How to check a company before you pay a subcontractor
The Companies House register is free to search. Here is what it shows about a subcontractor's company, what is worth a closer look, and what it cannot tell you.
What the register shows for free
GOV.UK says you can get some details about a company for free, including:
- company information, for example its registered address and date of incorporation
- current and resigned officers
- document images
- mortgage charge data
- previous company names
- insolvency information
You can also set up free email alerts for when a company updates its details, for example a change of director or address. Source: Get information about a company (GOV.UK).
What we suggest you look at
These are our suggestions. A flag is a reason to ask, never a verdict: plenty of genuine firms are new or use a shared address.
- Status. Is the company active, or dissolved, in liquidation or being struck off?
- Age. When was it set up? A very new company is a reason to ask more.
- Filings. Are its accounts or confirmation statement overdue?
- Officers. Have its directors changed several times in a short time?
- What it does. Does its listed business match construction work?
- Previous names. Has it changed its name, and from what?
The free company check reads all of this from the register for you, and gives the question to ask for each thing worth a closer look.
What it cannot tell you
The register cannot show a company's CIS registration or gross payment status. Only HMRC's verification shows that, and you must verify a new subcontractor before you first pay them. Source: What you must do as a CIS contractor: verify subcontractors. Read how to verify a subcontractor with HMRC.
Keep the record
Save what you found with the date, and what the company told you. Keep your CIS records for at least 3 years after the end of the tax year they relate to. Source: What you must do as a CIS contractor: record keeping.
Questions people ask
Is a Companies House check free?
Yes. GOV.UK says you can get some details about a company for free, including its registered address, date of incorporation, officers, previous names and insolvency information.
Is a Companies House check enough before I pay a subcontractor?
No. Companies House cannot tell you a company's CIS status. You must also verify the subcontractor with HMRC before you first pay them.
What about sole traders?
A sole trader or a partnership is not a limited company, so it is not on the Companies House register as one. Verify them with HMRC as you would anyone.
Read on GOV.UK on 26 October 2026. If GOV.UK changes, we change this page.
More guides
- CIS changes April 2026: the new fraud rulesWhat changed on 6 April 2026, and what "knew or should have known" means.
- How to verify a subcontractor with HMRCWhen you must verify, what you need, and the reference to keep.
- Gross payment status: the tests, and how you can lose itThe tests, the annual review and the new 5 year cancellation.
- CIS supply chain due diligenceThe test in HMRC's words, the signs it names, and what to record.
Wherever you build: CIS checks across the UK.