Finding the right companies house contact details feels like it should take thirty seconds. In practice, many small business owners spend the better part of a morning being redirected, waiting on hold, or landing on web pages that haven't been updated since 2019. This guide cuts through that.
Getting the right companies house contact the first time saves hours of frustration — and this article covers every channel, what each one actually handles, and how to make sure your business details are accurate once you've got through.
Companies House Contact: The Channels That Actually Work
Companies House is the UK's registrar of companies, responsible for incorporating businesses, maintaining the public register, and receiving statutory filings. As of 2026, it sits under the remit of the Department for Business and Trade and handles over four million registered companies.
The primary companies house contact number for general enquiries is 0303 1234 500. Lines are open Monday to Friday, 8:30am to 6pm. This number covers everything from filing queries to lost authentication codes, but it is not the channel for urgent legal matters or formal complaints — those require written correspondence.
For most routine questions, the webchat service on the Companies House website is significantly faster than the phone line. It handles queries about confirmation statements, registered office changes, and filing deadlines without a queue.
Email contact is available at enquiries@companieshouse.gov.uk, though response times vary. For time-sensitive issues — an incorrectly filed document, for instance — phone or webchat will always be quicker.
| Contact Method | Best Used For | Typical Response Time |
|---|---|---|
| Phone: 0303 1234 500 | Filing queries, authentication codes | Same day (during hours) |
| Webchat (CH website) | Quick account or filing questions | Minutes |
| Email: enquiries@companieshouse.gov.uk | Non-urgent written queries | 5–10 working days |
| WebFiling portal | Submitting documents online | Immediate processing |
| Postal address: Cardiff, CF14 3UZ | Formal correspondence, complaints | 2–4 weeks |
It is worth bookmarking the Companies House WebFiling service directly. A significant proportion of calls to the general companies house contact line are from business owners who simply need to file something they could submit online in under five minutes.
What the Companies House Register Actually Contains
The public register held by Companies House is a live record of every limited company and limited liability partnership incorporated in England, Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland. Each entry includes the registered office address, director details, confirmation statements, accounts, and any charges registered against the business.
This matters for SMEs running Google Ads for one specific reason: if a prospective customer searches for your business after clicking an ad, they may well check Companies House before making contact. An outdated registered address, a dormant company flag, or a missing confirmation statement can undermine the trust your advertising has built. We saw this repeatedly over nine years running a marketing agency — ad campaigns performing well, but conversion rates dipping because the business's public-facing details were inconsistent.
If you are unsure what your Companies House record currently shows, search the public register directly. You do not need to contact Companies House to view your own record.
For related reading on company registration details, our guide on Company House Number: What SMEs Actually Need covers the specifics of how your registered number works and where it needs to appear.
How to Update Details via Companies House Contact
Changing a registered office address, director information, or company name all require specific forms rather than a general enquiry. The companies house contact line can tell you which form applies, but the filing itself must be completed either through WebFiling or by post.
The most common updates SMEs need to make:
Registered office change — Form AD01, filed online in minutes. The new address must be in the same country the company is registered in (England and Wales, Scotland, or Northern Ireland).
Director appointment or resignation — Forms AP01 and TM01 respectively. These must be filed within 14 days of the change. Many businesses miss this deadline and only discover the discrepancy when a bank or lender runs a check.
Confirmation statement — Due every 12 months from your incorporation date. This is not optional. Companies House will chase overdue confirmation statements and can ultimately strike a company off the register if they go unfiled.
For anything more complex — a company restoration, a change of accounting reference date, or an objection to a strike-off — written correspondence to the Cardiff office is the appropriate route. The companies house contact team can advise on the process, but they cannot file documents on your behalf.
If you need help with a related enquiry about calling through directly, our guide on Call Companies House: What SMEs Actually Need covers the phone process in detail.
Why Accurate Business Records Affect Your Google Ads Performance
This connection is not obvious until you have watched it play out. When someone clicks a Google Ad and lands on your site, a meaningful percentage of them will do secondary verification — checking your registered address, looking for a VAT number, or confirming your business exists on the Companies House register. This is especially true in B2B, professional services, and any sector where trust is a purchasing factor.
