Set up Electronic Filing for the United Kingdom

It is possible to set up Diligent Entities to electronically file forms to Companies House.

Most UK Companies Act 2006 forms can be filed electronically from Diligent Entities to Companies House once you complete the steps outlined in this article.

To get started with e-filing to Companies House:

1. Register for an electronic filing account with Companies House.

   Once the application is approved, Companies House sends you an 11-digit numeric presenter identifier and an 11-digit alphanumeric presenter authentication code.

2. Set up company authentication codes for the companies you want to electronically file forms for.

   You must either assign each company a 6-digit alphanumeric authentication code or PIN, or assign one 6-digit alphanumeric code that is used by all of the companies you are electronically filing forms for. Refer to Record Company Authentication Codes to learn more.

3. Generate a list of the company authentication codes you set up and send the list to Companies House.

   Either along with the application form or following its acceptance, you must provide Companies House with a list of the names of the companies for which you want to electronically file forms. You can do that by generating a UK Company Authentication Code Letter. Refer to Create a List of Company Authentication Codes for more information.

4. Make sure Diligent Entities is configured for electronic filing and if you also want to download data from Companies House, for data download as well.

   Go to System Tools > Licence, find the Electronic Filing and Data Download options and ensure they are selected. For electronic incorporations, make sure the Electronic Incorporations option is selected and incorporation licences are available.

   Note

   If electronic filing and data download licences have been purchased but the options are not selected, contact the Diligent Support Team to enable them. If licences have not been purchased, contact your Customer Success Manager to acquire them.

5. Enable the electronic filing profile for the United Kingdom.

   You can set up one electronic filing profile that applies to all users and you can also set up user-specific e-filing profiles. Refer to Set up Electronic Filing for the United Kingdom and Set up User-Specific E-Filing Profiles for more information.

6. (Optional) Enable the electronic filing profile for data download.

   If you want to download company data or data comparison reports from Companies House, you must set up Diligent Entities for data download. Refer to Enable Data Download from Companies House to learn more.

7. Make sure users are set up for e-filing.

   Ensure that the Electronic Filing (United Kingdom) option in the Electronic Filing section of user role rights is enabled for their user role.

   If it is necessary to manually send and receive messages to and from the CRO, make sure the Send & Receive Electronic Filing option in the Other Events section is also selected for the users. Refer to User Role Rights for more information.

   Note

   Hosted clients can verify whether automatic send and receive has been enabled by contacting the Diligent Support Team. Self-hosted clients can contact the Diligent Support Team for guidance on how to check or enable this option.

8. Make sure all required user-defined fields are visible.

   Refer to User-Defined Fields (UDFs) to learn how to change the visibility of user-defined fields.

What's next?

Users can now start producing forms and e-file them to Companies House.