A confirmation statement UK companies must file is an annual check-in with Companies House that confirms your company details are correct. It costs £50 online, uses form CS01, and is due 14 days after the end of your 12-month review period. Every UK limited company and LLP has to file one, including dormant companies, even if nothing has changed.
If you run a UK Ltd from abroad, this is one of two filings you can’t skip (the other being your annual accounts). Miss it and you risk a financial penalty of up to £5,000 plus strike-off. Here are the seven things every director needs to know for 2026.
1. What is a confirmation statement?
A confirmation statement is a yearly filing that tells Companies House your registered company information is accurate and up to date. It replaced the old “annual return” back in 2016. The form is called CS01.
Think of it as a snapshot. You’re saying: “Yes, everything on the public register about my company is still correct.” You’re not sending new financial data. You’re confirming existing details.
Here’s the part that trips up new directors: a confirmation statement is not the same as your annual accounts. They’re two separate obligations.
- Confirmation statement (CS01): confirms who owns and runs the company, plus where it’s based.
- Annual accounts: reports your company’s finances to Companies House (and separately to HMRC).
You file both, on their own deadlines. Getting these confused is the most common mistake we see from first-time founders. If you want the full picture on the accounts side, read our guide on the Companies House accounts filing changes coming in the next few years.
2. Who needs to file a confirmation statement?
Almost every UK-registered entity. If Companies House has a record of your company, you file.
That includes:
- Private limited companies (Ltd)
- Public limited companies (PLC)
- Limited liability partnerships (LLP)
- Dormant companies (yes, even if you’ve done zero trading)
A common myth: “My company is dormant, so I don’t have to do anything.” Wrong. A dormant company still has to file a confirmation statement every year. The only thing that changes for dormant companies is the accounts side, not the confirmation statement.
If you’re a non-resident founder who set up a company and then paused it, you still owe this filing. Ignoring it is one of the fastest routes to a strike-off.
Not sure your company is properly set up in the first place? Start with our walkthrough on how to register a company in the UK.
3. What information does the confirmation statement confirm?
Your confirmation statement checks the core details on the public register. For 2026, that list has grown.
You’re confirming:
- Registered office address (must be a real, appropriate UK address)
- Directors (names and details)
- People with significant control (PSCs) (anyone owning more than 25% of shares or voting rights)
- Shareholders and share capital (a statement of capital)
- SIC codes (what your company actually does)
- Registered email address (required since March 2024)
- Lawful purpose statement (a new confirmation that your company’s activities are legal, also since March 2024)
The last two are recent additions from the Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act. Every company now needs a registered email address on file (kept private, not published), and each year you confirm your future activities will be lawful.
If any of these details changed during the year, you update them before or at the same time as filing your statement. The confirmation statement itself doesn’t update most information for you. It just confirms what’s already there.
4. How to file your confirmation statement, step by step
You file online through the Companies House WebFiling service. It’s faster and cheaper than paper. Here’s the process.
What you need before you start
- Your Companies House password (for WebFiling login)
- Your company authentication code (a 6-character code posted to your registered office when you formed the company)
- Each director’s personal code from identity verification (new requirement, see section 8)
The filing steps
- Go to the Companies House WebFiling portal at GOV.UK and sign in.
- Enter your company number and authentication code.
- Select “Confirmation statement” (form CS01).
- Review each section: registered office, directors, PSCs, shareholders, SIC codes.
- Update anything that’s changed, or confirm it’s all correct.
- Tick the lawful purpose statement.
- Pay the £50 fee.
- Submit. You’ll get a confirmation once it’s accepted.
The whole thing takes about 15 minutes if nothing has changed. If you’d rather never touch WebFiling yourself, we handle confirmation statement filing as part of our ScaleUp package, alongside VAT and accounting.
5. Confirmation statement deadline: when is it due?
Your deadline is built around a 12-month “review period.”
Here’s how it works:
- Your first review period starts the day you incorporate your company.
- It runs for 12 months.
- You then have 14 days after the end of that period to file.
- The next review period starts the day after your last one ended.
So if you formed your company on 10 March 2025, your first review period ends 9 March 2026. Your filing deadline is 23 March 2026 (14 days later).
How to check your exact date
Don’t guess. Search your company on the Companies House public register. Your “confirmation statement” section shows the next statement date and the due date. Set a calendar reminder two weeks before.
You must file at least once every 12 months, even if you filed early during the period. The clock is relentless. There’s no automatic email that saves you, so put it in writing somewhere you’ll actually see it.
6. How much does a confirmation statement cost?
As of 1 February 2026, the confirmation statement fee is:
| Filing method | Fee |
|---|---|
| Online (WebFiling) | £50 |
| Paper (by post) | £110 |
The fee is annual. It covers a full 12-month payment period. Once you’ve paid it in a period, you can file as many statements as you like in that year at no extra charge. Handy if you keep updating details.
Online is the obvious choice. It’s less than half the paper price, and it processes faster. There’s no good reason to file on paper unless you genuinely can’t file online.
