Companies House fees from 1 February 2026
Companies House fees changed on 1 February 2026 under The Registrar of Companies (Fees) (Amendment) Regulations 2025. The change was announced on 30 October 2025. Companies House said it reviews fees every year and that the new levels fund its services, its enforcement powers under the Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act, and investigation and enforcement work by The Insolvency Service.
The biggest changes hit the filings every company makes: incorporation doubled to £100 online and the online confirmation statement rose from £34 to £50. A few fees went down, including voluntary strike off and restoration.
Company formation and yearly filings
The current amounts below are from the official Companies House fees list, updated 25 September 2026. The previous amounts are the ones replaced by the 2025 regulations.
| Filing | Online or software | Paper | Before 1 Feb 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Incorporate a company (IN01) | £100 | £124 | £50 online, £71 paper |
| Same-day incorporation (software only) | £156 | Not available | £78 |
| Confirmation statement (CS01) | £50 | £110 | £34 online, £62 paper |
| Change of company name | £20 | £30 | Unchanged |
| Change of name, same day | £85 | Not available | £83 |
| Voluntary strike off (DS01) | £13 | £18 | £33 online, £44 paper |
| Administrative restoration | £341 | £468 | |
| Register a charge (mortgage or security) | £14 | £24 | £15 online |
The confirmation statement fee is paid once in each 12-month payment period, even if you file more than one statement in that period, according to the confirmation statement guidance. If you would like it filed for you, see our confirmation statement service. The DS01 fee cannot be paid by company cheque, according to GOV.UK's strike off guidance.
Certificates, copies and other Companies House fees
| Service | Fee |
|---|---|
| Certificate or certified copy (standard) | £22 |
| Certificate or certified copy (same day) | £65 |
| Remove personal details from a filed document, per document | £34 |
| Register as an Authorised Corporate Service Provider (ACSP) | £63 (was £55) |
| Community interest company (CIC) incorporation | £115 online, £139 paper (was £65 and £86) |
| LLP incorporation | £100 software, £124 paper, £156 same day |
| LLP confirmation statement | £50 online, £110 paper |
| Register of Overseas Entities: registration | £250 online, £528 paper |
| Register of Overseas Entities: annual update | £134 online, £268 paper |
| Register of Overseas Entities: removal | £301 online, £602 paper |
The ACSP fee and previous amount come from Companies House's fee changes page, and the CIC figures from its CIC fee update.
What is free at Companies House
Many routine filings carry no fee. The fees list shows no charge for:
- filing annual accounts, including dormant and micro-entity accounts
- appointing or removing directors, and updating director details
- adding, updating or removing people with significant control
Identity verification is also free when you do it yourself through GOV.UK One Login; our identity verification guide explains how. A company's Corporation Tax UTR comes from HMRC, not Companies House, and is also free: see our UTR number guide.
Free to file does not mean free to prepare. Since HMRC's joint accounts and tax return service closed on 31 March 2026, the Company Tax Return has to be filed with commercial software, and from 1 April 2028 Companies House will only take accounts filed through software too.
Companies House late filing penalties
There is no fee to file accounts, but filing them late triggers an automatic penalty. The amount depends on how late the accounts are and the type of company, as set out in the late filing penalties guidance.
| Time after the deadline | Private company or LLP | Public company |
|---|---|---|
| Up to 1 month | £150 | £750 |
| 1 to 3 months | £375 | £1,500 |
| 3 to 6 months | £750 | £3,000 |
| More than 6 months | £1,500 | £7,500 |
The penalty is doubled if accounts are filed late in 2 years in a row. Appeals only succeed in exceptional circumstances. Companies House lists grounds that usually fail, including relying on an accountant, the company being dormant, financial hardship, it being the first time you filed and postal delays.
For a private company, first accounts are due 21 months after incorporation and later accounts 9 months after the accounting reference date. See our dormant company accounts and accounts and CT600 services if you want help meeting them.
HMRC penalties are separate. A Company Tax Return with a filing date on or after 1 April 2026 attracts a £200 penalty when it is 1 day late and another £200 at 3 months. Our CT600 guide has the full table.
What a UK company costs in government fees in its first year
For a typical private company limited by shares formed online, the Companies House fees in the first year are:
| Item | Fee |
|---|---|
| Online incorporation | £100 |
| First confirmation statement | £50 |
| Identity verification (GOV.UK One Login) | £0 |
| Company UTR and Corporation Tax registration (HMRC) | £0 |
| Filing first accounts | £0 if on time |
| Total government fees | £150 |
These fees are the same wherever the directors live. The first confirmation statement is due within 12 months of incorporation plus 14 days, so both fees usually fall in the first year. What changes the real cost is everything the fee list does not cover: a UK registered office if you do not have one, a service address, accounting software or an accountant, and any VAT or payroll work.
Register the company yourself and the government fees are all you pay. Our guide to registering a company in the UK walks through it.
How to pay Companies House fees
For online filings you pay when you submit. The GOV.UK register your company page says online incorporation is paid by debit or credit card and paper applications by cheque. Same-day incorporation at £156 is only available through software, so a DIY founder on GOV.UK pays £100 and typically gets the company registered within 24 hours.
Changes coming after 2026
Companies House says it reviews its fees every year, so check the official fees list before you file rather than relying on older articles. Several recent blog posts and agent pages still quote the pre-2026 amounts.
Two process changes will also affect what companies pay to stay compliant, even though they are not fee changes. From 1 April 2028, all accounts must be filed through commercial software, web and paper accounts filing will close, and abridged accounts will be removed. From no earlier than November 2027, third-party filing agents will have to be registered ACSPs, which costs each agent the £63 registration fee and ongoing anti-money laundering supervision. Those costs may show up in agent prices. Companies House fees themselves will still be passed on separately by any agent that itemizes them.
Companies House fees when you use a filing service
A formation agent or filing service still pays the same Companies House fees. What differs is how prices are shown. Some agents quote one figure that includes the £100 incorporation fee, and others add it at checkout. When you compare, separate the government fee from the service fee, and check what renews each year and at what price.
At Borderless Filings we always show Companies House fees separately and pass them on at cost. Our service fees are listed on our pricing page and on each service:
- UK company formation and UK company formation for non-residents: £100 Companies House fee
- Confirmation statement filing: £50 Companies House fee
- Strike off a company (DS01): £13 Companies House fee
- Annual accounts and CT600: no Companies House fee
Founders abroad often want formation, the registered office, a service address, Corporation Tax registration and the first confirmation statement handled together. That is what our UK starter bundle covers, with the £100 and £50 Companies House fees shown separately.
Want every future date in one place? Our compliance deadline calendar lists the confirmation statement, accounts and CT600 dates for your company.
Sources
- Companies House: Companies House fees
- legislation.gov.uk: The Registrar of Companies (Fees) (Amendment) Regulations 2025 (SI 2025/1137)
- Companies House: Companies House fees are changing from 1 February 2026
- Companies House: Changes to Companies House fees
- Companies House: Update regarding Companies House fee changes
- Companies House: Filing your company's confirmation statement
- GOV.UK: Apply to strike off your company
- Companies House: Late filing penalties
- HMRC: Closure of the service to file your company accounts and tax return
- Companies House: Changes to accounts filing from April 2028
- GOV.UK: Register your company
Fees, deadlines and rules on this page were last checked on 27 September 2026.