Companies House BETA is the former name of the free online search service now known as Companies House Service (CHS). The digital search service opened its public trial period in June 2015, giving anyone free access to public information on UK companies. Companies House dropped the BETA label in 2019. UK Gov now presents the service as Find and update company information.
Companies House closed Companies House Direct (CHD) and WebCheck in November 2023. This left the register with one free, accessible service for company searches. The service also supports the UK government’s wider work on enhancing transparency and tackling economic crime.
What Was Companies House BETA?
Companies House BETA was the public trial version of the free online company search service run by Companies House. It let anyone search public information on the UK register while the service was still being tested and improved with user feedback.
It aims to bring all public digital data on the UK register of companies free to access in one service. Companies House also made the same data available to software developers through an application programming interface (API), so other products could show real-time company updates. In software, a beta is a working version that real users test before the final release.
When Was Companies House BETA Launched?
Companies House BETA was launched on 22 June 2015. It opened as a public beta, meaning a live service open to everyone while testing continued. At launch, it gave free access to more than 170 million digital records on companies and directors.
The service passed a government assessment under the Digital by Default Service Standard before it launched publicly. Companies House then released new search features and invited feedback through a survey inside the service.
Why Was the Companies House Service Called BETA?
The Companies House Service was called BETA because it was released before it was finished. The label told users the service was live and usable but still being improved, and it invited public feedback on which search features to add next. Companies House kept its older services, such as Companies House Direct and WebCheck, running alongside the beta during this period. In 2016, its chief digital officer described taking the service from beta to live as the next big step.
What Is the New Name for Companies House Beta?
The new name for Companies House Beta is Companies House Service (CHS). Companies House dropped the BETA label in 2019, four years after its launch. GOV.UK now presents the same free service as Find and update company information.
Only the label changed. Companies House’s 2015 to 2016 annual report says it launched the Companies House Service in June 2015, so CHS was the official name from the start, and BETA described the service’s status. Users still search for beta Companies House or company house beta in search engines, which is why the old name persists.
The table below sets out the dates that matter for the naming and the web address:
| Date | What happened |
|---|---|
| 22 June 2015 | Public beta launched |
| 2019 | BETA label dropped, and the name Companies House Service was used |
| August 2020 | Companies House announced that beta.companieshouse.gov.uk would move to a new GOV.UK address |
| 30 November 2023 | Companies House Direct and WebCheck closed |
What Is Companies House Service (CHS)?
Companies House Service (CHS) is the free online service where anyone can search the UK register of companies. It shows public information that companies file, such as status, accounts, and officers, and it needs no account to view.
Founders use it to check that a supplier is active. They also use it to see when a company’s accounts are due. Directors use it to see which companies list them as an officer. Developers can pull the same data through the API, and a sign-in is only needed to follow a company or file documents.
Where Can You Access the Companies House Service?
You can access the Companies House Service on UK Gov through Find and update company information. The service is free, and you can search by company name, company number, or officer name without creating an account. Official addresses end in UK Gov.
The old address, beta.companieshouse.gov.uk, was replaced in 2020, so anyone with a bookmark to it should update the link. People looking for a Companies House beta search land on this same service.
A search takes three steps:
- Enter the company name, company number, or officer name in the search box.
- Select the company from the results.
- Use the tabs on the company page to open the filing history, the people, and, where they apply, charges and insolvency.
What Are the New Features of Companies House Service?
The features of Companies House Service include free search of company details, filing history, officers and people with significant control, plus tools to report errors and follow companies.
The main features are listed below:
- Basic company information: name, company number, type, registered office address, status and nature of business (SIC code).
- Filing information: the full filing history, plus the dates when the next accounts and confirmation statement are due.
- Company documents: images of filed documents, such as accounts and confirmation statements, which you can view and download.
- Director information: current and resigned officers and their appointments.
- People with Significant Control (PSC): the people or entities that own or control a company, with the nature of their control. The PSC register began in 2016.
- Disqualified directors: a search of people banned from acting as directors.
- Report it now: a facility on each company page for telling Companies House about incorrect information.
- Follow a company: free email alerts when Companies House accepts a new filing for a company you follow. This feature needs a sign-in.
- Dormant Company Accounts Service: a company that qualifies as dormant can file its dormant accounts online through Companies House’s filing service, and Xact can handle the filing through its dormant accounts service.
The GOV.UK guidance on searching the register also lists previous company names, charges, and insolvency information. It confirms that records of companies dissolved since January 2010 are on the service.
How Does Companies House Service Support Corporate Transparency?
Companies House Service supports corporate transparency by making public company information free to search. It also lets anyone report errors and supports the UK government’s checks against economic crime.
Five objectives sit behind these actions and are set out below.
- Digital transformation: The Companies House Strategic Plan aimed to turn Companies House into a fully digital organisation, and CHS replaced the older platforms that stood in the way.
- Free public access: Searching and viewing public data costs nothing, which removed the charges that earlier services placed on document copies.
- More corporate transparency: Officers, people with significant control, and charges appear on one record for each company, so a reader can see who runs and controls it.
- Improving accuracy: Report it now lets users flag errors. Since 4 March 2024, the registrar can also query and reject information, and directors and people with significant control now need to complete identity verification with Companies House.
- Fighting economic crime: The Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act 2023 gave the registrar a duty to analyse register data to prevent and detect crime. It also gave the registrar powers to share information with law enforcement agencies.
The register still has limits. GOV.UK states that the information is not comprehensive and that Companies House makes only basic checks on filed accounts, so readers should confirm important details before relying on them.
