Reporting a change of company director

A director change has two parts: the underlying appointment or departure and the notification to Companies House. A filing should reflect a valid event, with the correct date and details. It should not be used to manufacture an appointment or settle a dispute about whether someone was properly removed.

Establish what actually changed

Identify whether the event is a new appointment, resignation, removal or amendment to an existing director's particulars. Review the articles, relevant resolutions, consent to act and any notice. Different events need different evidence and forms.

For an appointment, confirm the individual's eligibility and the company's decision-making process. For a departure, distinguish the end of the directorship from the end of employment, share ownership or a consultancy contract.

Check the notification deadline

Companies House guidance requires specified director changes to be reported within fourteen days. Record the real event date and calculate the relevant deadline rather than waiting for the next confirmation statement. ^[1]

A late notification should not be disguised by choosing a more recent date. Preserve the chronology and obtain advice on how to correct the position accurately if a deadline has already been missed.

Complete the applicable identity process

New directors must meet the identity verification requirements connected with appointment. Existing directors have their own transition arrangements. Confirm which process applies and ensure the personal details match the verified identity before the filing is attempted. ^[2]

A personal code belongs to the individual. Keep it separate from company-level filing credentials and avoid circulating it in general board packs or ordinary customer correspondence.

Prepare a director-change file

• Company name and number.
• Decision or notice supporting the event.
• Correct appointment or cessation date.
• Required personal and service-address details.
• Evidence that the applicable verification step is complete.
• Submission acknowledgement and accepted register entry.

Update operational authority too

The public register does not manage bank mandates, purchasing limits or access to company systems. After the legal change, review those permissions separately. An outgoing director may still appear on a bank account until the bank's process is completed.

For example, replacing a finance director should include handover of outstanding filings, approvals and records. A new appointment on the register will not automatically transfer knowledge of a tax enquiry or an unsigned contract.

Put the legal event before the form

Consider an incoming director whose appointment is conditional on an investment completing. A board discussion agreeing that they will join in principle is not necessarily the appointment date. Check the resolution, conditions and completion evidence, then identify when the appointment actually became effective. The Companies House submission should follow that conclusion rather than choosing whichever date is easiest to enter.

For a resignation, retain the notice and examine its wording and delivery. For a proposed removal, obtain advice on the required company procedure before preparing a termination filing. A service agreement may create separate notice or compensation questions even where the company-law process is valid. Keep those questions visible without treating them as the same administrative task.

Give the incoming director a useful introduction

Provide the current articles, recent accounts, key board decisions and a list of unresolved obligations. Include the dates of upcoming filings and the identity of the people preparing them. A new director needs to understand the company's actual position, including problems that predate their arrival; a welcome email containing only the public register link is insufficient.

Explain the approval limits that apply to spending, borrowing and contracts. Establish how the director will receive board papers and declare interests. If they represent an investor, clarify the difference between keeping that investor informed and handling confidential company information appropriately. Agree access based on their role rather than copying all former permissions from the outgoing director.

Secure the departure without losing evidence

Arrange recovery of company devices, documents and account administration rights in a controlled sequence. Preserve business records before removing access, particularly where the departing director used a personal email account for company matters. Avoid deleting correspondence that explains an outstanding transaction or filing. Where relationships are difficult, agree a documented handover route with professional assistance.

Review bank mandates and guarantees separately. Removing a person from the public register does not tell a lender to release a guarantee. Equally, a former director who remains a shareholder may still have rights to specified company information. Access decisions should reflect the continuing legal relationship, not a blanket assumption that all connections ended together.

Resolve mismatches before resubmitting

If personal details fail a filing check, compare the submitted information with the verified record and official instructions. Do not invent a shortened name or alter the appointment date simply to get a form accepted. Keep the rejected submission and the corrected version so the change is understandable later.

Use Appointing and removing directors for the underlying appointment and removal questions. Director and PSC changes can help organise the reporting work once the effective event and authorised instructions are clear.

Once the filing is accepted, check the displayed information and give the responsible administrator the next actions. Good records connect the company decision, public notification and operational handover into one understandable sequence.