Confirmation Statement Form CS01

What is a Companies House Confirmation Statement (Form CS01)?

A Confirmation Statement (Form CS01) is an annual statutory filing required by Companies House for every active and dormant UK limited company, LLP, and corporate entity registered in England, Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland.

Its primary purpose is to verify that the public record of your company's administrative information on the Companies House register is accurate and up to date. It replaces the old "Annual Return (Form AR01)".

Confirmation Statement vs Annual Accounts: Key differences

Many new directors confuse the annual Confirmation Statement with Annual Accounts. They are two distinct statutory requirements with completely different purposes:

What information is confirmed on Form CS01?

When completing Form CS01, you review and confirm the following details registered on Companies House:

• Registered Office Address: The official UK legal address for receiving statutory notices.
• Single Alternative Inspection Location (SAIL): If company books are kept outside the registered office.
• Directors & Officers: Full names, service addresses, residential addresses (kept private), and dates of birth.
• Persons with Significant Control (PSC): Individuals holding over 25% of shares or voting rights.
• Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) Codes: The 5-digit trade classification code describing your business activity.
• Statement of Capital: Total number of shares issued, aggregate nominal value, and currency.
• Shareholder Register: Names of current shareholders and changes in shareholdings over the year.
• Registered email address: A contact address for Companies House. It is not published on the public register.
• Lawful purpose statement: A statement that the company's intended future activities are lawful.
• Director identity verification: Each director's Companies House personal code, showing they have verified their identity.

When is your Confirmation Statement due?

Every company has a confirmation period of 12 months. This period usually starts on the date of incorporation or the day after your last confirmation statement date.

You have 14 calendar days from the end of your confirmation period to submit Form CS01 to Companies House.

You can file a confirmation statement earlier than 12 months at any time. Doing so resets your 12-month confirmation clock.

How to file a confirmation statement online

You file a confirmation statement with Companies House online. You need your Companies House password and authentication code. If you do not have them, register for online filing first. Follow these steps:

1. Check your company's details and your filing deadline on the Companies House register.
2. File any changes first. Changes to directors and secretary, people with significant control, the registered office address and the registered email address must be filed before you send the statement.
3. Sign in to the Companies House online filing service with your password and authentication code.
4. Review each item and confirm it is correct. Use the additional information section to report changes to your SIC code, statement of capital, trading status of shares, exemption from providing PSC information or shareholder information.
5. Enter the Companies House personal code for each director and confirm they have verified their identity.
6. State that the company's intended future activities are lawful.
7. Pay the filing fee if it is the first statement in your payment period, then submit.

You must file even if nothing has changed. A confirmation statement with no changes still confirms that the public record is correct. Sign up for the Companies House email reminder so you do not miss the date.

Official routes: GOV.UK: file your confirmation statement with Companies House and Companies House guidance on filing your confirmation statement.

Director identity verification and your confirmation statement

Before you file, every director must verify their identity with Companies House. They then receive a Companies House personal code. The code goes into the confirmation statement for each director, and the statement is not accepted until all directors have verified. If a director holds more than one directorship, the code is entered in each company's statement.

People with significant control (PSCs) must also verify and supply their personal code, but through a separate PSC service and within a 14-day period that depends on their situation. A person who is both a director and a PSC gives their code separately for each role.

Source: GOV.UK: when you need to verify your identity for Companies House.

Filing fees and submission methods

Companies House charges an annual filing fee for submitting Form CS01:

• Online WebFiling / Software: £50 per year (payable directly to Companies House).
• Paper Form CS01 by Post: £110 per year.

You only pay the £50 fee once per 12-month payment period. If you submit multiple confirmation statements within the same 12-month period (e.g. to update shareholder records), additional submissions are free.

What happens if your Confirmation Statement is late?

Failing to file your confirmation statement on time is a criminal offence committed by company directors under Section 853A of the Companies Act 2006.

• Strike-Off Proceedings: Companies House will issue warning letters followed by a First Gazette Notice for compulsory strike-off.
• Fine: GOV.UK says you can be fined up to £5,000 and the company may be struck off if you do not file.
• Assets pass to the Crown: If the company is dissolved, its remaining assets and bank balances pass to the Crown as bona vacantia.
• Credit and banking impact: Late filings can harm the company's credit profile, and a strike-off notice can lead banks to restrict the account.

Read our guide on how to register a UK limited company or see how our company secretarial & annual compliance service manages your Companies House filings seamlessly.