What is the persons with significant control register?
Answered 17 March 2026
The Persons with Significant Control (PSC) Register
What the law says
The PSC register is established under Part 21A of the Companies Act 2006. The key provisions are as follows:
Scope: Part 21A applies to companies other than those with voting shares admitted to trading on a UK regulated market or an EU regulated market, and companies of any description specified by the Secretary of State by regulations.
Definition of "significant control": A person with significant control over a company is an individual who meets one or more of the "specified conditions" set out in Part 1 of Schedule 1A to the Companies Act 2006.
Registrable vs non-registrable individuals: Individuals with significant control are either "registrable" or "non-registrable." They are non-registrable if they hold their interest only through one or more legal entities over each of which they also have significant control (and those entities are "relevant legal entities"). Otherwise, they are registrable.
Relevant legal entities: A legal entity (i.e. a body corporate or a firm that is a legal person under the law by which it is governed) is a "relevant legal entity" in relation to a company if: (a) it would have come within the definition of a person with significant control if it had been an individual, and (b) it is subject to its own disclosure requirements (e.g. Part 21A applies to it, or it has voting shares admitted to trading on a regulated market).
Register obligations: Chapter 3 of Part 21A imposes a duty on companies to keep the PSC register (s.790M), keep it available for inspection (s.790N), respond to requests for inspection or copies (s.790P), and notify the registrar of changes (s.790VA). Entries may be removed (s.790U) and a court may rectify the register (s.790V).
Notification to Companies House: Part 21A also requires companies to notify the registrar of information relating to persons with significant control.
Exemption disclosure: Where a company is exempt from Part 21A, it must deliver a statement to the registrar confirming this when making a confirmation statement, specifying the basis for the exemption.
HMRC guidance / practice
HMRC guidance identifies a person with significant control (PSC) as someone who holds:
- more than 25% of shares in the company;
- more than 25% of voting rights in the company; or
- the right to appoint or remove persons from the board of directors.
For anti-money laundering purposes, HMRC guidance notes that PSCs are shown on the Companies House register and that any person with more than 25% of the shares or voting rights is also a beneficial owner (BO). Where a chain of companies owns or controls a business, all beneficial owners of the controlling entity are also treated as beneficial owners of the underlying business through indirect control.
HMRC also requires that all officers and/or PSCs shown on Companies House are notified in registration information, so that everyone controlling the business can be checked.
For discrepancy reporting, regulated businesses (such as art market participants) are required under Regulation 30A of the Money Laundering Regulations 2017 to check the Companies House register and report material discrepancies — such as differences in name, date of birth or nationality of a PSC — to Companies House.
Citation sources
PART 21A Information about people with significant control CHAPTER 1 Introduction Key terms 790C 1 This section explains some key terms used in this Part. 2 References to a person with (or having) “significant control” over a company are to an individual who meets one or more of the specified conditions in relation to the company. 3 The “specified conditions” are those specified in Part 1 of Schedule 1A. 4 Individuals with significant control over a company are either “registrable” or “ non-regi
Regulation 30A MLR 2017 requires AMPs to check the companies house register and report material discrepancies regarding its customers to Companies House. A material discrepancy is when the information an AMP holds on a customer is significantly different to the information recorded by Companies House about a person of significant control (PSC) of a company, or a registrable beneficial owner of an overseas entity. An example of a significant difference could be a difference in name, date of birth
It is important that all officers and/or persons with significant control (PSC) shown on Companies House (CH) are notified in the registration information in order that everyone who is controlling the business is checked. A PSC is shown on CH where they have more than 25% of the shares and/or voting rights. Any person with more than 25% of the shares or voting rights is a beneficial owner (BO). If there is a business that owns or controls the business you are reviewing, you will need to determi
PART 24 Annual confirmation of accuracy of information on register Duty to deliver information about exemption from Part 21A 853H 1 This section applies where a company ... to which Part 21A does not apply (information about people with significant control, see section 790B), makes a confirmation statement. 2 The company must deliver to the registrar a statement of the fact that it is a company to which Part 21A does not apply at the same time as it delivers the confirmation statement. 2A The st
able to forfeiture Changes in an approved limited company’s ownership A limited company’s approval should remain extant following a complete transfer of company shares. We must be notified of any changes to persons with significant control or other key persons involved in the company such as directors or company officials. We define a person with significant control as someone who holds: more than 25% of shares in the company. more than 25% of voting rights in the company. the right to appo