What is an FRN (firm reference number)?
By Tom · Last reviewed · 1 minute read
An FRN, or firm reference number, is the unique number the FCA gives each firm on the Financial Services Register. It's usually six or seven digits, and anyone can use it to look a firm up and see whether it's authorised and what it's permitted to do.
On this page
What the Register shows for an FRN
Look up an FRN on the FCA Register and you'll see the firm's name, its status (for example "Authorised" or "Appointed representative"), its permissions and any limits on them, its trading names and the people connected to it. Clients use it to check you're authorised. Lenders, product providers and networks use it too.
Your FRN on your website
Most advice firms show their FRN in their website footer, next to the statement that they're authorised and regulated by the FCA. The FCA website compliance checker goes through what that statement should include.
Using your FRN to track FCA changes
Because your FRN links to your permissions, it's a quick way to work out which FCA publications matter to you. Enter it into my free FCA updates tool and you'll see what the FCA published in the last four weeks that covers your firm, then get the matching items by email every Friday.
Questions people ask
How do I find my firm's FRN?
Search for your firm's name on the FCA Register at register.fca.org.uk. The FRN is shown at the top of your firm's entry. It's also on letters from the FCA, and many firms show it in their website footer.
Do appointed representatives have their own FRN?
Yes. An appointed representative has its own FRN and its own Register entry, which names its principal firm. The activities it can carry out come from the principal firm's permissions.
Is an FRN the same as a Companies House number?
No. Your company number comes from Companies House and identifies the company. Your FRN comes from the FCA and identifies your firm on the Financial Services Register.
What's an IRN?
An individual reference number. The FCA gives these to people on the Register, such as senior managers and advisers, in the same way FRNs identify firms.