 |
 |
|
|
The Company Authentication Code is a code used to replace the signature on Companies House Forms. The Company Authentication Code is only allocated after incorporation and is therefore not necessarily needed in Company Formations but is required for e-filing.
Although the Company Authentication code is entered on a company by company basis (this can be done from Edit | Company Authentication Code), it is not a requirement for every number to be different. For example, every client on the system could have the same Company Authentication code of 123456.
Within Company Secretarial or Company Formations, the change of the Company Authentication Code would need to be done per client by going into Edit | Company Authentication Code and entering in the new code.
Once the code has been changed within Company Secretarial or Company Formations, Companies House will need to be notified of the change. This can be done in the form of a letter with the following details:
the clients name and registered office
the clients company registration number
the new Company Authentication Code
the name, address, telephone number and email address of the presenter
the signature of a director or secretary of the client
the name of the director or secretary printed in capitals
a contact number and email address of the director or secretary
Click here for an example of a suitable letter. The letter MUST be printed using the clients Company headed paper and submitted to Companies House at the following address:
Electronic Filing Administration
Companies House
Crown Way
Cardiff
CF14 3UZ
Confirmation of receipt of this letter by Companies House will not be given. Therefore it is advisable to wait an appropriate time before electronically filing in order to prevent unnecessary rejections due to the processing of the letter being delayed at Companies House.
Where there are multiple clients that have had their Company Authentication Codes amended, it is possible to notify Companies House of all the changes in one notice. This can be done in electronic format (it is also possible to do this for one change), but must still be supported by suitably signed paper copies of the notification(s).
Any lists submitted in electronic format should be sent on floppy disk in a text format (that is, with an extension of .txt), listing the necessary iterations of authentication code and company number, comma separated, one iteration per line.
For instance, to notify that code 123456 should be used for companies 98954, 654876 and 20989876, send:
123456,98954
123456,654876
123456,20989876
The company number may be zero filled to make it up to eight characters long, but this is not necessary for processing.
Companies House will then record authentication codes against the relevant companies so that they can be verified when a document is filed on behalf of that company.
It is recommended that Companies House is notified when it is decided to cease to use its the nominated authentication code for a company. It is particularly recommended that when a company is sold, the original officers should request the cessation of the code. New officers may then request a new code if necessary.