, public records, and a credit assessment. Information is not equally available in every market. Check the company identity, source dates, and qualifications in the delivered report.

View sample report PDFs to explore the format, or read what an international business credit report includes.

Our report-reading walkthrough explains the dates, currency, payment fields, and missing information in an existing sample.

Do I need a UK company number to request a report?

The number is a useful identifier and should be included when available. If you only have a name, provide the address and website too, and contact the team if the intended entity is uncertain.

Use your report in a company review

Explore international company verification and company reports for due diligence, or compare report pricing worldwide.

For your next market, return to International Credit Reports or browse the country directory.

Practical guides for your company review

• Using UK company accounts for a customer or supplier credit check

  Read Companies House account filings with their period, entity, filing type, and missing information in view before making a commercial assessment.

• Company credit report request checklist: what to prepare

  Prepare a clear report brief with legal identity, transaction context, required information, and timing so the team can assess the right company and scope.