Who owns a UK company, and who owned it before
ClearTrace reads a company's filings at Companies House, PDFs included, and puts its share transfers, directors, owners and linked companies on one page, in date order.
What you won't see on the Companies House website
Who sold shares to whom, and when
Share transfers aren't filed on their own. They only show up inside confirmation statements, one PDF at a time. ClearTrace reads those PDFs and lists the transfers by date.
Who controls it
The holding companies above it, the people at the top and any companies it controls. Other companies with the same owner are shown too.
Other companies run by the same people
The other companies its directors and owners are involved in, active or dissolved, and what became of them. Click a name to see that person's companies.
The company on any date
Pick a date to see the directors, shareholders, owners and share capital on that day. Routine filings such as annual accounts stay hidden unless you ask for them.
What a company page looks like
This company is made up, but the story is a common one: two founders, a share issue, a transfer to a new director and then a holding company taking over.
HARBOURLIGHT VENTURES LTDDEMO0001
Made-up example, not a real company or personShare movements
Group structure
Harbourlight Studios Ltd · same group
Northgate Property Ltd · same group
Related companies
How it compares with Companies House
| Companies House | ClearTrace | |
|---|---|---|
| Share transfers | Inside confirmation statement PDFs, one at a time, seller only | Each transfer by date with seller and buyer, and the holdings at every statement |
| History | A list of filings by the date they were filed | A timeline of what changed and when, with routine filings hidden |
| Ownership | Who has control of this one company | The whole group, from the people at the top to the sister companies |
| People | An officer search, one name at a time | Every company a director or owner is linked to, from any name on the page |
| A given date | Work it out yourself from the filings | Directors, shareholders, owners and capital on any date |
| Report | Download the PDFs | One printable report per company, with sources |
How it works
Search for a company
Type its name or number. We fetch its filings, officers and owners from Companies House there and then.
Look at the preview
The basic details and the first few changes are free. The rest is blurred, so you can see what's there before you decide.
Open your first one free
Confirm your email address and that company opens in full for 30 days, no card needed. After that it's £4.90 a company, or a monthly plan at £39 for 10, or £49 for 20 companies a month, and you can cancel any time.
Pay for one company, or for the month
Your first company
- One company of your choice, in full
- Timeline, share movements, group and people
- Open for 30 days, with the link in your inbox
- Search and previews stay free after that
One company, in full
- Full timeline, and the position on any date
- Share movements and holdings at each statement
- Group structure, related companies, people pages
- Printable company report
Up to 10 companies a month
- Everything above, for each company you open
- 10 companies a month, resets on the 1st
- Sign in from any browser with the link in your email
Up to 20 companies a month
- Everything above, for each company you open
- 20 companies a month, resets on the 1st
- Sign in from any browser with the link in your email
Who uses it
Questions
Where does the data come from?
From the public Companies House register, through its official API, and from the incorporation, allotment and confirmation statement documents filed there. Nobody types anything in by hand. The data is reproduced under the Open Government Licence.
How do you know who bought the shares?
A confirmation statement says who transferred shares and when, but not who received them. We take the buyer to be the shareholder whose holding went up by the same number of shares on the same statement. When the numbers don't match, both sides are listed separately so you can check.
Can I see what was paid for the shares?
No. The public register doesn't record what anyone paid for shares, so no one can show it.
What's free?
Searching for companies and people, and the basic details and first few changes of any company. Your first company is also free in full once you confirm your email address, one per person. Anything after that is paid.
Do I need an account?
No. Pay by card and the company opens in your browser for 30 days. We also email you a link, so you can open it on another device. On the monthly plan you sign in with the link in your email, and if you lose it you can ask for it again.
How do I cancel the plan?
Use the "Manage or cancel your plan" link in your plan email. It opens your billing page on Stripe. Companies you've already opened stay open until the end of the period you've paid for.
I run a practice. Is there more?
Yes. ClearCash includes all of this for every client, along with dividend vouchers, share certificates, statutory registers and Companies House filings. See ClearCash for practices →
Recently traced
Also from ClearCash
Coming to this page soon.
ClearTrace is part of ClearCash. Transfers between shareholders aren't filed at Companies House as separate events. They only appear in the next confirmation statement, which is why we read the documents. Data reproduced under the Open Government Licence.