Company law · The annual spine

Registers, office and email current

Companies Act 2006 (c. 46) · Ongoing upkeep

The Companies Act 2006 requires the company to keep a register of members. From 18 November 2025 the registers of directors, directors' residential addresses, secretaries and people with significant control are held centrally at Companies House rather than kept by the company, while the register of members remains the company's own duty. A company must keep an appropriate registered office, and since March 2024 a registered email address, both kept current at all times.

Since 6 April 2008 a private company is not required to appoint a company secretary under section 270. Where no secretary is appointed the directors carry the secretary's duties, including keeping the records correct. A public company must still appoint a company secretary under section 271. This is why, in most small companies, no single person holds the title of the person who does company law, and the directors are responsible for the upkeep.

The move of the director and PSC registers to the central record, the registered email requirement and identity verification are handled by the separate ECCTA 2023 system. See the ECCTA 2023 tool →

The Statutory Registers working file in the ComplianceSME Companies Act 2006 system checks your register of members against your shareholders, and confirms that your registered office and registered email are correct. It asks you where each record is held and who keeps it up to date, one question at a time, then produces the evidence that the company's records meet the Act.

Everything beyond the Companies Act 2006 has its own system in the full register.