Confirmation statement
A confirmation statement confirms that the details Companies House holds about your company are still correct. It costs £50.00 a year filed online, is due within 14 days of your review period ending, and contains no financial figures at all. It is the simplest filing a company makes, and the one most often forgotten — but leaving it overdue is one of the fastest routes to being struck off.
Updated 14 September 2026
What a confirmation statement actually is #
It confirms that what Companies House already holds about your company is still correct. It is not a tax return, not annual accounts, and it contains no financial information at all. The old name was the annual return, which is why plenty of guidance and a lot of accountants still call it that.
Every company on the register must file one at least once every 12 months. That includes dormant companies and companies that have never traded. The dormant company guide covers what else still applies.
The confirmation statement fee #
| Filed online | £50.00 |
| Filed on paper, form CS01 | £110.00 |
| How often the fee is charged | Once per 12 month payment period |
Paper filing costs more than double and is slower to process. There is no reason to use form CS01 unless you cannot file online at all.
The confirmation statement deadline #
Two dates matter and they are not the same. The review period is the 12 months being confirmed. The deadline is 14 days after that period ends.
| Review period starts | Incorporation, or the day after your last statement date |
| Review period length | 12 months |
| Time to file after it ends | 14 days |
| Filing early | Allowed, and it restarts the 12 months from the new date |
A company incorporated on 10 March has a review period ending 9 March the following year and a Companies House filing deadline of 23 March. Companies House sends a reminder if you sign up for email reminders, which is worth doing because nothing else will prompt you.
Confirmation statement overdue: what actually happens #
There is no automatic escalating penalty the way there is for late accounts, which lulls people into treating it as optional. It is not. The consequences are slower but more serious.
| Stage | What follows |
|---|---|
| Statement not filed by the deadline | The company record is marked overdue and is visible to anyone searching it |
| Companies House chases | A financial penalty of up to £5,000 may be issued |
| Continued failure | Companies House begins compulsory strike off |
| Strike off completes | The company ceases to exist and its assets pass to the Crown |
Failing to file is also a criminal offence by the directors personally, not just a failing by the company. If the company has already been struck off, the route back is administrative restoration, which is far more expensive than the £50.00 would have been. The closing a company guide covers strike off from the other direction, where it is what you actually want.
What the statement confirms #
You are not filling in a form from scratch. Companies House shows what it holds and you either confirm it or correct it first.
- Registered office address
- Registered email address, which is now compulsory
- Directors and, where there is one, the company secretary
- People with significant control, and their identity verification codes
- The SIC codes describing what the company does
- Shareholders and the statement of capital, for companies with shares
- Where the company keeps its statutory registers
- A statement that the intended future activities are lawful
Most ways to change company details are handled separately and are free: a change of registered office, appointing or removing a director, or a new registered email address. The confirmation statement then confirms the updated position. What you cannot do is use the statement to make those changes for the first time.
The PSC register #
A person with significant control is anyone who holds more than 25% of the shares, holds more than 25% of the voting rights, can appoint or remove a majority of the directors, or otherwise exercises significant influence over the company. In a typical one-person company the director is also the sole PSC.
The PSC register has to be kept up to date as things change, not only once a year. The confirmation statement confirms it is accurate; it is not the place to record a change that happened eight months ago and was never reported.
Identity verification before you can file #
This is the change that catches companies out now. Since 18 November 2025 every director and every person with significant control must verify their identity with Companies House and hold a personal code. Companies House will not accept a confirmation statement until the directors have done it.
- Verification is free through GOV.UK One Login and usually takes minutes with a passport or driving licence
- An authorised corporate service provider, such as an accountant or formation agent, can verify you instead
- Existing directors confirm verification with their next confirmation statement, during a transition running to 18 November 2026
- A person with significant control has 14 days to provide their personal code once their window opens
Common questions #
What is a confirmation statement?
An annual filing that confirms the information Companies House holds about your company is still correct. It is not accounts and it contains no financial figures. Every company must file one at least once every 12 months, including dormant and non-trading companies.
What is the confirmation statement fee?
£50.00 filed online, or £110.00 on paper using form CS01. The fee is charged once per 12 month payment period, not per statement, so filing more than once in a year costs nothing extra.
What is the confirmation statement cost for a dormant company?
The same £50.00. Being dormant removes the need to file full accounts but not the confirmation statement, which is one of the few unavoidable costs of keeping a dormant company on the register.
When is the confirmation statement deadline?
Your review period runs 12 months from incorporation, or from the date of your last statement. You then have 14 days from the end of that period to file. You can file early, which restarts the 12 month clock from the new date.
What happens if a confirmation statement is overdue?
The company record shows as overdue to anyone who looks. Companies House can issue a financial penalty of up to £5,000.00, and will eventually start compulsory strike off. Directors can also be prosecuted personally, because the duty to file falls on them.
What happens if a confirmation statement is late?
A confirmation statement late by a short period is usually resolved by filing it. There is no automatic sliding scale of fines the way there is for late accounts, but the penalty power and the strike off route both remain available, so the fix is to file rather than wait.
What is the PSC register?
The record of people with significant control: anyone holding more than 25% of shares or voting rights, anyone able to appoint or remove a majority of directors, or anyone otherwise exercising significant influence. The confirmation statement confirms the PSC register is accurate.
Do I need to verify my identity to file?
Yes. Since 18 November 2025 directors and people with significant control must verify their identity with Companies House and hold a personal code. Existing directors confirm this with their next confirmation statement during a transition running to 18 November 2026.
What is the Companies House filing fee for other changes?
Changing company details such as a registered office address is generally free. The charges are for the confirmation statement at £50.00, incorporation, a change of name, and voluntary strike off. Companies House filing fee changes are published in the official fee schedule.
Can I file a confirmation statement myself?
Yes, and most small companies do. It is filed online through the Companies House service in a few minutes, provided everyone who needs to has verified their identity first. An accountant will do it for you, but there is nothing about it that requires one.