There's a widespread belief that missing your confirmation statement deadline doesn't really matter — that because there's no automatic fine like there is for late accounts, it's a soft deadline you can catch up on whenever. That belief is half right and dangerously misleading. There's no automatic penalty, true. But the actual consequences are more serious than a fine, not less.
The myth of the "no penalty" deadline
Late annual accounts trigger an immediate, automatic financial penalty — £150 rising to £1,500 depending on how late you are. The confirmation statement works differently: miss the deadline and no fine lands in your inbox. This is exactly what gives people a false sense of security. No fine feels like no problem, so the overdue statement sits there.
The catch is that the confirmation statement isn't backed by a fine because it's backed by something with sharper teeth.
What actually happens
Failing to file a confirmation statement is a criminal offence. Not a civil penalty, a criminal one — and both the company and its directors can be prosecuted for it. In practice Companies House doesn't go straight to court; it issues an automatic warning first, asking you to file the overdue statement promptly. That's your window, and the sensible move is to file immediately and make the problem disappear.
If the warnings are ignored, the consequences escalate down two tracks. Directors can face prosecution and fines for the criminal offence of non-filing. And separately, Companies House can begin striking the company off the register entirely — on the assumption that a company not filing is a company no longer trading.
Why strike-off is the real danger
Being struck off isn't a slap on the wrist; it's the end of the company. Once a company is dissolved, it legally ceases to exist — and here's the part that catches people out — its assets become Crown property under the rules of bona vacantia. That means the money in the company bank account, any property it owns, its contracts: all of it can pass to the Crown. Getting a struck-off company restored is a costly, slow legal process, and it's not guaranteed. A missed filing that started as a five-minute admin job can end with the company gone and its bank balance with it.
How to make sure it never happens
The confirmation statement itself is genuinely quick — it's a yearly confirmation that your company's registered details are still correct, and filing it online takes a few minutes. The risk isn't difficulty; it's forgetting. The Companies House email reminder is easy to miss, especially if you've got more than one company, and it goes to whichever address was registered, which may not be one you check.
The fix is simply not relying on a single reminder you might miss. Knowing your deadline, and getting your own prompt ahead of it, turns a potential strike-off into a five-minute task done on time — every year.
Common questions
- Is there a fine for filing a confirmation statement late?
- No automatic fine, unlike late annual accounts. But failing to file is a criminal offence that can lead to prosecution and, ultimately, the company being struck off — so "no fine" doesn't mean "no consequence".
- How long after the deadline before something happens?
- Companies House usually issues an automatic warning first, giving you a chance to file the overdue statement. Ignore that and it can escalate to prosecution and strike-off proceedings. Don't wait for the warning — file as soon as you realise it's overdue.
- What happens to my company if it's struck off?
- It's dissolved and legally ceases to exist. Its assets, including any money in the company bank account, can pass to the Crown. Restoring it is a costly and uncertain legal process.