Confirmation Statement Filing Service

Running a company in the UK comes with a range of legal requirements, one of which is filing a confirmation statement. If you’re unfamiliar with this process and/or are looking for a service to assist, you’re in the right place. On this page, we’ll delve into what confirmation statements are and how to file them so that you can navigate the process with confidence. Contact us now for professional advice, or carry on reading to find out more. We also help companies with a wide range of other responsibilities, from Year End Accounts and Corporation Tax Returns to Bookkeeping Services and Payroll Management.

What is a Confirmation Statement?

Essentially, a confirmation statement serves as its name suggests – a statement to confirm the accuracy of the information held by Companies House regarding your private limited company. It’s also accessible to the public.

Both limited companies and LLPs are required to submit a confirmation statement annually, even if they are dormant. For companies, the statement includes comprehensive information about the directors and shareholders, and for LLPs, lists its members.

Who is Responsible for Confirmation Statement Filing?

Company directors are legally responsible for submitting the confirmation statement on time (and all other statutory documents), even if the company secretary or an accountant manages this on their behalf. Within an LLP, designated members hold the responsibility for confirming statements.

My Company Hasn’t Changed – Do I Still Need to File?

Even if you don’t need to submit anything new since last year, you still need to file a statement to confirm that the existing information held on the public record is correct. Please note that you can only report certain changes to your company data through a confirmation statement (SIC codes, shareholder details, statement of capital, shares’ trading status, PSC register exemption), but all other information must be reported separately using the relevant Companies House forms.

If you’d like us to file a confirmation statement on your behalf, or report any other company changes to Companies House, please get in touch today.

AR01 Annual Return Form

Since June 2016, confirmation statements have replaced the AR01 annual return form. While the confirmation statement serves a similar purpose and accomplishes the same objectives, its advantage lies in being a faster and more streamlined filing option.

How to File a Confirmation Statement

Filing confirmation statements online is the easiest way to submit company information to Companies House, though you can also do so by post, using form CS01.

Information required on a confirmation statement includes:

• Registered office address
• Single Alternative Inspection Location (SAIL address)
• Company officers
• Company statutory registers location
• Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) code
• Shareholder names and shares held
• Statement of capital
• Shares’ trading status
• People with Significant Control (PSCs)
• Exemption from registering PSCs

To check what information Companies House already has regarding your company, you can do so here.

Registering People with Significant Control

Confirmation statements include much more information about PSCs than AR01 forms did. This helps to identify the individuals involved in the company’s ownership and management. Regularly reviewing and maintaining up-to-date information about PSCs is essential, including:

• Individual’s name
• Birth month and year
• Nationality
• Country of residence
• Service and residential addresses
• The date they became a PSC in the company.

A confirmation statement must also clarify a PSC’s role and status within the company and provide reasons for their inclusion as a PSC.

Confirmation Statement Filing Deadline

Filing a confirmation statement is mandatory on an annual basis, and it must be done no later than 14 days after the end of your 12-month ‘review period’. The review period commences on either:

• The date of your company’s formation, or
• The ‘statement date’ of the last confirmation statement.

The review period ends on the day before either:

• The anniversary of your company’s formation, or
• The statement date of the previous confirmation statement.

For example, if a new company is incorporated on 1^st January 2023, the review period ends on 31^st December 2023. For more established companies who have filed at least one confirmation statement previously, the review period ends 12 months after the day following the previous confirmation statement submission.

If you wish, you can file your confirmation statement early, though this will reset the review period to end 12 months afterwards.

Unsure about when you need to file your confirmation statement? Contact our expert team today – we can file on your behalf for a small fee.

What Happens if You Don’t File?

If you haven’t filed an overdue confirmation statement, you must do so as soon as possible – failing to submit is considered a criminal offence and can lead to significant consequences for both a company and its officers. There is no financial penalty, but the registrar could strike off the company or LLP and disqualify or prosecute directors or designated LLP members.

By working with us, you’ll get friendly reminders well in advance of when your next confirmation statement is due. Companies House will also send a letter to your registered office address, and you can sign up for email reminders to keep up to date with filing.

Confirmation Statement Filing Costs

Companies House charges an annual fee of £13 for submitting a confirmation statement, whether you submit it yourself or an agent submits it on your behalf. This fee is a one-time payment for the year, meaning that if you file additional confirmation statements within the same year, you won’t incur any extra charges.

Opting for paper submission, however, raises the fee to £40. This method is also more time-consuming.

Need Help Filing Confirmation Statements?

If you need guidance on any aspect of your company’s confirmation statement or would like us to file on your behalf, our experienced team are here to help. We can also help with Bookkeeping Services, Payroll Management, and much more. Get in touch with us today, either through our online form, by calling 01743 562430, or by emailing hello@mercianaccountants.co.uk.