Confirmation Statement Explained: What and When to File

A confirmation statement is a yearly filing with Companies House that confirms your company's details — directors, shareholders, registered office and more — are correct. Every limited company must file one at least once every 12 months, within 14 days of the end of its review period, even if nothing has changed.

It is one of the simplest filings a company makes, which is exactly why it gets forgotten. This guide explains what the statement contains, how to find your due date, what has changed recently, and how to make it a ten-minute job each year.

Key takeaways

• File at least once every 12 months, within 14 days after your review period ends.
• It confirms company details; it contains no accounts or tax figures.
• Dormant companies still have to file one.
• A fee applies; check the current amount on GOV.UK.
• Not filing is an offence and can lead to the company being struck off.

What the confirmation statement confirms

The confirmation statement (which replaced the old annual return in 2016) is a snapshot of the company's public record. When you file it, you confirm or update:

• the registered office address and registered email address;
• the directors and company secretary, if any;
• the SIC code describing what the company does;
• the statement of capital and shareholder information;
• the people with significant control (PSCs);
• where the company keeps its statutory registers.

Since the Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act changes, companies have also had to provide a registered email address and confirm that the company's intended future activities are lawful. Companies House is also introducing identity verification for directors and PSCs. The timetable and what it means for your company are explained on GOV.UK's confirmation statement guidance; check it before your next filing.

Confirmation statement vs the other annual filings

Because each filing runs on its own clock, it is common for a company to be up to date on one and late on another. Our guide to company accounts deadlines shows how the accounts and tax dates are worked out.

How to find your due date

Your first review period starts on the day the company was incorporated. Each later period starts the day after the previous one ended. You can file early at any time, and doing so resets the review period so the next one runs 12 months from the date you filed. The exact due date is shown against the company on the Companies House service, and it is worth signing up for email reminders there. For the wider set of director duties, see GOV.UK's guide to running a limited company.

Changes you report during the year

The confirmation statement is not the only way to update Companies House. Many changes have to be reported when they happen, using separate forms or online services. Appointing or removing a director, changing a director's details, moving the registered office and changes to people with significant control all have their own filings and time limits. The confirmation statement then confirms that the record is complete.

Shareholder changes work slightly differently. Transfers of existing shares are generally reflected at the next confirmation statement, while issuing new shares needs a separate return of allotment. If you are unsure which applies, check before you file, because the statement of capital on the confirmation statement must agree with what has already been reported. Keeping your own statutory registers up to date as things happen makes all of this much easier.

Step by step: filing your confirmation statement

1. Check the due date on the Companies House service and put it in your diary with a week's margin.
2. Review the public record for your company and note anything out of date.
3. File any event-driven changes first, such as a new director or a change of address, if they have not already been reported.
4. Check shareholders and PSCs. Share transfers or new share issues during the year need to be reflected.
5. Confirm the SIC code still describes what the company actually does.
6. Confirm the registered email address and the lawful purpose statement.
7. Pay the fee and submit. Keep the confirmation email with your company records.

Worked example (illustrative example)

"Orchard Lane Studio Ltd", an invented illustrative example, was incorporated on 10 March 2025. Its first review period ran to 9 March 2026, so its first confirmation statement was due by 23 March 2026. The director filed early, on 2 March, which reset the cycle: the next review period now runs for 12 months from that filing, and the new due date appears on the Companies House service in early March 2027.

During the year the director transferred some shares to a new co-founder. When the next statement is prepared, the shareholder list and the PSC register both need updating, and the new co-founder's details must be accurate. By checking the register a fortnight early, the director has time to correct everything and file comfortably before the deadline. The company, dates and events are invented to show how the cycle works.

Common mistakes

• Assuming the accountant files it with the accounts. Unless it is in your package, it may not be.
• Forgetting dormant companies. See our guide to dormant company accounts.
• Letting the registered office lapse. Statutory letters then go unread.
• Ignoring share changes. The shareholder record must match reality.
• Using a personal email that nobody checks as the registered email address.

Keep your company filings in order

Our company accounts service starts from £350 per year, and our limited company packages start from £75 per month for ongoing support. For what a typical package covers, read limited company accountant packages explained.

Not sure when your next statement is due, or whether your record is up to date? Get in touch or see our pricing.