Every limited company and limited liability partnership business, including dormant and non-trading companies, must file a confirmation statement at least once every 12 months.
Failure to do so is classified as a criminal offence where directors or company secretary could face prosecution, and subsequent disqualification AND the company could lose its legal status.
Now that we have established the importance of this simple piece of documentation let’s move on and find out how you can file it correctly and on time –
What Is A Confirmation Statement?
A confirmation statement (Companies House form CS01) replaced the annual return (Companies House form AR01) in 2016 and is filed once every 12 months to provide up-to-date information about the company for the public register. It has simplified the earlier filing process by providing a more direct format. Unlike an annual return, you are no longer required to file ALL the information again – you just have to ensure that the current information on file is correct and updated.
A confirmation statement must contain the following information –
- Company name and registration number
- Registered office address
- Location of statutory registers
- Details of all directors and secretaries
- Shareholders’ details
- Issued share capital
- Nature of business activities/SIC codes
- LLP members’ details (Where applicable)
- SAIL address (where applicable)
- Information about People with Significant Control (PSC)
Essential Details You Need To Track While Filing The Confirmation Statement
Remember, the primary purpose of a confirmation statement is to ensure that your company information on record at the Companies House is correct and fully up-to-date. So you need to first check what -if anything – needs to be changed. You can do this through the Companies House service. Even if there are no changes, you still MUST file a confirmation statement to signal that your records are correct and current (you just need to do is ‘check and confirm’ the current information and submit the statement). For this reason, even dormant or inactive companies are required to provide confirmation statements.
Usual changes, which must be reflected in a confirmation statement, are
- appointments, resignations or changes to personal details for all directors and company secretary
- change of the company name
- changes to the registered office address
- changes to the accounting reference date
- changes to PSC details
- changes to share structure
When and Where Can You File A Confirmation Statement?
You need to file a confirmation statement at least once every 12 months. This due date is called a confirmation date, and you have a grace period of 14 days from it to file your statement. A newly formed company has a year to file its first confirmation statement.
You can file a confirmation statement any number of times during a year. And the new 12-month review period starts from the date of your last filing.
You can file a confirmation statement either online via WebFiling (the Companies House service) or by sending your forms by post. You can also outsource the whole activity to a company that will prepare and file on your behalf.
The fee (£40 when submitted by post and £13 for online filing) is valid for 12 months. This means that if you decide to file your confirmation statement again before the year is out, you don’t have to pay for it.
What If You File Incorrect Information?
When it comes to the veracity of the information, the onus lies on you. However, if the Companies House finds any inconsistencies, they will flag the problem and revert with a notice.
Once you receive a notice, it is essential to take action. You must understand the problem flagged by them and respond accordingly. The Companies House provides extensive support for the same through –
- letters and emails
- free interactive webinars
- online guidance
- customer support center
In case you don’t take appropriate action, your company will be publicly flagged as inconsistent.
Let’s Recap The Main Things To Remember
- File on time – remember, every 12-month! We recommend you schedule it with your other filing deadlines.
- File even if you don’t have changes to report. Dormant or inactive companies must also prepare and submit a confirmation statement.
- Check existing information to file changes correctly.
- Some changes, such as the registered address, or appointing/terminating a company director, must be filed separately on additional forms before the confirmation statement. Do check!
A confirmation statement is a simple yet critical piece of company document. To avoid missing your deadline, we recommend you sign up for the free email reminder service by Companies House.
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