Companies House and the Intellectual Property Office (IPO) are asking businesses to take special care of misleading requests for payment sent by fraudulent organisations.
Invoices are being sent to companies that request payment for Companies House and IPO services. They may be posted to a company’s registered office address or sent by email.
The invoices request payment for services at inflated prices that are available for a much lower fee, or even free of charge, directly from legitimate sources.
Payments are often requested for things like:
- Setting up or claiming the company’s Companies House online account.
- Authenticating the company’s Companies House account or verifying details.
- Renewing a trade mark or including it on an ‘exclusive online register’.
Companies House and the IPO are advising companies that where they are not sure if a request for payment is genuine, they can:
- Check any website and email addresses in the letter or email to see whether they are provided through GOV.UK.
- Look for disclaimers stating the organisation is not affiliated with government.
- Contact Companies House or the IPO directly to verify any requests.
Contact details for Companies House and the IPO can be found here.
UK businesses are facing a “cost of business crisis”, according to the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC). Its new cost-stack calculator shows government policy alone has pushed up an average firm's expenses by 70% over the past decade, adding roughly £827,000 a year in costs for a typical mid-sized business. About a quarter of the rise stems from the increase in employer National Insurance contributions, with the higher minimum wage and mandatory pension auto-enrolment also major contributors.
Under Making Tax Digital (MTD) for Income Tax, sole traders and landlords with income of more than £50,000 have been required to keep digital records and send quarterly updates to HMRC since 6 April 2026.
35 Wilkinson Street
Sheffield
S10 2GB
.png)
.jpg){kind=icon}
