The Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act (ECCTA) has sparked the most significant shift in UK company law in over 100 years. Companies House is set to transform from a library of company data to an agency that can query, reject, and even shut down businesses that don’t meet its new, stricter standards.
This year is set to bring in higher fees, more regulation, and a higher level of required reporting. Find out what’s coming and how you can prepare.
Companies House changes – key takeaways
- fees are increasing – from 1 February, a whole package of fee increases are coming, including the cost of incorporating, the price of a confirmation statement, and even the cost of striking off your business
- stricter rules for limited partnerships – the administrative burden on limited partnerships is changing significantly. They’ll now need to use a registered accountant or solicitor to file their accounts, complete a yearly confirmation statement, and comply with stricter company address rules
- more ownership details required – Companies House now requires owners to provide a full shareholder list when they file their confirmation statement. And provide the full names of shareholders in their register of members
- final ID verification deadline – we’ve now entered the 12-month transitional period where existing directors need to confirm their identity with Companies House or face fines
- increased powers to enforce rules – Companies House are able to issue much larger fines (up to £10,000), reject your filings, and strike your company off the register itself – all without needing to go through the court system
Companies House fees to increase from February 2026
A new set of fees will be introduced for Companies House from 1 February. There’s a whole host of increases coming, from the cost of incorporating to submitting a confirmation statement.
Here’s a table of the main fee increases coming from 1 February:
| Transaction | Channel | New fee |
| Incorporation | Digital | £100 |
| Incorporation (same day) | Digital (software only) | £156 |
| Incorporation | Paper | £124 |
| Registration under s1040 (Part 33 Chapter 1) CA06 | Paper | £124 |
| Re-registration of a company under Part 7 CA06 | Paper | £124 |
| Re-registration of a company under section 651 CA06 | Paper | £124 |
| Re-registration of a company under section 665 CA06 | Paper | £124 |
| Confirmation statement | Digital | £50 |
| Confirmation statement | Paper | £110 |
| Change of name (same day) | Digital | £85 |
| Registration of a charge | Digital | £14 |
| Voluntary strike off | Paper | £18 |
| Voluntary strike off | Digital | £13 |
| Reduction of share capital of a company under s644 CA06 (same day) | Digital (upload service) | £89 |
| Reduction of share capital of a company under s644 CA06 | Paper | £20 |
| Reduction of share capital of a company under s644 CA06 | Digital (upload service) | £20 |
| Reduction of share capital of a company under s649 CA06 (same day) | Digital (upload service) | £89 |
| Reduction of share capital of a company under s649 CA06 | Paper | £20 |
| Reduction of share capital of a company under s649 CA06 | Digital (upload service) | £20 |
| Administrative restoration | Paper | £341 |
| Application to remove personal details from the public register | Paper | £34 |
There’s also a new set of fees for limited liability partnerships, overseas companies and entities, UK economic interest groupings and UK societas, and community interest companies. So familiarise yourself with these changes if they apply to your business.
Stricter rules for limited partnerships
Limited partnerships (LPs) have been a relatively low maintenance style of business structure, with minimal reporting or need for third-party support. This will change drastically in 2026, with far more reporting to Companies House becoming mandatory.
The most significant change is no longer being able to file your paperwork yourself. You’ll need to use an Authorised Corporate Service Provider (ACSP), like an accountant or solicitor that’s registered with Companies House.
This will add an extra administrative fee that wasn’t necessary in the past.
LPs will also need to file an annual confirmation statement to Companies House to confirm your information is accurate. You’ll also need to tell Companies House your LP is continuing to operate every year.
And your registered office address will need to match where your LP is registered. So an LP registered in England will need to have an office address in England, for example. Which means you’ll also no longer be able to use a PO box as a registered office.
There isn’t a set date for all of these changes to be introduced but the expectation is it’ll be in the first half of 2026. Once the date is confirmed, there’ll be a six month transitional period where LPs gradually move to the new reporting system.
More information required on company ownership
In an effort to improve the transparency of company ownership, companies will need to share information about the people with significant control in their company.
When the changes come into effect, companies must:
- share the full names of shareholders in their register of members
- tell the full names of all shareholders to Companies House and provide a full shareholder list when they file their next confirmation statement
ID verification deadline comes in November
After the initial deadline in November 2025, we’re now in the 12 month transitional period where existing company directors need to verify their identity with Companies House.
Meaning you’ll have until November 2026 to verify your ID or risk potential fines from Companies House.
Our guide to verifying your ID with Companies House covers the key details of the changes.
Increased powers for Companies House to enforce new rules
Companies House have more power to enforce these new standards. Now it can scrutinise a business’s filings, investigate potential fraud, and penalise company owners who aren’t meeting its requirements.
The government has removed restrictions so Companies House can make these decisions without needing a court order. And it can now issue much larger fines (up to £10,000), reject your filings, and strike your company off the register itself.
Other guides for business owners
- Setting up a limited company
- How to do a self-employed tax return
- How to file company accounts
- What’s the difference between a sole trader and a limited company
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