What is a PSC (person with significant control)?

What are the PSC conditions?

An individual is a PSC if they meet one or more of the five conditions in Schedule 1A of the Companies Act 2006:

1. Holds, directly or indirectly, more than 25% of the shares.
2. Holds, directly or indirectly, more than 25% of the voting rights.
3. Holds the right, directly or indirectly, to appoint or remove a majority of the board of directors.
4. Has the right to exercise, or actually exercises, significant influence or control over the company.
5. Has significant influence or control over a trust or firm that itself meets one of the conditions.

The threshold is "more than 25%". Exactly 25% does not meet the share or voting test. A company that owns or controls another UK company can be registered in place of the people behind it, as a relevant legal entity.

Where do you find PSCs?

On the Companies House company page, the "People" tab has a "Persons with significant control" section. Each entry shows the name, month and year of birth, nationality, country of residence, the date the person became a PSC and the nature of control. Share and voting interests are shown in bands, for example "more than 25% but not more than 50%", "more than 50% but not more than 75%" and "more than 75%".

Companies House also publishes a free PSC snapshot in bulk, useful for analysing ownership across many companies (bulk data guide). PSC details do not appear in the annual accounts or in iXBRL; the confirmation statement is where a company confirms them each year.

Worked example

Example (illustrative, not a real company): a company has 100 shares with one vote each.

If Person C also had the contractual right to appoint a majority of the directors, C would be a PSC under condition 3 regardless of the shareholding.

Why it matters when checking a company

PSCs tell you who is actually behind a company, which the director list alone may not. Check that the PSC matches the people you are dealing with, look up their other companies, and treat "no registrable PSC" or long-unresolved PSC statements with care in a company that is clearly owned by someone.

Ownership chains matter too. Holding companies are a large group on the register: SIC division 64, which includes holding companies, had 189,366 active companies on 1 October 2026 and the highest overdue accounts rate of any large division, 3.1% (overdue statistics). When a PSC is another company, check that company's filings as well.

You can look up a company and its filing status here.

Rules and offences

• Changes to PSC information must be reported to Companies House within 14 days.
• Under the Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act 2023 reforms, every individual PSC must verify their identity with Companies House and provide a personal code.
• Refusing to provide PSC information, or giving false information, is a criminal offence; Companies House guidance says it can lead to a 2 year prison sentence, a fine or both.

Common confusions

• A PSC is not necessarily a director, and a director is not automatically a PSC.
• Shareholders at or below 25% can still be PSCs through board appointment rights or significant influence.
• PSC is not the same as shareholder. The shareholder list in the confirmation statement can include many people who are not PSCs.

Sources

• Companies Act 2006, Schedule 1A
• GOV.UK: People with significant control (PSCs)

FAQ

What percentage makes someone a person with significant control?

More than 25%. An individual who holds, directly or indirectly, more than 25% of the shares or more than 25% of the voting rights is a PSC. Exactly 25% does not count. A person below that level can still be a PSC if they can appoint or remove a majority of the board or exercise significant influence or control over the company.

How quickly must PSC changes be reported?

Companies must tell Companies House about changes to their PSC information within 14 days. The company also confirms its PSC information each year in the confirmation statement. Under the identity verification rules introduced by the Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act 2023, each PSC must also provide a personal code within their own 14 day period.

Can a company be a PSC?

Strictly, a PSC is an individual, but a company that would meet the conditions can be registered as a relevant legal entity instead, provided it is itself subject to its own PSC disclosure rules. In that case you follow the chain: look up the relevant legal entity on Companies House to find the individuals who control it.

Sources: Companies House register and accounts data (Open Government Licence v3.0), legislation.gov.uk and GOV.UK guidance where linked. This page is general information, not legal, tax or credit advice. Spotted an error? Email info@globalmindsetmarketing.co.uk.