Use HMRC for the current UK VAT-registration response. Use VATFind and Companies House to resolve the legal company and compare evidence; neither substitutes for the other.
Find a VAT number by company name
BEFORE YOU START
Collect the inputs that prevent a false match.
- UK legal company name and Companies House number when available
- VAT number exactly as supplied on the invoice or onboarding form
- Registered address or postcode for entity comparison
- HMRC response and reference when current registration evidence is required
- A documented route for name, address or group-company discrepancies
SOURCE MAP
Use the source that answers the actual question.
| Question | Evidence source | Retain |
|---|---|---|
| Which UK legal company is this? | Companies House or a sourced company record | Legal name, company number, registered office and source |
| Which VAT number is reported for that entity? | Invoice, company document or company-data record | Submitted number and document or record source |
| What does HMRC report for the VAT number? | GOV.UK checker or HMRC API | Returned business details, time and reference where supplied |
| Can the invoice or supplier be approved? | AP, tax and onboarding policy | Comparison, exception, reviewer and final disposition |
EVIDENCE ROUTER · NO SUBMISSION
Choose the record you have.
This guide does not call HMRC or approve a supplier. It routes each starting point to the evidence that answers it.
Use the GOV.UK service for the current authority response, then compare the returned business details with the invoice, contract and legal-company record. Keep the HMRC evidence separate from the VATFind company match.
Compare the company recordHow to find a UK VAT number by company name
Search VATFind using the legal company name and United Kingdom as the country. Compare the registration number and address before taking a VAT number from the result.
The official UK checker requires the VAT number itself; it does not support a search by business name.
GOV.UK: Before you startHow to check a UK VAT number with HMRC
Once you have the number, open GOV.UK’s Check a UK VAT number service to obtain HMRC’s current response and the associated business name and address. The public service requires the VAT number; it does not accept a company name as the search input.
VATFind’s Check VAT / EIN option confirms whether the company-data source returns a record for the number. Open the official service directly when you need HMRC’s current registration result; VATFind does not submit that authority check on your behalf.
Retain the exact number submitted, check time, returned identity and any reference supplied. If the service is unavailable, store that operational outcome and retry according to policy instead of recording the registration as invalid.
Open the official UK VAT checkerCompare the returned entity
Put the authority result beside your supplier document and the company record. Check that you are looking at the same legal entity, not a similarly named business or a different company in the same group.
An unexpected name or address deserves follow-up. Ask the supplier to explain the mismatch and provide current supporting information instead of silently replacing their details.
Keep lookup and validation records separate
Record where each result came from and when you obtained it. A VATFind result is source-labelled company information. An official checker result is a separate source for the registration question.
VATFind displays the company status supplied in the company record and does not add a separate tax-registration status.
Can you find a VAT number on Companies House?
A Companies House number identifies a UK legal company. It is not the company’s VAT number, and it cannot be converted into one. Use the company name, number and registered office to establish the entity, then obtain its VAT number from an invoice, the business itself or an available VATFind company record.
Companies House and HMRC answer different questions. Companies House supplies the legal company record and company number. HMRC supplies the VAT-registration response for the submitted VAT number. Put the two records beside the supplier document rather than treating one as a substitute for the other.
The most useful comparison is the legal name, company number, registered office, VAT number and any name or address returned by HMRC. If the invoice uses a brand, make sure the contract and payment record still point to the same legal entity.
Companies House: Find and update company informationFor system integration, define the HMRC evidence separately
HMRC publishes a VAT registered companies API for due-diligence workflows. Where an organisation integrates it, the API response and reference belong in a separate evidence object from the VATFind company-record result.
Do not describe a cached company-data record as an HMRC response. Record which source was called, when it was called, what it returned and whether the service was unavailable. This distinction is essential when a reviewer needs to reconstruct the decision later.
HMRC: VAT Registered Companies API v2PRACTICAL QUESTIONS
Frequently asked questions
Can Companies House search for a VAT number?
Companies House identifies UK legal companies and their company numbers. A VAT registration is a separate identifier. Use the company record to resolve the entity and HMRC for the current VAT-registration response.
Can the GOV.UK VAT checker search by company name?
No. The public checker requires the VAT number. Use the legal company name and company details to find the correct entity first, then check the number separately when needed.
What if the HMRC name differs from the invoice name?
A trading name, group entity or stale document can explain a difference, but it should be investigated. Compare the legal company number, address, contract and supplier explanation before relying on the invoice.
What evidence should be retained from a UK check?
Keep the submitted VAT number, HMRC response, returned name and address, check time and reference where supplied, plus the company record and reviewer decision used in the workflow.
Does a UK VAT check prove the business is safe to pay?
No. It does not establish bank-account ownership, invoice authenticity, sanctions clearance, internal authorisation or supplier performance.
When was this guide last reviewed?
VATFind reviewed this guide on 10 October 2026. Rules, authority services, and source coverage can change, so check the linked official reference before making a current tax or legal decision.
This guide explains the lookup and evidence process; it is not tax or legal advice. Official services, coverage and requirements can change. The review date records VATFind's content review, not a guarantee that every linked authority changed on that date.