Before you start filing your Companies House confirmation statement, you should know what it is, how it is filed and what it should contain. If you are not sure how to file it, or if you need assistance, this article will provide you with useful information that will help anyone interested to complete the form properly.
What is a confirmation statement?
Previously, it was necessary to file an annual return with Companies House in order to keep the information about your company up to date. These days, however, you have to file a confirmation statement instead of an annual return. This statement serves the same purpose, but it is shorter. You are required to file your statement at least once a year. Companies House will automatically send out a reminder to file it a few weeks before the due date.
Filing a Confirmation Statement with Companies House is relatively inexpensive and takes a short time to complete if you know what you are doing. The fee for a paper-based filing is £30, while an electronic version costs £13. There is no VAT on the fee. If you have several transactions with many companies throughout the year, you can set up an account with companies house and that will mean that you pay once every month for the total monthly filings.
Due date for filing
The Companies Act through Companies House requires that the information on a company’s statutory record is up to date. The Confirmation Statement must be filed at least once a year, but it can be submitted more than once. The normal due date for this statement is the anniversary of the company’s incorporation or 12 months after its last one, whichever is later. Companies can file the form up to 14 days before the due date or up to 14 days after it falls due. Companies can also change their usual date of filing if they have a need to.
Confirmation statement is due regardless of whether a company is trading or not. You can sign up for email reminders to be reminded about the due date and the deadline.
How to file the Form
If you are an owner of a company that needs to update its public profile, you may need to file a confirmation statement with the Companies House. This statement confirms the trading status of your company and the names of its shareholders, officers, and Persons of Significant Control. This form can be filed manually or electronically. The following video is a step-by-step guide to filing a confirmation statement with Companies House.
The process of filing a confirmation statement for companies house has changed, and you no longer need to submit a completely new one each year. It is now possible to file a confirmation statement online with no changes at all. You can sign into your Companies House Web Filing account to review the information you have already submitted. If there are no changes, you just need to confirm as such and pay the annual filing fee of £13.
What should a confirmation statement contain?
A confirmation statement must be filed annually with Companies House by every Limited company including LLPs, irrespective of whether the company is active or dormant company. This form must contain the registered office address, details of the directors, secretary (where applicable), issued share capital, shareholders, Persons with significant control and SIC code.
The confirmation statement must include the names of Persons With Significant Control, whose ownership of a company exceeds 25%. It must also list any changes to the directors and Persons With Significant Control since the last submission. Typically, a confirmation statement is only filed once every 12 months, but it can be filed earlier if there are changes that need to be reported before the next filing deadline.
Overdue confirmation statement
If you have a company but haven’t filed a confirmation statement by the due date, you should file it as soon as possible. More so if it is overdue, because failure to do so can result in serious penalties including being removed from the register and prosecution for directors. Companies House offer a free email reminder service to remind company directors when it is time to file the form. Consequently, there is no reason anyone should be dragged into a courtroom for non-compliance.