Everything you need to know about the Companies House confirmation statement

What is a Companies House confirmation statement?

Companies House introduced the annual confirmation statement in June 2016. It’s designed to streamline the process of reporting information about your company.

Put simply, the confirmation statement exists to make sure the details Companies House have about your company are up to date.

All limited companies and limited liability partnerships need to send a confirmation statement once every 12 months (at least), even if the company or partnership’s dormant.

Before the government introduced the confirmation statement, you needed to give Companies House a snapshot of your company once a year. Now, all you need to do is ‘check and confirm’ that all the details they have are up to date.

Remember – even if nothing’s changed, you need to check your company’s details and verify that they’re all correct.

How to file a confirmation statement form

Companies House says that completing your confirmation statement form online is the easiest way to send them the information.

If you need to make changes to your company’s information, you can do so in the ‘additional information’ section of the online form. Use it to update your:

• Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) code
• statement of capital
• trading status of shares
• exemption from keeping a register of people with significant control
• shareholder information

You can check the information that Companies House has about your company using the Companies House service.

What’s the confirmation statement fee?

Not only is filing the confirmation statement online easier, it’ll save you money too. It costs £13 to file one in any 12 month period, plus you won’t need to pay again if you file another one within that time frame.

In contrast, filing a paper form will cost you £40, so you’re better off submitting your confirmation statement online if you can. It also has pre-populated information, making it far quicker and easier to complete.

When do I need to send a confirmation statement?

Companies House ask that you send them a confirmation statement at least once a year, any time during your review period.

A 'review period' may sound complex but it’s not too difficult to get your head around. For new companies, the review period starts at the date of incorporation and ends 12 months later. So if your company was incorporated on 1 January 2018, the review period would end 31 December 2018.

And for existing companies, the review period starts the day after you filed your last confirmation statement, ending 12 months later.

You can make your confirmation statement early, starting a new review period that ends 12 months later.

What if my confirmation statement is overdue?

You need to make sure you send your confirmation statement within 14 days of the end of your review period. It’s very important you don’t forget, because your company and its officers could be prosecuted – with your company struck off the register.

Is there anything more you’d like to know? Let us know in the comments below.