How Shelf Companies Lost Their Appeal and What to Do Now
Also known as a ready-made company or an off-the-shelf company, a shelf company is a pre-registered business you can buy and customise.
There is no need to panic if you have lost your Companies House WebFiling authentication code. Here we will take a look at how you can retrieve your code.
Depending on how you originally formed your company, for example directly with Companies House, or through using a using a company formation agent, there are a number of ways to retrieve your code.
Your company was formed directly with Companies House
If you formed your company by directly registering with Companies House through their postal service or online via web incorporation, you can simply request a replacement authentication code by doing the following:
You can sign up for one online. If you already have a WebFiling account, you can sign in and then follow these steps:
- Choose ‘request an authentication code’.
- Enter where the company was registered and fill in your company number, and click ‘continue’.
- Your company name, number and registered office address will then be displayed. From here simply select ‘request code’.
- Your new authentication code will be sent to your registered office by post, usually you will receive this within 3 to 5 working days.
Your company was formed via a company formations agent
If you originally registered your company online through a company formation agent, such as Your Company Formations, it will be very easy to retrieve your WebFiling authentication code by logging into your customer area on your formation agent’s website (here is a link to our customer area) where you will be able to see your authentication code listed along with your other company details. You can also find out what your code is by contacting your formations agent directly by email or phone to request your code.
Should your have expired, then you will need to go to the Companies House WebFiling portal, where you will need to log in and request a replacement code in the same way that has been described in the steps listed above.
What is the Companies House WebFiling Authentication Code?
When a new company is registered in the UK, they are issued with a special Companies House WebFiling authentication code. This code is made up of six alphanumeric characters – basically a mixture of letters and numbers that will be unique to your company.
Without your authentication code you will be unable to perform any online tasks using Companies House WebFiling, such as:
- File your company’s confirmation statement or annual return
- File your company’s annual accounts
- File your company’s director or secretary changes and any other information you need to update Companies House with
Once you have successfully requested a new or replacement code, your WebFiling authentication code will be posted out to your company’s registered office address.
For a new company, you should receive your code within five days of your company formation date. Your authentication code is a security measure that ensures only authorised persons are able to access and change your company details.
Further reading:
What is Companies House and what functions do they perform?
What are the Changes to Companies House PSC from June 2017?
I searched high and low online about how to retrieve my authentication code. I could not find a link on my online Companies House account. Your blog, correctly identified that my formation agent online account may hold the code and that is exactly where it was. I am now able to file on time. Thank you.
Awesome! Thanks reading!
How can i get The company authorization code for free
Hi Ali,
If you formed your company with us, you’ll likely find it in your client account. If you registered directly with Companies House, you can retrieve it by signing in to your WebFiling account here and requesting a new one. You’ll need your company name, registered office address, and company registration number.
Please feel free to reach out if you need any further assistance.
All the best.
There is no such thing as requesting your authentication number anywhere. I have spent an hour and a half searching for it and solutions and it isn’t there. So i dont know if its changed since August but your helpful guide is now wrong. If you do know if its changed I would truly appreciate any help in this matter.
Hello. I didnt received my code so wantt to change the registered virtual office address. How should I do that?
Hi Nasim,
To change your registered address, please use our free company manager. Follow these steps:
1. Visit Your Company Formations Login (https://www.yourcompanyformations.co.uk/login/) to create your account
2. Go to the ‘My Companies’ tab and file the relevant changes with Companies House.
If you need additional support, email us at [email protected]. Alternatively, you can file the changes using form AD01 on WebFiling.
All the best.
Hi! I can’t find my code and I am desperate as I have to submit my paperwork to hatch by tomorrow, is there any faster way to know where I can find my code.
Thank you
Hi,
To find your authentication code from Companies House, check the letters you received when you first incorporated your company. If you can’t find it, you’ll need to request a new code by following the steps in the second subtitle of this article.
However, if you incorporated your company with us, your authentication code is in the company overview section of your client portal. If you have any trouble tracing it, please email us at [email protected] and a customer service representative will attend to you.
If you didn’t register your company with us, consider creating an account and requesting the code through our portal. This way, you can easily retrieve it from the client portal whenever you need it.
All the best!