Directors who want help keeping their company records up to date and their filings on time can speak to our team.
Speak to Xact+ AccountantsWhy Did Companies House Replace Its Older Services?
Companies House replaced its older services for three reasons. They were costly to maintain. They no longer met accessibility rules for public sector websites. They also charged for information that the UK government wanted to make free. Companies House replaced them with one accessible service.
The older platforms were first-generation web services built on legacy technology, and they no longer met user expectations. Companies House said repairing them to modern accessibility standards would be a very large task, so it built a single replacement. Each separate platform needed its own updates and support, which duplicated maintenance work. Users also had to learn a different search for each service.
CHS addressed these limits by providing company search, dissolved company records, and document ordering in one place, which also supported the aim of improving corporate transparency.
Why Were Companies House Direct and WebCheck Replaced?
Companies House Direct and WebCheck were replaced because Find and update company information covered most of their functions, and running several historic services was inefficient. Both closed on 30 November 2023, and users now search the register and order certificates through the newer service.
Companies House Direct was a subscription service, and WebCheck was a paid search and document service. Companies House announced its closure on 29 October 2020, with a target of February 2021. It later deferred the date to allow a smooth transition and confirmed 30 November 2023 in March 2023. The closure notice lists the replacement features such as advanced company search, dissolved company search, and ordering of certificates.
Replacement features included:
- advanced company search
- dissolved company search
- company snapshot reports
- alphabetical search
- ordering of certificates, certified documents and missing images
Records of companies dissolved before January 2010 are not on the service at the time of writing. GOV.UK says those records are currently available on other Companies House products for a fee.
Is Companies House Just for UK Companies?
Yes, Companies House registers companies incorporated in the UK, so the register covers UK companies, limited liability partnerships and the people who run and control them. The public search is not limited by location, and anyone in the world can check a UK company.
There are three registrars: one for England and Wales, one for Scotland, and one for Northern Ireland. The company’s registered office decides which one holds its record. A supplier abroad uses the same search as a UK director.
Can You Register a Company through Companies House Service?
Yes, you can register a limited company online with Companies House through GOV.UK, which includes an option to register for Corporation Tax during registration. Every director named on the application must complete identity verification before the company can be registered. People with significant control must also verify, either before or after registration.
After registration, the company appears in the Companies House Service under its company number. New directors and new people with significant control also need verified identity, and a person who becomes a PSC must provide their personal code within 14 days of being added to the register.
Frequently Asked Questions
What Is the Purpose of Companies House in the UK?
The purpose of Companies House is to register and dissolve limited companies and to make company information available to the public. Its register lets customers, suppliers and lenders check who runs a company and what it has filed. Xact's guide explains what Companies House does in more detail.
Who Can Use the Companies House Service?
Anyone worldwide can use the Companies House Service, including directors, suppliers, customers and researchers. Viewing company information needs no account, and a sign-in is only required to follow a company or to file documents online.
Is Companies House Service Free to Use?
Yes, the Companies House Service is free for searching and viewing public company information. The UK government makes all public data held on companies available free of charge, and you do not need to register to view it. Fees apply to some separate services, such as certain filings.
What Information Can Be Accessed through CHS?
Through the Companies House Service, you can access each company's status, registered office address, filing history and filed documents, officers, charges and insolvency details where they apply. Separate searches cover disqualified directors and previous company names.
When Was the Companies House BETA Trial Launched?
The Companies House BETA trial launched on 22 June 2015. Companies House opened the public beta service that day, giving everyone free access to its digital company records. The BETA label stayed until 2019, when Companies House Service became the name in use.
What Was the Period of the Companies House Strategic Plan?
The Companies House Strategic Plan covered five years, from April 2014 to March 2019, with aims including a fully digital organisation and open data. The beta service was one of its first steps towards those aims.
When Was the “Report It Now” Facility Introduced?
The “Report It Now” facility was introduced in July 2017 on the Companies House Service. It lets users tell Companies House about incorrect information on a company’s record. Between July 2017 and 31 March 2018, it received 58,352 reports.
How Long Was Companies House BETA in Its Beta Phase?
Companies House BETA stayed in its beta phase for four years, from the June 2015 launch until the label was dropped in 2019. The official name, Companies House Service, had been in use since launch. Companies House added features such as Follow and Report it Now between June 2015 and 2019.
What Replaced Companies House BETA?
Companies House Service replaced Companies House BETA, and GOV.UK now names it Find and update company information. The same service dropped its beta label in 2019, and Companies House announced a move to a GOV.UK address in 2020.
Is Companies House Service Still Available?
Yes, the Companies House Service is available as Find and update company information on GOV.UK. The service is free to search, and the GOV.UK guidance on using it was last updated in June 2026.
Is There a Way to Request Data from Companies House Offline?
You can view and download company information online for free, but you cannot order copies of it by phone or post. Companies House stopped accepting postal requests for copies on 1 November 2022, so you can search the register and view documents on Find and update company information, and order certified copies from a company’s page.
Can You Register a Company through Companies House Service?
Yes, you can register a limited company online with Companies House through GOV.UK, and the new company then appears in Companies House Service under its company number. Registration and search are separate steps, and each first director must verify their identity before registration.
Can You File Company Documents through CHS?
Yes, you can file some company documents through Companies House Service after signing in. Companies House added abridged and full accounts and registered office changes in 2021 and planned further filing types. Check the current list on GOV.UK before you file.
Did the Renaming Change Companies House Records?
No, the renaming did not change Companies House records. Company numbers, filing history, and the information held on each company's record stayed on the register.
About the Author: Ahmad Raza
