Company Secretary 101: The Confirmation Statement
Every company, including dormant and non-trading companies, must file a confirmation statement to Companies House annually. It confirms that their information about your company is correct and up to date.
Failure to file a statement is a criminal offence, and Companies House can prosecute directors and company secretaries for non-compliance. In addition, your company could lose its legal status if you don’t file.
Because confirmation statements are important, it’s worth taking the time to understand them. In this blog post, we’ll walk you through all you need to know.
What is a confirmation statement?
Introduced in 2016, the confirmation statement exists to ensure the details Companies House has about your company are up to date.
A Confirmation Statement is sometimes called CS01, named after the Companies House form used to file it. Most confirmation statements are filed online, and keep your company’s entry on the publicly available Companies House database up to date.
When do I file my Confirmation Statement?
Typically, at least once a year. Companies House will send an email or letter to remind you to file. If you haven’t signed up for Companies House email reminders, you can register here ↗.
Your first filing due date (also called a ‘confirmation date’) is 12-months after your company’s date of incorporation. You can file early, and more than once a year, but it's vital that you don’t file later than 14 days after your confirmation date. Filing late means you could incur penalties (like fines, or having your company struck off the Companies Register, and assets passed to the Crown).
What information is in a Confirmation Statement?
Here’s the information you’ll need to confirm or update every time you file:
Your registered office address
Officers: directors and company secretary
The address where you keep your records - SAIL (single alternative inspection location) if different from your registered office address
Standard Industrial Classification (SIC code ↗)
Share capital: the currency which was used to purchase the shares, the class of shares, the number of shares, the aggregate nominal value (i.e. how much the shares are worth as a whole), their prescribed particulars (i.e. the rights allowed with the shares), the amount unpaid (i.e. the sums owed by shareholders who have not yet paid for their shares)
Shareholders: their name, number of owned shares, class of those shares
People with significant control (PSCs ↗): their names and dates of birth
If none of the above has changed for your company in the last 12 months, then you will simply ‘check and confirm’ your details are correct and up to date.
How to file a confirmation statement form
The easiest way to submit your information is to complete and file your confirmation statement online ↗.
If you need to make changes to your company’s information, you can do so in the ‘additional information’ section of the online form. Use it to update your:
Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) code
statement of capital
trading status of shares
exemption from keeping a register of people with significant control
shareholder information
You can find information currently stored with Companies House’s by searching the Companies House online register ↗.
What’s the confirmation statement fee?
Not only is filing the confirmation statement online easier, but it’ll also save you money too. It costs £13 to file one in any 12-month period, plus you won’t need to pay again if you file another one within that time frame.
In contrast, filing a paper form costs £40, so you’re better off submitting your confirmation statement online if you can. It also has pre-populated information, making it far quicker and easier to complete.
When do I need to send a confirmation statement?
Companies House ask that you submit a confirmation statement at least once a year.
The date your next confirmation statement is due is 12-months after filing your previous statement. You can find this date by searching for your business on Companies House online register ↗.
You can make your confirmation statement early, starting a new review period that ends 12 months later.
What if my confirmation statement is overdue?
You need to make sure you file your confirmation statement within 14 days of the end of your review period. You must file on time otherwise your company and its officers could be prosecuted, and your company struck off the register.
Appointing a Corporate Secretary
To help ease the burden on your business, many choose to appoint a corporate secretary to help directors meet their regulatory, legal, and entity governance obligations.
HiThrive offer a professional company secretary service. We work with you to ensure that your Companies House records are up to date and you remain compliant throughout the year. Learn more about our company secretary service.