File your confirmation statement

This applies to every company registered at Companies House in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. The rules are the same in all 4 nations apart from the criminal penalty for filing late.

What a confirmation statement is

A confirmation statement is your company's yearly check that the information Companies House holds about it is right. You file one even if nothing has changed.

Find your deadline

Your deadline is 14 days after your review period ends. A company incorporated on 15 March 2026 has a first review period that ends on 14 March 2027. It must file by 28 March 2027.

You can file before your review period ends. You then choose a new confirmation date, and your next review period starts the day after it.

The Companies House register shows your company's confirmation date and filing deadline. You can sign up there for an email reminder.

Before you file

Lawful purpose, registered email and shareholders

The lawful purpose statement covers what the company intends to do from now on, not its past activities. Dormant companies must make it too, and Companies House does not accept a statement without it.

Your registered email address is appropriate if emails from Companies House would normally reach a person acting for the company. It does not appear on the public register. If it is not appropriate, deliver a change notice with the statement.

A company whose shares are not traded on a market gives its shareholder details with each statement, unless they match the details last delivered.

Director identity verification

Companies House does not accept the statement until every director has verified their identity. A director of more than one company gives their code for each company.

Payment period

You pay the fee once for each 12-month payment period, with the first statement registered in that period. Your payment period is separate from your review period. Further statements in the same payment period are free.

File the statement

You can file online or on a paper form CS01.

If you miss the date

If Companies House prosecutes

Filing more than 14 days after your review period ends is an offence by the company and by every officer in default. A shadow director counts as a director. An officer who is not in default at the deadline but is in default while the offence continues also commits an offence.

If Companies House issues a warning notice

Companies House can issue a financial penalty instead of prosecuting. It sends a warning notice first, and you receive no penalty if you file within the warning period. The amount depends on how serious Companies House rates the offence and how often it has happened. If the statement stays unfiled, Companies House can issue further penalties, for example one for each day.

If annual documents stay missing

If Companies House does not receive annual documents such as your confirmation statement, it can start to strike the company off the register. When the company is dissolved, its assets pass to the Crown and its bank account is frozen.

Get help

If you cannot tell when your statement is due, or a director cannot verify in time, contact Companies House before the deadline.