Confirmation statement and PSC register – guide for company directors

A confirmation statement, formerly known as an annual return (until 2016), is filed annually at Companies House by companies and LLPs – both large and small.

The statement confirms that the information about your business held on record at Companies House is accurate and up to date.

It forms part of your obligation to maintain transparency and ensures that the public record accurately represents your company’s current status.

What information is included in a confirmation statement?

The statement contains a snapshot of your company’s information, including:

• Company name and registered office address
• Details of company officers-directors and secretary
• Details of people with significant control (PSC)
• Share capital and shareholdings
• Standard Industrial Classification code(s) (SIC)
• Statement of capital for companies with share capital
• Trading status of shares for public companies

Registered email address – a new requirement from 5th March 2024

All companies must now provide an email address to Companies House when filing.

Companies House will use this email to contact you about your limited company.

Importantly, your email address will not be published on the public register.

Statement to confirm the company is lawful – from March 2024

All companies must also confirm that the company’s intended future activities will be lawful.

You need to confirm this every year. Without this, you cannot file your confirmation statement. If you’re filing electronically, all you need to do is click a check box.

Who has to file a confirmation statement?

All limited companies and LLPs registered in the UK must file a confirmation statement regardless of the size or trading status of the company.

• Private limited companies (Ltd)
• Public limited companies (PLC)
• Limited liability partnerships (LLPs)
• Community interest companies (CICs)

Even dormant companies fall within this category.

You must file a statement annually, even if nothing has changed.

Sole traders and general partnerships are not required to file a confirmation statement because they are not registered with Companies House.

How to file a confirmation statement

You may submit your confirmation statement online or by post, but the online route is faster, easier, and generally cheaper.

Here’s how you can complete your confirmation statement filing:

Gather information

Get your company details and ensure they are correct and up to date.

Decide how you will file your statement

1. Online: Log into your account on the Companies House website. This is the simplest method.
2. By post: You can download and complete form CS01 for companies or LLCS01 for LLPs from the Companies House website.

Check the information already on the register

You need to check all the pre-populated information provided by Companies House.

Make any changes if you need to

If any of the information is incorrect or out of date, you need to update it. Some changes will require separate forms or notifications.

Confirm the statement is correct

Once you know all the information is correct, you confirm the statement as a company’s officer (or representative, such as an accountant).

Pay the filing fee

Follow the online payment process. See more about the fees below.

File the statement

If you are using the online system, filing happens automatically upon payment.

If posting, send the completed form to Companies House.

Note that you are supposed to file your confirmation statement 14 days after the end of your review period.

The review period ends on the anniversary of your incorporation date or the date when you last filed your confirmation statement.

The PSC Register: People with Significant Control

The PSC register forms part of the confirmation statement. This register was introduced in 2016 as part of the government’s package to provide greater corporate transparency.

The PSC register indicates who has significant control over the company.

• A person with significant influence is defined as an individual who, either singly or together with any one or more persons with significant influence, owns more than 25% of shares in the company or enjoys more than 25% of voting rights in the company.
• Has the right to appoint or remove the majority of the board of directors
• Has the right to exercise or exercises significant influence or control over the company
• Has the right to exercise or exercises significant influence or control over any trust or firm that satisfies any of the conditions above

All limited companies must identify their PSCs, record the details in their PSC register, and report this information to Companies House via the confirmation statement process.

Confirmation Statement Filing Costs

Companies House increased many of its filing fees in May 2024.

How much is filing a confirmation statement depends on your method of preference :

• Online filing: £34
• Paper filing: £62

These prices are correct as of September 2024 but may be subject to alteration.

Note that a filing fee covers all confirmation statements filed within any given 12-month period.

This means that you will not be charged an extra fee if you need to file more than one update in a single year.

Recent Companies House changes of interest