What is a Confirmation Statement?

Confirmation statements were introduced in 2016, replacing the annual return (AR01) form. The two are similar, but confirmation statements are designed to be quicker and easier to file and require slightly different information to be submitted.

What is the purpose of a confirmation statement?

A confirmation statement ensures that Companies House has accurate and up-to-date information on a company. It must be filed by all limited companies and LLPs each year – even if they're dormant.

Annual return vs confirmation statements 

Annual returns and confirmation statements contain much of the same information. This includes details of your directors, secretary and the address where you keep your records, your statement of capital and shareholder information if your company has shares, your registered office address and your SIC code. 

Confirmation statements, however, must include a list of 'People with Significant Control (PSCs). PSCs include any individual who holds more than 25% of shares or voting rights in the company; anyone who holds the right to appoint or remove the majority of the board of directors of the company; and anyone who has the right to exercise or actually exercises, significant influence or control over the company. 

When PSCs are registered, it's essential to include specific information, such as their name, date of birth, nationality, address and when they took a position of significant control in the company. It is also important to explain their position and standing in the organisation and outline why they should be included as a PSC.

Compared with an annual return, the process of updating the confirmation statement has been streamlined, and it's now simply a case of checking and confirming that details are up to date, rather than supplying new information each year – if you file online. Remember, though; you need to check the info and verify that it's correct even if nothing's changed. This could be as simple as submitting the statement with a note saying there are no changes this year. 

How to File a Confirmation Statement 

Filing online is by far the easiest option and means Companies House will pre-populate much of the form for you, speeding up the process. This can be done by signing into your Companies House WebFiling account and reviewing the information on file.

If you need to update the information Companies House holds for your company, such as your SIC, statement of capital or shareholder information, you can do this in the 'additional information section of the form. You cannot use the confirmation statement to report changes to your company's officers, the registered office address, the address where you keep your records, or any PSCs. These must be filed separately with Companies House.

You can check the information that Companies House has about your company at any time by searching the Companies House register.

If you prefer, you can file a paper version of the form, although this is more expensive – £40 rather than £13 to do so online – and fields won't be prepopulated, so you'll need to supply new information from scratch each year. 

When should I file my confirmation statement?

This can be decided by the company directors – or members in the case of an LLP – but it must be within 12 months and 14 days of the previous filing. If you're submitting for the first time, the statement will be due a year after the company was incorporated. Again, you can file up to 14 days after the due date. Remember, it's a legal requirement that you file a statement each year, and company directors can be fined or even prosecuted if they fail to do so.

Who can file a confirmation statement?

Directors have a legal responsibility to ensure that confirmation statements are filed with Companies House by the stated deadline. While you may delegate this to someone such as your accountant or company secretary, the accuracy of the information remains the responsibility of the company directors. You can sign up for email reminders from Companies House to ensure you don't miss the filing deadline each year.