How to prepare a confirmation statement

The confirmation statement confirms that Companies House has accurate information about your company at the confirmation date. Every active limited company, LLP and certain partnerships must file at least one confirmation statement every 12 months, even if nothing has changed.

It does not replace the need to notify changes during the year. Material changes, such as appointing a director or moving the registered office, still need to be filed within the normal statutory deadlines.

Your review period is the period the statement covers. For a new company, it starts on incorporation and runs for 12 months. For an existing company, it starts the day after the last review period ended.

The confirmation statement must be delivered to Companies House within 14 days of the end of the review period. If your review period ends on 30 June, the filing deadline is 14 July.

You can file early. If you do, your next review period starts the day after the date of that confirmation statement, so your filing cycle moves forward.

Most owner-managed companies use Companies House WebFiling. You log in with the authentication code, review the pre-populated company information, update anything that has changed, and submit.

Your accountant or company secretary may file through software connected to Companies House. Paper form CS01 still exists, but it is more expensive and generally discouraged.

From 1 February 2026, the digital confirmation statement fee is £50 and the paper CS01 fee is £110. The fee is payable per review period, not per filing.

Check the principal business activities and SIC code, registered office address, registered email address, statement of capital, shareholder information and PSC information.

Since 4 March 2024, the statement must include a declaration that the company's intended future activities are lawful. Since 5 March 2024, companies have also needed to maintain a registered email address with Companies House.

The registered office must be an appropriate address. A PO Box on its own is not enough; mail must be capable of reaching someone acting on behalf of the company.

If the company has issued new shares, bought back shares, changed share classes or transferred shares during the period, the confirmation statement may need updated shareholder and statement of capital information.

Non-traded companies must deliver member and shareholding details with each confirmation statement. Traded companies have different disclosure rules for larger holdings.

The company must still maintain its own register of members. Recent ECCTA changes removed the need for local registers of directors, secretaries and PSCs, but not the shareholder register.

ECCTA introduced mandatory identity verification for directors, LLP members, PSCs and ultimately people filing documents on behalf of companies unless they use an Authorised Corporate Service Provider.

Since 18 November 2025, newly appointed directors and newly notified PSCs must verify before the appointment or notification can be registered. Existing directors and PSCs have a transition period to 18 November 2026, with the company's next confirmation statement acting as the practical trigger.

Verification can be completed directly through GOV.UK One Login or through an Authorised Corporate Service Provider such as an accountant, solicitor or formation agent.

A no-change confirmation statement still has to be filed. You confirm that the existing register information remains correct, make the lawful purpose declaration, and submit the statement.

There is no automatic late filing penalty like there is for accounts, but failure to file is a criminal offence and can lead to prosecution, fines and ultimately the company being struck off the register.

The simplest prevention is to review the public register about a month before the confirmation date. Check directors, PSCs, registered office, registered email address, SIC code, share capital and shareholder information.

Common blockers include unverified directors, an inappropriate registered office, a missing or outdated registered email address, uncorrected PSC information, and shareholder records that do not match the company's own register.

Many small companies can file their own confirmation statement. Help is usually worth considering where there are multiple directors or PSCs to verify, overseas individuals, share capital changes, a planned early filing, uncertainty over the registered office or email address, or a desire to coordinate the filing with accounts, payroll and dividend records.

Lean Ledger files confirmation statements as part of the standard compliance package for client companies and can support identity verification as an Authorised Corporate Service Provider.