Companies House: changes to the annual confirmation statement
The Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act has introduced important changes to the confirmation statement.
If you do not own or operate under a company, the rest of this information is unlikely to interest you.
What is a confirmation statement?
The confirmation statement is a form that is submitted online and confirms that the information held by Companies House is correct and up to date.
Every company and Limited Liability Partnership (LLP) must file a confirmation statement at least once every year. This includes dormant and non-trading companies.
Companies must file a confirmation statement even if there have not been any changes since the last statement was submitted.
The confirmation statement includes information about the company's registered office address, officers (directors and secretaries), registered address, shareholders, share capital, and People with Significant Control (PSC), if applicable.
What are the requirements for the new rules?
The Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act became law in October 2023. The Act gives Companies House the power to play a more significant role in tackling economic crime. Over time, the measures should lead to improved transparency and more accurate and trusted information on their registers.
This places greater importance on our company clients to ensure the information being provided to Companies House is correct, and there are also some new processes to follow when filing the annual confirmation statement.
From March 2024, existing companies will need to make a lawful purpose statement when they file a confirmation statement.
In addition, all companies will need to provide a registered email address, and that email address will be used to communicate with the company. As a service to our clients, we can register our email address with Companies House, which is matters@beverstonltd.co.uk.
Also, the registered office must be an “appropriate address”, where any documents sent should come to the attention of a person acting on behalf of the company and can be recorded by an acknowledgement of delivery. If a company uses our address, they will be using an “appropriate address”.
In future, we will send all clients a checklist for them to review the information on the statement. By approving the checklist, clients can also confirm the company’s intended future activities are lawful. All that will be required of clients will be to review and sign the checklist, and we will deal with the electronic submission and paying the filing fee online.
We expect Companies House to make further changes over the next few years, which we will ensure we stay compliant with on behalf of our clients.
Increased annual filing fees
Companies House are increasing the annual filing fee from £13 to £34.
Beverston company secretarial service
We have invested in software and training to ensure we can provide a service which is accurate and compliant with the regulations.
More importantly, the service saves our clients time and provides peace of mind.
Starting in March 2024, together with a checklist, we will issue a separate fee when we complete the annual confirmation statement, which will be £75 + VAT (£90).
The fee will cover all of the following:
The £34 filing fee, which we will pay on our clients’ behalf.
Filing the annual confirmation statement.
Maintaining the company register and making changes throughout the year as required.
Using our address as a registered office.
Using our email address as a registered email.
Can I file the confirmation statement myself?
Yes, you can submit the form online with Companies House, and you’ll need a login and the authentication code. Here is a link to Companies House with more information:
Filing your company's confirmation statement - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
The benefits to Beverston filing your confirmation statement
While there is a small cost for us to do this on our clients’ behalf, this ensures that confirmation statements are prepared accurately. We can navigate through the process and legal requirements, reducing the likelihood of errors.
Most importantly, outsourcing the task takes the stress away from our clients and saves them time, so they can focus on running their business.