How UK Company Data is built: sources, processing and limits
Who we are
UK Company Data is run by Global Mindset Marketing Ltd and written by Vladislav Popov, a company registered in England and Wales (number 15738438), Bartle House, 9 Oxford Court, Manchester M2 3WQ. We build data products and AI tools on UK public data. Contact: info@globalmindsetmarketing.co.uk.
Sources
| Source | What we take | Refresh |
|---|---|---|
| Companies House Free Company Data Product | Name, number, status, type, incorporation date, registered office, SIC codes, accounts category, accounts and confirmation statement due dates, outstanding charges, previous names | Monthly |
| Companies House accounts bulk data (daily) | iXBRL accounts published each working day | Daily |
| Companies House accounts bulk data (monthly archives, 2008 onwards) | Historical iXBRL accounts | Loaded once, about 200 monthly archives |
All three are published by Companies House under the Open Government Licence v3.0. See Companies House bulk data for what each product contains.
How accounts are parsed
iXBRL accounts are web pages with tagged numbers. Each filing contains the same concept several times: this year, last year, and breakdowns such as share classes or creditors split by due date. Our parser:
- Reads every context in the filing and keeps only those without dimensions (no segment or scenario).
- Takes the balance sheet date from the file name and checks that it matches a context date; otherwise it uses the latest non-dimensional date in the filing.
- Reads balance sheet facts at that date and profit and loss facts for the period ending on that date.
- Applies sign, scale and number formats as declared in the filing.
- Maps both current FRS 102 tags and older UK GAAP tags to the same fields.
- Where creditors are only reported split into "within one year" and "after more than one year", stores both parts.
Quality check: net assets should equal equity in every balance sheet. With this method the two match in 99.4% of filings in our test sample of 2,000 recent accounts. A naive parser that takes the first value of each tag matched in only 66.6%. The full technical write-up is in how to parse iXBRL accounts.
What the figures mean
- Figures are as filed by the company. We do not correct, estimate or restate them.
- "Total assets less current liabilities" and "Creditors" are shown under the names used in the accounts, not as "total assets" and "total liabilities", because micro-entity and abridged balance sheets do not report those totals. See total assets less current liabilities.
- Dates on company pages are balance sheet dates (the date the accounts are made up to). Publication dates are recorded separately.
- Where a company filed amended accounts for the same period, both filings are kept.
Known limitations
- PDF-only filers are not covered by the free figures. About a quarter of accounts are still filed on paper or as PDF, including many large groups. Their figures can be read on request for the financial history pack.
- Profit and loss is often missing. Most small and micro companies do not publish a profit and loss account, so turnover and profit exist only for companies that file them.
- The register lags by up to a month. Status changes appear when Companies House publishes its next monthly file. Our watchlist alerts state the snapshot they use.
- Filings from 2008 to mid-2010 in the oldest archives are in XBRL rather than iXBRL format and are not yet parsed.
- Not a credit rating. We report what was filed. Negative net assets do not by themselves mean a company is insolvent, and healthy figures do not guarantee payment.
Data studies
Statistics on our data studies pages are computed from the same sources. Each page states the snapshot date, the population and the definitions used. You may quote figures with a link to the page.
Corrections
If a figure on our site differs from the filed accounts, email info@globalmindsetmarketing.co.uk with the company number. We check against the original filing and fix parser errors for all affected companies, not just one.
FAQ
Where does UK Company Data get its data?
From Companies House: the monthly Free Company Data Product for register details and the daily and monthly accounts bulk data for financial figures, all under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
How up to date is the data?
Financial figures are added every working day from the Companies House daily accounts files. Register details such as status and due dates are refreshed monthly.
Are the financial figures audited?
They are exactly what the company filed. Most small companies are exempt from audit, so their accounts are unaudited. We do not audit or adjust them.
Check any UK company in seconds. Register details and the latest balance sheet figures for 5.6 million companies, free. Full financial history since 2008 as a one-off pack or through the API.
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