If you’re weighing up which service level makes sense for your company, our plans overview lays out what’s bundled at each tier.
7. What happens if you miss the confirmation statement deadline?
This is where founders get burned. The consequences are more serious than people expect.
If you miss your deadline:
- Financial penalty of up to £5,000. Companies House can issue this for failing to file on time.
- Strike-off. Your company can be removed from the register, which means it legally stops existing.
- Criminal offence. Failing to file is a criminal offence for the company’s directors, not just a paperwork slip.
If your company gets struck off, any assets it holds (including money in the bank) can pass to the Crown. That’s a genuinely painful way to lose funds you’ve worked for.
The fix is simple: file on time, every year. Set two reminders. Better yet, hand it off to someone who tracks these dates for you. Our accounting and bookkeeping service keeps your compliance calendar in order so nothing slips.
8. The big 2026 change: mandatory identity verification
This is the most important update for 2026, and it catches a lot of non-resident directors off guard.
Since 18 November 2025, identity verification is mandatory for all company directors. You can’t just be a name on a form anymore. Companies House needs to confirm you’re a real, verified person.
How to verify your identity
There are two routes:
- GOV.UK One Login: the free government route. You verify yourself directly.
- ACSP route: verification through an Authorised Corporate Service Provider (like a formation agent or accountant).
Once verified, you receive a personal code. You’ll need this code to file your confirmation statement and other documents. No verification, no filing.
The deadline for existing directors
If you were already a director before 18 November 2025, you have until 18 November 2026 to complete verification. New directors verify at the point they’re appointed.
Don’t leave this to the last minute. If your confirmation statement is due and you haven’t verified, you’ll be stuck. We’ve written a full step-by-step guide to Companies House identity verification that walks you through both routes.
Registered email and lawful purpose
Two other requirements arrived in March 2024 and now appear in your filing:
- Registered email address: every company keeps an email on file with Companies House. It’s not public. It’s how they contact you.
- Lawful purpose statement: when you file, you confirm your intended future activities are lawful.
Both are quick to handle, but skipping them means your statement won’t go through. All of this is set out in the official GOV.UK guidance, last updated 21 April 2026.
9. Can you file your confirmation statement early?
Yes. And it can work in your favour.
You can file a confirmation statement any time before your due date. When you do, it resets the review period. A new 12-month clock starts from the date you filed.
Why would you do this? A few reasons:
- You’ve just updated your directors or PSCs and want the register current.
- You’re closing your books and prefer to align your filing with your accounting year.
- You simply want it off your plate before a busy period.
Remember, the £50 fee covers a 12-month payment period. If you file multiple statements within that window, you don’t pay again until the next period. Filing early doesn’t cost you extra.
10. Dormant companies still have to file
Worth repeating, because it catches so many people out. A dormant company (one that isn’t trading and has no significant accounting transactions) still files a confirmation statement every year.
The confirmation statement has nothing to do with whether you traded. It confirms who runs and owns the company. That information exists whether you made £0 or £500,000.
So if you formed a UK company “just in case” and haven’t used it, you still owe an annual confirmation statement, the £50 fee, and the same deadlines. There’s no dormant exemption here.
If your dormant company is more hassle than it’s worth, you either keep it compliant or formally close it. Letting it lapse into strike-off is the worst option, since directors can face penalties along the way.
Quick recap: the confirmation statement in one table
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Form | CS01 |
| Who files | Every UK Ltd, PLC, LLP (including dormant) |
| Deadline | 14 days after end of 12-month review period |
| Fee (online) | £50 |
| Fee (paper) | £110 |
| Penalty for missing | Up to £5,000 + possible strike-off |
| New for 2026 | Mandatory identity verification for directors |
If you’re still setting things up, our beginner guide to UK company registration covers the formation basics before you get to your first filing. And if cost is your main concern, LaunchPad is our cheapest formation route for non-resident founders.
Frequently asked questions
What is a confirmation statement?
A confirmation statement is an annual filing to Companies House (form CS01) that confirms your company’s registered details, such as directors, shareholders, PSCs, and registered office, are correct. It replaced the old annual return in 2016.
How much does a confirmation statement cost in the UK?
As of 1 February 2026, it costs £50 to file online and £110 to file by post. The fee covers a 12-month payment period, so extra statements filed in that window don’t cost more.
When is my confirmation statement due?
It’s due 14 days after the end of your 12-month review period, which starts on your incorporation date and renews each year. Check your exact due date on the Companies House public register.
What happens if I miss the confirmation statement deadline?
You risk a financial penalty of up to £5,000, your company being struck off the register, and it counts as a criminal offence for directors. Filing on time avoids all of this.
Do dormant companies need to file a confirmation statement?
Yes. Dormant companies must still file a confirmation statement every year and pay the £50 fee. The confirmation statement confirms ownership and control details regardless of whether the company traded.
Do I need to verify my identity to file a confirmation statement?
Yes. Since 18 November 2025, identity verification is mandatory for all directors via GOV.UK One Login or an ACSP. Existing directors have until 18 November 2026 to complete it, and you need a personal code to file.