If your registered address is an old office you vacated two years ago, or your confirmation statement is overdue, that verification check will either confuse the prospective customer or actively deter them. Your ad spend drove the click; an inconsistency on the public register costs you the conversion.
Keeping your companies house contact details accurate is not just a compliance matter — it is part of the commercial picture around your advertising. For a fuller view of what SMEs actually pay to run Google Ads and how to make that spend work harder, see our guide on how much Google Ads costs for SMEs.
How Overtime manages Google Ads for SMEs includes bid management, budget reallocation, and weekly summaries — the operational side of ad management that most SMEs do not have time to run themselves.
Authenticating Your Companies House Account
To file anything online through WebFiling, you need an authentication code — a six-character code that Companies House posts to the registered office address when you set up or claim your WebFiling account. This is the source of a significant proportion of companies house contact enquiries.
If the code was sent to an old address, or if the letter was lost, you can request a new one through the WebFiling service. It takes up to five working days to arrive by post. There is no way to expedite this, and the companies house contact team cannot give you the code over the phone — it must be sent to the registered address on file.
This is why keeping your registered office address current matters practically, not just legally. If you ever need to file urgently and your address is out of date, you will have a delay of at least a week while the authentication code travels to the right location.
For SMEs running Google Ads alongside managing company admin, the operational load adds up quickly. Overtime — the AI agent that manages Google Ads accounts directly — sends weekly summaries so you can see exactly what is happening with your ad spend without logging in every day. That frees up the mental bandwidth for admin like this.
If you are evaluating options for managing your Google Ads spend more efficiently, the Overtime pricing page sets out what is included at each level.
What Companies House Cannot Help With
The companies house contact team handles registration, filing, and record-keeping. They cannot advise on tax, VAT, payroll, or employment law. Those queries should go to HMRC.
They also cannot intervene in commercial disputes, remove information from the public register except in very specific circumstances (such as a successful application to suppress a home address), or act as a business support service. The register is public and permanent by design.
For SMEs who confuse Companies House with HMRC — it happens more often than you might expect — the key distinction is that Companies House deals with the legal existence of your company, while HMRC deals with its tax obligations. You need both registrations, but they are entirely separate.
For broader context on running a business online and getting your advertising working effectively, our guide on business advertising online for SMEs covers the practical options available.
Final Steps: Getting Your Records Right Before You Advertise
Before increasing your Google Ads budget, it is worth spending twenty minutes on the Companies House public register and confirming that your registered address, director details, and confirmation statement are all current. Use the official companies house contact channels if anything needs updating — the webchat is the fastest option for most queries.
Once your business records are accurate and your ad account is running, the day-to-day management of bids, budgets, and underperforming keywords is where most SMEs lose time. The Overtime Google Ads page explains how the AI agent handles that operational layer — adjusting bids, pausing what is not working, and keeping your spend aligned with what is actually converting.
For more on managing Google Ads effectively as a small business, our guide on small business PPC management covers what actually works at different budget levels.
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FAQ
What is the main companies house contact number?
The primary companies house contact number is 0303 1234 500, available Monday to Friday between 8:30am and 6pm. This line handles filing queries, authentication code requests, and general registration questions.
How do I update my registered address with Companies House?
You file Form AD01 through the Companies House WebFiling service using your authentication code. The change takes effect immediately once filed, and the new address must be in the same UK jurisdiction as your company's registration.
Why is my Companies House record relevant to my Google Ads?
Prospective customers often verify businesses on the Companies House register before making contact, particularly in B2B and professional services. Outdated or inconsistent records can reduce trust and lower conversion rates even when ad click-through rates are strong.
What should I do if I have lost my Companies House authentication code?
Request a replacement through the WebFiling service and Companies House will post a new code to your registered office address. This takes up to five working days and cannot be expedited, which is why keeping your registered address current is important.
Do I need to contact Companies House every year?
You are required to file a confirmation statement every 12 months from your incorporation date. This can be done online through WebFiling and does not require you to contact Companies House directly unless something needs correcting.