What a confirmation statement is and who must file one
A confirmation statement (form CS01 on paper) tells Companies House that the company's details on the public register are correct on a given date, called the confirmation date. It replaced the old annual return. It is not a set of accounts and it contains no financial figures apart from the statement of capital.
Every UK company must file one, including dormant and non-trading companies. Companies House guidance says every company, including dormant and non trading companies, must file a confirmation statement at least once every year. That catches many non-resident founders by surprise: a company with no bank account and no sales still has this filing, plus its dormant accounts.
What the confirmation statement confirms
You confirm that the details below are correct at the confirmation date, and you make one declaration about the future.
- Registered office address.
- Registered email address (not shown on the public register).
- Directors and, if the company has one, the company secretary.
- People with significant control (PSCs), or a statement that there are none.
- SIC code (the code describing what the company does).
- Shareholder information and the statement of capital, including the trading status of shares.
- The lawful purpose statement: since 4 March 2024 every company must state on each statement that "the intended future activities of the company will be lawful". The statement cannot be filed without it.
If the company has never given a registered email address, you must provide one in the statement. Companies House uses it to contact the company, so it should be an inbox someone checks.
Confirmation statement fee (Companies House)
The fee rose on 1 February 2026, when Companies House fees changed. It is paid once per 12-month payment period, even if you file more than one statement in that period.
| Filing method | Companies House fee | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Online (WebFiling) or software | £50 | Companies House fees |
| Paper form CS01 | £110 | Companies House fees |
The fee is a government charge. Our service fee is separate and shown in the order box on this page. For every other Companies House charge, see our Companies House fees guide.
Review period, confirmation date and the 14-day window
You have 14 days after the end of each review period to file. The review period runs for 12 months from the date of incorporation (for the first statement) or from the last confirmation date. The date you confirm the information up to is the confirmation date, and the next review period starts the day after it.
- First statement: due about a year after incorporation, plus the 14-day filing window.
- Filing early: allowed at any time. If you file early you choose a new confirmation date, and the next 12-month cycle starts the day after it.
- Checking your date: the due date is shown on the company's page on Companies House's public register. Our compliance deadline calendar also works it out from your incorporation date.
Some owners file the confirmation statement alongside the annual accounts so the company has one compliance date to remember.
Changes you must file before the statement
Some changes cannot be made inside the confirmation statement. Companies House guidance says you must tell it about changes to these first, using the separate filings:
- directors and the company secretary (appointments, resignations, changes of details);
- people with significant control;
- the registered office address;
- the registered email address.
New shares are also a separate filing: a return of allotment on form SH01 is due within one month of the allotment. By contrast, the SIC code, statement of capital, trading status of shares and shareholder information can be updated inside the confirmation statement itself. Director and PSC change filings carry no fee in the Companies House fee list.
Director identity verification and the confirmation statement
Companies House will not accept a confirmation statement until every director has verified their identity. Its guidance says "We will not accept your company's confirmation statement until all directors have verified their identity", with each director giving their Companies House personal code.
- Existing directors: identity verification became a legal requirement on 18 November 2025. Directors appointed before then give their personal code in the company's next confirmation statement during the 12-month transition, which runs to about November 2026.
- Existing PSCs who are also directors: they have a 14-day period to give their PSC personal code, starting the day after the confirmation statement date (when you need to verify).
- Existing PSCs who are not directors: they verify within the first 14 days of their birth month.
Directors can verify free through GOV.UK One Login with a biometric passport from any country, or in person at a Post Office. Only an Authorised Corporate Service Provider (ACSP) can verify someone on their behalf. Borderless Filings does not verify identities for Companies House, so each director completes this step themselves before we file. Our identity verification guide walks through it.
If one director has not verified, the whole statement is blocked. Check every director's status a few weeks before your review date, not on the last day of the 14-day window.
How to file a confirmation statement yourself
You can file online. You need the company's 6-character authentication code, which Companies House posts to the registered office address and which can take up to 10 working days to arrive.
- Sign in to the Companies House online filing service with your account and the company's authentication code.
- Check the registered office, registered email address, directors, PSCs and SIC code shown.
- Update the SIC code, statement of capital or shareholder details if they have changed.
- Confirm every director's personal code is in place.
- Make the lawful purpose statement, pay the £50 fee (if due in this payment period) and submit.
Accountants and agents usually file through commercial software, which also needs the authentication code. The paper CS01 costs £110 and is slower.
What is included in our confirmation statement service
- A check of the company's public record against the details you give us.
- A list of any changes that need a separate filing first, and preparation of those filings where you order them.
- A check that each director has a Companies House personal code before submission.
- Preparation and online submission of the confirmation statement, including the lawful purpose statement and registered email address.
- Payment of the £50 Companies House fee at cost, shown separately on your invoice.
- The filed statement and Companies House acceptance stored in your client portal.
- A reminder before your next review date.
Not included
- Identity verification for Companies House on a director's behalf.
- Annual accounts and the Company Tax Return (see accounts and CT600).
- Legal advice on share structures, share transfers or PSC status.
How our service works
- Order and intake: start your order and answer short questions about directors, shareholders and any changes in the year.
- Secure upload: send the authentication code and any documents through your portal. See how we protect documents on our security page.
- Preparation and review: our filing team compares your answers with the public register and flags anything that needs a separate filing first.
- Your approval: you see the details that will be confirmed before anything is submitted.
- Submission and tracking: we file online and you follow the status in your portal.
- Delivery and reminders: the accepted filing is saved to your portal and we remind you before the next review date.
What we need from you
- Company name and number.
- The company authentication code (or permission to request a new one, which is posted to the registered office).
- Confirmation that each director has verified their identity, with their Companies House personal code.
- Any changes since the last statement: directors, PSCs, shareholders, share transfers, new shares, business activity, addresses.
- A registered email address that the company monitors.
Our team starts once the intake and documents are complete. We do not promise a Companies House processing time that Companies House does not publish.
What happens if your confirmation statement is overdue
Missing the 14-day window is a criminal offence by the company and every officer in default under section 853L of the Companies Act 2006. Companies House guidance says "You can be fined up to £5,000 and your company may be struck off" if you do not file, and that it may issue a financial penalty.
- Strike-off risk: an overdue statement can lead Companies House to start removing the company from the register. Once a company is struck off, its bank accounts can no longer be used and any remaining assets pass to the Crown.
- What to do: file as soon as possible. If a director has not verified, they should do it first, because the statement cannot be accepted without it.
If your statement is already overdue, order the service and tell us in the intake form so we can check the company's status first. We cannot control what enforcement action Companies House takes.
Doing it yourself vs using us
If your details have not changed and every director has verified, filing yourself is simple: sign in, check the details, pay £50 and submit. Many owners do exactly that.
Our service is useful when the company is run from abroad, when the authentication code goes to a registered office you do not see, when there were changes in the year that need filing in the right order, or when you want someone else to track the date. Companies that use our registered office address receive the authentication code at that address, which we pass to you through the portal. For a yearly package that also covers accounts and reminders, see the UK compliance plan on our pricing page.
Sources
- GOV.UK: Filing your company's confirmation statement
- GOV.UK: Companies House fees
- GOV.UK: Companies House fees are changing from 1 February 2026
- Companies House: Confirmation statement changes
- GOV.UK: Company authentication codes for online filing
- GOV.UK: Companies House confirms identity verification rollout from 18 November 2025
- GOV.UK: When you need to verify your identity for Companies House
- GOV.UK: Life of a company, part 2: event driven filings
- legislation.gov.uk: Companies Act 2006, section 853L
Fees, deadlines and rules on this page were last checked on 27 September 2026.