Five company changes your accountant needs to know about.
Tell your accountant when the business changes, not months later. Early information helps keep Companies House records, tax registrations, payroll and accounts aligned.
Quick answer
Tell your accountant promptly if you change the people running the company, its addresses or contact details, its ownership or people with significant control, its shares, or its name and main activities. The change may affect Companies House filings, statutory records, HMRC registrations, payroll, VAT, accounts or tax advice. Early notice gives your adviser time to identify what needs updating and help you deal with it properly.
A growing business rarely stays exactly as it was when it started. Directors join, offices move, shareholders change, new shares are issued and the company begins doing something new.
Those decisions may feel operational, but they can create reporting, record-keeping and tax consequences. Some changes need to be reported to Companies House within days. Others affect the confirmation statement, HMRC, VAT, PAYE, the statutory books or the way future accounts are prepared.
Your accountant cannot help with a change they do not know has happened. The simplest rule is therefore to tell your adviser before a significant decision is completed, or as soon as possible afterwards. That lets them check the consequences, involve a company secretarial specialist where needed and help keep the different records consistent.
The useful principle: do not wait for year-end accounts or the next confirmation statement to mention a structural change. GOV.UK confirms that many changes have their own process and deadline, while only certain information can be updated through the confirmation statement.
Which company changes should you tell your accountant about?
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A director or company secretary joins, leaves or changes details
Tell your accountant if the company appoints or removes a director or company secretary. You should also report changes to an officer’s personal details, such as their service address or name.
GOV.UK says Companies House must usually be told about changes to directors, their personal details and company secretaries within 14 days. New directors must also meet the current identity-verification requirements before they can be appointed.
Why RVP needs to know: officer changes can affect Companies House filings, bank mandates, payroll treatment, contact records, board paperwork and who can approve company decisions.
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The registered office, email or business contact details change
A move can create more admin than changing the address on your website. The registered office does not officially change until Companies House registers it, and a new registered office must remain in the same UK jurisdiction in which the company was incorporated.
The registered email address uses a separate update process. You may also need to update HMRC services, VAT, PAYE, CIS, banking, insurers, invoices and business stationery. GOV.UK says VAT-registered businesses must tell HMRC about certain changes, including a name, trading name or main address change, within 30 days.
Why RVP needs to know: we can help identify which records and registrations need updating so official correspondence, reminders and tax notices continue to reach the right place.
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Ownership or control of the company changes
Ownership is not only about whose name appears on a share certificate. A person with significant control, commonly called a PSC, may have more than 25% of the shares or voting rights, the right to appoint or remove most directors, or another form of significant influence or control.
Companies House guidance says a company must identify its PSCs and report changes to PSC information. In most cases, updated PSC information must be provided within 14 days of the change being confirmed. PSCs also have current identity-verification requirements.
Why RVP needs to know: ownership changes can affect the PSC register, confirmation statement, statutory books, associated-company analysis, tax planning, dividend decisions and future transactions.
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Shares are issued, transferred or reorganised
Tell your accountant before issuing new shares, transferring existing shares or changing the rights attached to them. The company may need approvals, resolutions, an updated statement of capital, entries in the register of members and supporting documents.
GOV.UK says Companies House must be told within one month when a company issues more shares. Other changes to the share structure generally need to be reported within 21 days. A share transfer and a new share issue are different events, so the correct paperwork depends on what actually happened.
Why RVP needs to know: share changes can have company-law, accounting and tax consequences. Early advice helps make sure the intended commercial result is reflected in the filings and records.
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The company changes its name or what it does
A new company name may require shareholder approval and only takes effect once Companies House registers it. It can also require changes across HMRC services, contracts, invoices, payroll records, bank accounts, licences, insurance and public-facing material.
If the company’s main activity changes, its Standard Industrial Classification, or SIC, code may need updating. The confirmation statement can be used to update SIC codes, but a genuinely new trade may also affect VAT, payroll, bookkeeping categories, tax reliefs, insurance and how the accounts describe the business.
Why RVP needs to know: we can review whether the new activity changes the accounting or tax position and help keep the public register and the company’s working records aligned.
Why tell your accountant before the change happens?
Some decisions are easy to record after the event. Others need approval, supporting resolutions or advice before anyone signs a document or transfers money. A short conversation in advance can prevent the company from completing a transaction that does not produce the intended legal, accounting or tax result.
Early notice is particularly valuable for share issues, ownership changes, company reorganisations, new business activities and changes involving connected people. These can cross several areas at once and may require input from an accountant, company secretarial specialist, solicitor or tax adviser.
Tell us what you want to achieve, not only which form you think is needed. The right filing follows from the actual decision. Understanding the commercial objective helps us spot connected issues and coordinate the appropriate support.
Company changes and common reporting routes.
