The confirmation statement is the most routine filing a limited company makes, and also one of the most misunderstood. It isn't an account, it isn't a tax return, and it doesn't report anything new — it simply confirms, once a year, that the information Companies House holds about your company is still correct. That sounds trivial, and the filing itself usually is. But recent changes have added real obligations to it, and getting it wrong still carries the risk of your company being struck off. Here's the whole picture.
What a confirmation statement actually is
A confirmation statement — filed on form CS01 — is an annual snapshot you send to Companies House confirming that your company's key public details are accurate. It replaced the old annual return in 2016. Crucially, it's a confirmation, not an update: you're not filing changes, you're confirming the record is right as it stands. If something has changed during the year, you usually update that through a separate filing first, then the confirmation statement confirms the now-correct position.
What it covers is the public-facing skeleton of your company: your registered office address, your directors, your people with significant control (PSCs), your SIC code (what the company does), and your statement of capital and shareholders. Every active company has to file one at least once every 12 months — and so does every dormant company, which is one of the most common things dormant-company owners forget.
The deadline, and why it matters
Your confirmation statement is due within 14 days of the end of your review period. For a new company the review period is the 12 months from incorporation; after that, it runs 12 months from your last statement date. So the timing is specific to your company, not a universal date.
The deadline is easy to treat as soft because there's no automatic fine for missing it — but that's misleading, and dangerously so. Failing to file is a criminal offence, and persistent non-filing leads to the company being struck off the register. We've covered exactly what missing it triggers, and why "no fine" doesn't mean "no consequence," in our guide to missing the confirmation statement deadline.
What's changed: the new ECCTA requirements
This is where the routine filing has gained teeth. The Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act has added several obligations that now form part of filing a confirmation statement, and if you've not filed one recently they may catch you out.
Identity verification. This is the big one. Directors — and people with significant control — must now verify their identity directly with Companies House and obtain a unique personal code. The confirmation statement is the trigger point: for existing directors, you need to have verified your identity before or as part of your next confirmation statement, and the online system will block the filing until verification is done. PSCs have their own verification window. Verification is done once, through GOV.UK One Login or an authorised provider, and the personal code then links to your roles. Failing to verify isn't just an inconvenience — it's an offence, and it stops you filing at all, which puts the company at risk of strike-off.
A statement of lawful purpose. When you file, you now confirm that your company's intended future activities are lawful. It's a tick-box declaration on the form, applying to all confirmation statements dated from March 2024 onwards.
A registered email address. Companies must now hold a registered email address with Companies House, provided when you file. It's kept private and used only for official communications — but it's a required field, not optional.
A higher fee. The cost of filing has risen too: the digital filing fee is now £50. Small, but worth knowing, especially if you manage several companies.
How to file one
In practice, filing is short if your records are in order. Start by checking your company's current details on the Companies House register. If anything is wrong — a director's details, the registered office, your PSCs — fix that through the relevant separate filing before you file the confirmation statement, because the statement confirms the record rather than changing it. Make sure any verification is done. Then file the CS01 online, which typically takes a few minutes when everything is already correct, confirm the statement of lawful purpose, and pay the fee.
The single biggest time-saver is not leaving it to the deadline with stale records. If you keep your details current through the year, the confirmation statement is a five-minute formality. If you don't, it becomes a scramble of catch-up filings under time pressure.
How it fits with everything else
It's worth being clear what the confirmation statement is not, because conflating it with other filings is the most common confusion. It is not your annual accounts (those go to Companies House separately, on a different deadline, and report your finances). It is not your corporation tax return (that goes to HMRC). The confirmation statement only confirms the public register details — it's one item on the wider list of things a company has to file each year.
Common questions
- What is a confirmation statement for?
- It confirms once a year that the details Companies House holds about your company — directors, PSCs, registered office, SIC code, shareholders — are correct. It doesn't report finances or tax; it keeps the public register accurate.
- Do I need to file one if nothing has changed?
- Yes. The confirmation statement confirms the record is correct, so you file it every year regardless of whether anything changed — including if your company is dormant.
- Do I have to verify my identity to file a confirmation statement?
- Yes. Under the new rules, directors and PSCs must verify their identity with Companies House and provide a personal code. The online filing is blocked until verification is complete, and failing to verify is an offence.
- What's the difference between a confirmation statement and annual accounts?
- They're entirely separate filings. The confirmation statement confirms your public register details; annual accounts report your company's finances. Different content, different deadlines — both required.