Confirmation statements and Companies House filings: the annual paperwork you can't skip
Running a limited company comes with a second set of deadlines alongside your tax obligations: filings with Companies House, which are about keeping the public register accurate rather than calculating what you owe. They're easy to overlook precisely because no payment is usually due, but missing them has its own consequences.
At a glance
- A confirmation statement is due at least once every 12 months, within 14 days of the review period ending.
- It must be filed even in a "nothing has changed" year; there's no automatic exemption.
- Annual accounts are due to Companies House 9 months after your year end, separate from Corporation Tax.
- Late accounts carry automatic, escalating penalties, unlike a late confirmation statement.
The confirmation statement
Every company must file a confirmation statement at least once every 12 months, confirming that the information Companies House holds, registered office, officers, shareholders and people with significant control (PSC), is correct, or updating it if not. It's due within 14 days of the end of your review period, and there's a small filing fee.
"Nothing has changed" still needs confirming. Even if literally nothing about your company has changed in the past year, you still need to actively file the confirmation statement; it doesn't happen automatically, and there's no exemption for a quiet year.
Annual accounts
Separately from your confirmation statement, and separately from your Corporation Tax return to HMRC, your company must file annual accounts with Companies House. For most private companies this is due 9 months after your accounting reference date (usually your financial year end), and unlike the confirmation statement, late filing here carries automatic, escalating penalties.
Keeping details current in between
Certain changes need reporting as they happen, not just at your next confirmation statement: a new director or company secretary, a change of registered office address, or changes to people with significant control, for example. Leaving these until the next confirmation statement is due can mean the public register is inaccurate for months at a time.
Closing a company down
If a company has stopped trading and has no outstanding liabilities, a voluntary strike-off is usually the simplest route to formally closing it. Where the situation is more complex, with outstanding debts, disputes, or assets still to deal with, a formal dissolution or other winding-up process may be more appropriate instead.
This article is general information, not advice on your specific company's situation, and filing fees and deadlines can change. Get in touch if you'd like help staying on top of your company secretarial obligations, or with incorporating, restructuring or closing a company.