As well as filing accounts with Companies House, there is a requirement to check that the information Companies House stores about your company is correct every year. This is facilitated by the filing of an annual company confirmation statement. The confirmation statement was introduced in June 2016 and replaced the more cumbersome annual return.
A confirmation statement must usually be filed once every 12 months and rather than resubmitting data every year, the statement only needs to be updated if there are changes to report. If there are no changes then you just need to confirm the information is correct and submit the statement.
The following details need to be checked:
- the details of your registered office, directors, secretary and the address where you keep your records
- your statement of capital and shareholder information if your company has shares
- your SIC code (the number that identifies what your company does)
- your register of ‘People with Significant Control’ (PSC)
Any necessary updates to the statement of capital, shareholder information and SIC codes can be made when submitting the confirmation statement. However, the confirmation statement cannot be used to report changes to your company’s officers, the registered office address, the address where you keep your records, people with significant control. These changes must be filed separately with Companies House and this should be done at the same time or prior to submitting the confirmation statement. The confirmation statement can be filed online (at a cost of £13) or by post (at a cost of £40).
Companies House will send an email alert or reminder letter to the company’s registered office confirming the due date for the statement. The confirmation statement can be filed for up to 14 days after the end of the review period. There can be fines of up to £5,000 for a late filing. Companies House has the power to prosecute a company and its officers for failing to submit a confirmation statement. A company can also be struck off the register.
