ACSP identity verification: what it costs, and when the free route is enough
For most people the GOV.UK route is free. An ACSP is a paid agent that checks your identity for you. Both end in the same Companies House personal code.
An ACSP (authorised corporate service provider, also called a Companies House authorised agent) is an accountant, solicitor or formation agent registered with Companies House. GOV.UK says an agent "may charge a fee" (GOV.UK, read 8 October 2026).
What it costs, read on 8 October 2026
| Route | Who | Price as published | Read at |
|---|---|---|---|
| GOV.UK One Login (app or online) | Companies House | Free | GOV.UK, updated 1 June 2026 |
| Post Office, booked through GOV.UK One Login | Companies House | Free | GOV.UK, updated 22 September 2026 |
| Your Company Formations | ACSP (formation agent) | £24.99 + VAT per person; no extra charge for up to 4 officers with its formation packages | its own page |
| Icon Offices | ACSP | £24.99 inc VAT per person (7 day service); £49.99 inc VAT per person (1 working day) | its own page |
| McCormicks Solicitors | ACSP (solicitors) | £150 + VAT per person, for people based in the UK | its news post of 12 January 2026 |
We copied each price as the seller published it on its own page, read on 8 October 2026; prices change, so check before you pay. We left out every seller whose price we could not open at source that day. No link here pays us anything: we are not an ACSP, and we take no fee or referral from any seller above.
When free is enough
When GOV.UK One Login can verify you by one of its 3 ways: its app, questions online, or a Post Office visit with your photo ID. GOV.UK says the Post Office step is free too (GOV.UK, read 8 October 2026).
When a paid ACSP can earn its fee
- None of the 3 One Login ways worked for you.
- You want a person to check your documents. An ACSP asks for documents from an approved list, GOV.UK says.
- You live abroad: GOV.UK says you can use an ACSP from any country.
- Your accountant or solicitor is already an ACSP. Ask them first; GOV.UK keeps the list of ACSPs.
If you have verified already, GOV.UK says "You must not verify again unless we tell you to." A second check, paid or free, is not needed.
The date does not change with the route
Free or paid, the code still goes in at your own date: a director with the company's next confirmation statement, a PSC in their 14 day period. The transition is the 12 months beginning with 18 November 2025, so its last day is 17 November 2026 (SI 2025/1118, regulation 4(9)).
Find the date for each director and PSC
PSCs: the 14 days for each birth month. Finding the dates is free; the £9 pack adds a calendar file and a note to forward for each open date.
Sources, each opened on 8 October 2026
- Verifying your identity for Companies House (GOV.UK, updated 1 June 2026): One Login "is free of charge"; the 3 ways; ACSPs from any country, documents from an approved list, may charge a fee
- How to prove your identity for Companies House at the Post Office (GOV.UK, updated 22 September 2026): "This service is free."
- List of Authorised Corporate Service Providers (GOV.UK)
- The seller pages linked in the table