The correct route depends on the facts. This summary shows why a change should not automatically be left until the next annual confirmation statement.
| Change | Common action to consider | Official timing highlighted by GOV.UK |
|---|---|---|
| Director or secretary | Officer filing, records and identity verification | Usually within 14 days |
| PSC information | Update Companies House and relevant company information | Generally within 14 days of confirmation |
| Registered office | Standalone Companies House update; check connected records | Address changes only when registered |
| New shares issued | Statement of capital and supporting company records | Within one month |
| SIC code or shareholder information | May be updated through the confirmation statement | Review at least annually, and use the correct process |
For the official overview, see the GOV.UK guidance on company information that must be reported and making changes to a private limited company. Different facts can require different forms, approvals and deadlines.
What information should you send to RVP?
You do not need to diagnose the filing yourself. Start by giving us a clear description of the change, when it happened or is expected to happen, who is involved and what the business is trying to achieve.
Tell us early
Contact us before a planned structural change, or promptly after an unexpected change.
Share the facts
Provide the date, people, addresses, commercial purpose and any agreements or correspondence.
Let us map the impact
We can identify the accounting, tax and record updates and coordinate specialist support where needed.
- The company name and number.
- The date the change happened or is expected to happen.
- The names and roles of the people involved.
- Any new addresses, contact details or identity-verification information.
- Details of shares, voting rights, consideration paid and the intended ownership position.
- Copies of relevant agreements, resolutions, minutes or legal correspondence.
- A plain-English explanation of the commercial reason for the change.
Do not rely on the confirmation statement to fix everything.
The confirmation statement is an annual check of the information Companies House holds. It can update certain items, including the SIC code, statement of capital, trading status of shares and shareholder information. Other changes need their own filing and should be reported when they happen.
Companies House says every company must file a confirmation statement at least once every year, even if it is dormant or non-trading. The current confirmation statement guidance explains the review period and how company information should be updated.
Identity verification is also now relevant. Existing directors need to confirm verification alongside the company’s confirmation statement during the transition period, while new directors must verify before incorporation or appointment. The official guidance on when Companies House identity verification is required should be checked for each person’s circumstances.
How professional support helps.
Keeping us informed is not about creating more work for the business owner. It allows the RVP team to take more of the practical burden away. We can help identify which records need attention, prepare accounting information, explain the tax effects and coordinate the right filing or company secretarial support.
Good records also help later. Accurate registers, resolutions and board minutes can make banking, finance, due diligence, dividends, investment and a future sale much smoother. Property-company owners may find Property Tax Advice’s guide to proper board minutes for property businesses useful.
Companies House requirements continue to develop. RiverView Portfolio has also explained the current position following the pause to proposed profit and loss filing changes for small companies.
Final thoughts.
Your accountant does not need an update every time the business buys a chair or changes a supplier. They do need to know when something changes the company’s people, address, ownership, shares, name or activities.
The earlier you tell us, the more useful we can be. A quick conversation gives us the chance to identify the connected filings and records, flag any specialist advice needed and help keep the company information accurate without a last-minute scramble.
Has something changed in your company?
Tell the RiverView Portfolio team what has happened or what you are planning. We can help you understand what needs updating and keep the accounting, tax and company records moving in the same direction.
Tell the RiverView team01249 816810 | info@riverviewportfolio.co.uk
Frequently asked questions.
Which company changes should I tell my accountant about?
Tell your accountant about changes to directors or secretaries, addresses and contact details, ownership or PSCs, shares, the company name and its main activities. You should also mention major borrowing, restructures or changes to the accounting period because these may affect filings, records or tax.
How quickly must a director change be reported?
GOV.UK says changes to directors, their personal details and company secretaries must usually be reported to Companies House within 14 days. A new director must also comply with the applicable identity-verification requirements.
When must Companies House be told about new shares?
Companies House must be told within one month when a company issues more shares. Other changes to the share structure generally need to be reported within 21 days. The company may also need approvals, resolutions and updated statutory records.
Can I wait until the confirmation statement to report a change?
Only certain information can be updated through the confirmation statement, including SIC codes, statement of capital and shareholder information. Many other changes have their own filing process and deadline, so they should not be left until the annual statement.
Does changing the registered office update every business record?
No. Companies House will tell HMRC about a registered-office change, but the business may still need to update VAT, PAYE, CIS, banking, insurance, contracts, invoices, stationery and other operational records depending on its circumstances.
Why should I tell my accountant before changing the company?
Early notice allows the accountant to identify accounting and tax consequences, check the appropriate reporting route and involve company secretarial or legal specialists before the transaction is completed. That is often easier than correcting records afterwards.
Information checked: 13 August 2026 against current Companies House and GOV.UK guidance. Processes and deadlines can change, and the correct treatment depends on the facts. This article provides general information rather than legal or tax advice for a specific transaction. Explore more practical guidance in the RiverView Portfolio news centre and accounting and tax video library.
