Company records checklist: what to keep after the Companies House changes

A company records folder should help someone establish who owns the company, which decisions have been made and what still needs filing. The Companies House reforms mean an old checklist can now send you looking for the wrong local registers.

This guide concerns ordinary private companies limited by shares in England and Wales. The reform position below was checked against Companies House guidance on 28 October 2026. Different company types and unusual circumstances need separate advice.

Start with the changes to local registers

From 18 November 2025, companies no longer have to keep their own local registers of directors, directors' residential addresses, secretaries or people with significant control. They must still supply the relevant information to Companies House and keep it current. That change does not remove the need to record company decisions.

The register of members remains a company responsibility. Companies House states that it must be held at the registered office or a single alternative inspection location. The option to hold members' information on the central register ended on 26 January 2026; companies that used it need to establish and maintain their own full register. See the official changes to company registers.

Organise the records by the question they answer

GOV.UK's company records guidance identifies records of shareholders, votes and resolutions, share transactions and certain financial obligations. Do not treat a certificate, spreadsheet or confirmation statement as a universal replacement for the underlying records.

Keep identity verification on a separate tracker

Checking the company's paperwork and checking an individual's identity-verification obligations are different jobs. Current Companies House guidance requires directors to provide their personal codes with the relevant filing. PSCs also have their own requirements and timing; someone who is both a director and a PSC must deal with each role separately.

Use the official when to verify guidance and the dates shown for the individual on the register. Record who is handling each task and its due date. Do not put personal codes in a widely shared board pack or public-facing checklist.

A practical monthly reconciliation

Compare the last month's events with your records. Did someone join or leave? Were shares issued or transferred? Was an agreement signed, a dividend approved or a loan advanced? For each event, check the supporting approval, signed document, record update and any filing requirement. Assign unresolved points to a named person.

For example, finding a signed share-transfer form in an email does not tell you whether every required step has happened. Trace the transaction through the company's articles, approvals, tax or stamping requirements where relevant, membership records and certificate handling with your adviser.

Prepare a handover that another person can follow

Use an index, consistent file names and an outstanding-actions list. Keep original signed material securely and distinguish it from drafts. Record where the register is kept and who maintains it. Agree retention and access arrangements with your advisers rather than deleting old records simply because a local-register requirement changed.

The company records checklist is a useful starting point. Explore the Company Secretarial Essentials collection for the proposed document range and check each product's scope before choosing it.