Guide · updated 24 October 2026
How to filter Companies House by number of employees
You can't, on Companies House itself: neither its search nor its bulk data can be filtered by company size. The employee count is in each company's filed accounts, and 63% of active companies have one we can read, according to accounts filed up to 24 October 2026 (register of 1 September 2026). Here is why, and what the 2028 reform changes.
What Companies House lets you filter
Companies House Advanced Search takes a company name, a registered address, an incorporation date range, a status, SIC codes, a company type and a dissolution date. The free bulk download, a monthly file of every company on the register, has the same kind of fields and no financial data at all.
The employee number is not on the register. It lives in the accounts each company files every year, published as a separate daily stream of documents. So "construction companies in Scotland with 50 to 249 employees" is a question the register can only half answer: it can find the construction companies in Scotland, and then someone has to open every set of accounts.
Where the number is, and how often it is there
Company accounts state the average number of people employed during the year. When accounts are filed electronically, the figures are tagged (the format is called iXBRL), and since October 2020 the employee number has had to be tagged even when it is zero. That makes it readable by software, without guessing.
In a sample of filings measured in September 2026, 86% of electronically filed accounts carried an employee count. Across the whole live register the figure is lower, about 55%, because many companies file on paper, have not filed their first accounts yet, or are dormant. Today, according to accounts filed up to 24 October 2026 (register of 1 September 2026):
| Employees | Active companies | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Micro 0 to 9 | about 3.0 million | 58% |
| Small 10 to 49 | about 190,000 | 4% |
| Medium 50 to 249 | about 32,000 | 1% |
| Large 250 or more | about 4,000 | under 1% |
| No figure filed not known | about 1.9 million | 37% |
| All active companies | about 5.2 million | 100% |
Two things to keep in mind when reading a headcount. Directors count as employees, so a figure of 1 or 2 often means the people running the company rather than a team. And a company with no figure is not a small company: it is one nobody has a number for. Counting it as zero is the most common way a size filter quietly goes wrong.
Why turnover is so rarely there
A small company does not have to file its profit and loss account at Companies House (Companies Act 2006, section 444). Most file a balance sheet and notes only, sometimes called filleted accounts. So turnover, the figure most people reach for first, appears in about 1.6% of filings, and mostly from medium-sized and larger companies. For the great majority of companies, the employee count is the only size figure on the public record.
What the 2028 reform does, and doesn't, change
The Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act 2023 ends the option to file filleted accounts: small and micro companies will have to file a profit and loss account, with the change expected around 2028. Much commentary stops there and concludes that turnover will become public for every company. It won't: small companies are expected to be able to opt out of having their profit and loss account published on the register. Companies House will hold more turnover figures; far fewer will reach the public.
The same reforms move accounts filing to software, which should shrink the number of paper filings, one of the main reasons a company has no readable headcount today. The employee count itself does not change: it is already required.
Where each part of a Firmo row comes from
The company: name, number, status and incorporation date come from the register Companies House publishes each month. It is a snapshot, not a live feed, so a change made in the last few weeks may not show yet.
The sector: the SIC 2007 codes the company chose itself, up to four, all shown, rather than a sector guessed for it.
The region: Companies House does not record one, so it is worked out from the registered office postcode. Companies near a regional border may sit in the neighbouring region.
The employee count: read from the tagged data in electronically filed accounts by a deterministic parser, with no estimates, and always paired with the date of the accounts. Accounts are added daily, so a company that files today has its new figure the next day.
Four rules follow from that. No headcount is shown without its date. No figure filed is never shown as zero. You decide on unknowns: a list with no size filter keeps them, for coverage, and a list with one leaves them out, so every size in it is backed by a filing. And the real SIC codes stay visible, so you can check the sector yourself.
What is in every export
Each CSV row has company_name, company_number, status, incorporation_date, sic_codes, registered_office and region, then the figures from the accounts: employee_count, accounts_as_of, employee_change, employee_change_pct and employee_history; then three years on: employee_count_3y with its date employees_3y_as_of, employee_change_3y, employee_change_3y_pct and growth_streak_years (how many years in a row headcount rose, up to 3); and one employees_year column for each of the last five years, for spreadsheets. Plus turnover_gbp on Unlimited. A headcount or turnover is never exported without the date of the accounts it came from, and that goes for last year's and every earlier figure in the history too.
Filtering by size anyway
The practical route is to join the two: take the register, read the employee number out of every set of electronically filed accounts, keep the date of the accounts it came from, and keep companies with no figure separate from companies that filed zero. That is what Firmo does. Its sector pages give the counts for free, rounded and dated, with the list behind each count available as a CSV:
- Engineering
- Construction
- IT and software
- Manufacturing
- Recruitment
- Accountancy
- Legal
- Logistics and transport
- Wholesale
- Hospitality
- Healthcare and care
- Marketing and advertising
Firmo is an independent service, not affiliated with Companies House. The register is published under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
Questions people ask
Can you search Companies House by number of employees?
