Web filing (shared access)

[hobnob]

I assume that everyone's aware of the recent changes for identity verification:
Verifying your identity for Companies House - GOV.UK
Basically, as of last week (18th Nov), all directors and people with significant control need to have a gov.uk "one login" account. If they don't, you can't file a confirmation statement.

My normal principle is to use separate email addresses for personal stuff vs work stuff. However, this seems to be an exception, i.e. you'd use the same account if you were a director/PSC for multiple companies.

If you have existing accounts for Companies House and/or WebFiling, you need to convert them to use the "one login" account. In my case, I'm the sole director and shareholder for MyCo, so that's easy enough. The problem comes if you have multiple directors sharing an account, i.e. only one of them will be able to log in.

The WebFiling website isn't very helpful:
https://ewf.companieshouse.gov.uk/ru...ignInIntercept
"These changes may affect the way your business currently accesses Companies House services. It is up to each business how to adapt to these changes."

In theory you could share the password for your "one login" account, but you might not want to do that if you're also using it for other services outside the business (e.g. your NHS records).

It seems like the obvious solution would be to associate multiple accounts with the same company, so that all directors can access the same information. Maybe that will come later?

[northernladuk]

Have you asked your accountant?

[hobnob]

Have you asked your accountant?

No - as I said in my original post, this doesn't affect my limited company because I'm the only director/shareholder, so I'm not sharing an account with anyone.

My accountants have offered to submit the confirmation statement for me, but I prefer to do it myself. Maybe that will be the best way for companies with multiple directors to handle this, particularly if the accountant is an ACSP:
Being an Authorised Corporate Service Provider (ACSP) - GOV.UK
I.e. thinking about business continuity, that would avoid a single point of failure.

[willendure]

I tried obtaining and ID and near the end of the process is asked me some security questions... on which date did I open my bank account (did not say which bank account) was it Aug 2001, May 2002, or June 2000. Seriously? Like I can bloody remember that far back. So I failed to satisfy it of my identity. What load of bollocks.

[fiisch]

The ID verification is driving me to insanity.... I worked on an ID verification tool for an insurance company, and my "identity" is fairly vanilla in that I've been at the same address for 5+ years, only one address for bills, driving licence and docs up to date....

However, I failed the online verification check and then got the questions wrong (as above, asking questions about when I opened a bank which was 10 years old). I now only seem to be left an option to verify via an accountant or a solicitor, but my accountant has advised they're not able to do this.

Is there an option to walk into a Post Office or similar and flop out my ID docs and get it over and done with?

[hobnob]

Is there an option to walk into a Post Office or similar and flop out my ID docs and get it over and done with?

Yes, you can verify at a Post Office (after you've done some stuff on the website to prepare):
How to prove your identity for Companies House at the Post Office - GOV.UK
Edit: not all post offices offer this service, but you can search that website for one near you.

If you need to use an ACSP, they don't have to be your accountant. I know some people in a similar situation who paid an ACSP to verify them as a one-off service.

[willendure]

However, I failed the online verification check and then got the questions wrong (as above, asking questions about when I opened a bank which was 10 years old).

So not just me being a numpty then. How can such a poor system be put into production and forcing people to use it? Usually uk.gov stuff is done to a decently high standard and well enough thought out, but not this one.

[Contreras]

Is there an option to walk into a Post Office or similar and flop out my ID docs and get it over and done with?

Yes. Kind of. Start here (maybe).

Jump through the hoops until, failing the online check, it offers the option to present at a Post Office. Select from a shortlist which PO you want to present at, not just any PO. It then generates a letter which you can print out and take to the selected PO by a specified date along with your photo ID. The PO clerk scans the letter, your ID, and takes your photo. Then you get an email confirming that it happened and telling you to login (to One Login) to view the result of your identity check.

It should be possible to link your GOV.UK One Login account with your pre-existing Companies House online account (presuming you have one) by changing one or other email address to match, though I have not tried this. It's also possible to abandon your pre-existing Companies House online account (or keep it*) and instead add the CH service from scratch to your One Login account, you just need your company number and CH issued Auth Code for this.

* such as for a watchlist of other companies (clients etc.) that you want filing notifications for but not to your personal email, or any other 'non-filing' activity.

So now you are authorised do CH web-filing via One Login (just as was possible via the CH site). Also having proven your identity CH should post an 11-character "personal code" in your account, and/or by email (it's unclear). That code, and the codes of any other directors, is/are needed to complete the company's Confirmation Statement thus proving the identities of all director(s). There's so much wrong with this I don't know where to start. Allegedly there's no obvious process to follow should the code(s) be compromised.

There's no such "personal code" posted in my account, or by email, nor is there any indication whether my identity check succeeded so personally I am somewhat in limbo. If anyone has succeeded with the identity check (by whatever means) please do tell! Other than the personal code, does a successful identity check indicate anywhere in One Login account?

This tulip show makes clear why CH needed to so massively hike the CS filing fee last year.

As for email addresses, my thoughts are that anyone who cares about data security/privacy needs to have a dedicated email address and inbox for their GOV.UK One Login account. The government's intention is to roll this out across all services and as such is obviously going to be a super-high profile target for phishing attacks and the like.

I noticed the CH account has a few email addresses that are not automatically synced. There's the account login (replaced by the One Login email if you connect them). There's the legally required company registered email address (REA). An email for receiving eReminder notices. If you have a watchlist for other companies I think this goes to the account email. I didn't want this 'company' clutter going to my personal email address, hence not connecting my existing CH account, but YMMV.

Further reading: (disable javascript to bypass paywalls)

CH blog: Verifying your identity for Companies House with GOV.UK One Login

Computer Weekly: Government faces claims of serious security and data protection problems in One Login digital ID

Computer Weekly: Gov.uk One Login yet to meet government cyber security standards for critical public services

Computer Weekly: Gov.uk One Login loses certification for digital identity trust framework

Computer Weekly: Security tests reveal serious vulnerability in government’s One Login digital ID system

Telegraph: Britain’s primary data portal just failed a red-team test. Yes, that is very bad

AccountingWeb: Is Companies House prudent?

[hobnob]

There's no such "personal code" posted in my account, or by email, nor is there any indication whether my identity check succeeded so personally I am somewhat in limbo. If anyone has succeeded with the identity check (by whatever means) please do tell! Other than the personal code, does a successful identity check indicate anywhere in One Login account?

I did a successful check, but it was a few months ago so I can't remember whether I got any email notifications. Are you using the "Manage account" option on the Companies House website to check for your code? See the "Where to find your personal code" section on this page:
Companies House personal codes for identity verification - GOV.UK

Once you've got the code, the best test is to use it. The rules for confirmation statements have changed recently, and the review period is separate from the payment period:
Filing your company's confirmation statement - GOV.UK
Basically, that means that you can file confirmation statements as often as you like (as long as it's at least once a year), but you only have to pay once a year. So, you can test whether everything is working properly (all relevant identities verified) without waiting for the deadline.

[ladymuck]

I didn't have any issues regarding verification and successfully tested my code when my accountants submitted my accounts last month.

I don't remember what question I was asked but I suppose that was easier for me as I've changed banks in the past few years and moved home, so there's more recent activity to pull from.