A UK company''s confirmation statement is a Companies House filing made at least once every 12 months, confirming that the public record of the company is accurate. It is not a financial filing — annual accounts are separate.

The fee is small (currently £34 online, £62 by post). Missing the deadline can lead to the company being struck off the register — losing the trading name, the limited liability, and any goodwill built into the brand.

What you''re confirming

The confirmation statement asks you to confirm — or update — the following:

• Registered office address and any single alternative inspection location.
• Officers — directors and (if any) company secretary, with their service addresses and dates of appointment.
• Persons of Significant Control (PSCs) — every individual ultimately owning or controlling more than 25%.
• Shareholders for private companies — the list as at the confirmation date, with their shareholdings.
• Share capital — issued share capital, including any classes and the rights attached.
• SIC codes — between one and four codes describing the company''s activities.

Most of these can also be updated mid-year separately. The confirmation statement is a backstop — by signing it, the director is saying everything is correct as of the confirmation date.

When to file

Each company has a confirmation date — initially 12 months after incorporation, then 12 months after the last confirmation statement. The statement must be filed within 14 days of that date.

In practice, most companies file on or near the confirmation date itself. Some accountants set up automated reminders 30 days out so it doesn''t get forgotten.

You can file more than one confirmation statement in a year if circumstances require. Doing so doesn''t reduce the next year''s due date — you still have one due 12 months after each filing.

The fee

• Online: £34, valid for 12 months.
• By post: £62, valid for 12 months.

The fee covers all confirmation statements filed in the 12-month period — you don''t pay multiple times for filing twice.

What happens if you miss it

Companies House sends reminder letters. If the statement remains overdue, Companies House can:

• Strike the company off the register.
• Prosecute the directors and the company.
• Refuse to accept other filings until the statement is brought up to date.

Being struck off is not the end of the world — companies can be restored — but the restoration process is slow (3+ months), expensive (legal costs plus penalties plus retrospective filings), and during the dissolved period the company''s assets vest in the Crown as bona vacantia.

Filing it

The Companies House WebFiling service handles confirmation statements directly. You log in, confirm or update each section, and pay. If nothing has changed, the filing takes 5 minutes.

Many accounting software packages have Companies House integration that pre-fills the statement from your kept records. For one-person companies, this is faster than WebFiling and reduces the chance of forgetting.

If you use an accountant or company secretarial service, they typically file the confirmation statement on your behalf as part of their annual service — but check what you''re paying for. Some accountants assume you''re filing it yourself.

The 14-day grace, then the cliff

Companies House does allow a 14-day filing window after the confirmation date. There is no further extension — at day 15 the statement is technically overdue. The actual enforcement (reminder letters, strike-off proceedings) takes months to kick in, but the company shows as "Overdue" on the public register immediately, which lenders and counterparties will see.

What to do next

• Find your confirmation date by searching for the company on the Companies House register — it''s shown on the company''s overview page.
• Set a calendar reminder 30 days out, and another at the confirmation date itself.
• If you use an accountant, confirm in writing what they file on your behalf and what they expect you to file yourself. The single most common cause of missed statements is "I thought my accountant was doing it".