No. Companies House Advanced Search filters by name, address, incorporation date, status, SIC code, company type and dissolution date. Employee numbers are only in the filed accounts, which are published separately and cannot be filtered.
Where does a company's employee count come from?
From its annual accounts, which state the average number of people employed in the year. In accounts filed electronically the number is tagged, and it has had to be tagged since October 2020, even when it is zero.
Why do so few companies report turnover?
Small companies do not have to file their profit and loss account (Companies Act 2006, section 444), so turnover appears in about 1.6% of filings, mostly from medium-sized and larger companies.
What will the 2028 accounts reform change?
Small and micro companies will have to file a profit and loss account, but they are expected to be able to opt out of having it published on the public register. More turnover figures will exist at Companies House; far fewer will become public. Employee counts are already required.
How many UK companies have a filed employee count?
63% of active companies, according to accounts filed up to 24 October 2026 (register of 1 September 2026). The rest filed on paper, have not filed yet, or file accounts that carry no machine-readable figure.
More questions about Firmo's lists
What does an employee count of 0 mean?
That the company filed accounts and reported no employees. Since October 2020 the figure has to be tagged in electronic accounts even when it is zero, so a zero is a real answer, not a gap: it usually means a company run by its directors. Firmo keeps it separate from No figure filed, which means nobody has said. Of the companies Firmo holds a figure for, close to a third report zero.
Why is 5 or more employees the most useful size setting?
Directors count as employees in company accounts. A company run by one director with no staff will usually file 1; two directors, 2. So figures from 0 to 4 often describe the people running the company rather than a team. From around 5 upwards, headcount becomes a much better signal of real size.
How is growth worked out?
Each set of accounts states two years: the year it covers and the one before. Growth is the difference between the two employee figures in the company's latest accounts, so both come from the same filing and both carry their dates. A company needs both figures to count as growing.
Why not download the data from Companies House yourself?
You can, and it is free. What you get is two separate bulk downloads: a monthly list of companies with no financial data, and a daily pile of electronic accounts documents. Neither can be filtered by size, and the daily accounts files are only kept for 60 days. Firmo joins them and hands back a finished list, narrowed to the size or growth you choose and, on Unlimited, ordered by employee count or turnover so the largest companies come first.
How often is turnover in a Firmo list?
Only when a company's filed accounts include it, which is rare for micro and small companies and common for medium-sized and larger ones. Where there is no figure the column is left blank rather than guessed, every turnover comes with the date of the accounts it is from, and sorting by turnover puts companies with a reported figure first. Turnover is part of Unlimited, not the one-off list.
How do I find the right sector?
Sectors use the official UK SIC 2007 classification that companies choose when they register. Search codes by description (plumbing, software, dental), or pick a whole section or division to include every code beneath it. Companies can list up to four SIC codes; a company matches if any of them does, and results show them all so you can check the fit.
How accurate is the region?
Companies House does not record a region, so Firmo works it out from the registered office postcode. That is the company's legal address, which is not always where it trades, and some postcode areas cross regional boundaries. It is reliable for roughly where, and less so right on a border.
Do Firmo lists include email addresses or phone numbers?
No. Firmo provides company register data and figures from filed accounts, not personal contact details.
Is a one-off list a subscription?
No. It is a single payment of £25 for one list of up to 1,500 companies, sent as a CSV to the email you pay with and downloadable again for 30 days. Nothing renews, and you don't need an account.
What does Unlimited include?
As many lists as you like, of up to 5,000 companies each, with turnover where companies report it, sorting by turnover or employee count so the largest come first, an API for your own scripts, and sign-ins for up to 3 people.
What is the difference between annual and monthly Unlimited?
Only the billing. Monthly is £199 a month and can be cancelled any time. Annual is £1,908 a year, which works out at £159 a month, a 20% saving.
Can my team share Unlimited?
Yes, up to 3 people. The person who pays owns the workspace and invites the others by email; each signs in with their own email, and everyone sees the lists the workspace builds. An invitation not yet accepted holds a seat.
Is Firmo part of Companies House?
No. Firmo is an independent service that uses public data published by Companies House under the Open Government Licence. It is not affiliated with or endorsed by Companies House.
The SMEs in your patch that just grew
Firmo Weekly: every Monday, the companies in your sectors and regions that added staff since their last filed accounts. Free. Choose your sectors once you have confirmed.