The confirmation statement (CS01) explained

What a confirmation statement actually is

A confirmation statement is a yearly check in with Companies House. Rather than asking for a fresh copy of every detail, it asks you to confirm that the information already on the public register is accurate and up to date as at a specific date, known as the confirmation date. If something has changed and has not yet been reported, you either update it first or deliver the update at the same time as the statement.

Under section 853A of the Companies Act 2006, every company must, before the end of the period of 14 days after the end of each review period, deliver a confirmation statement to the registrar. The obligation applies to every company, including dormant and non trading companies. There is no exemption for being quiet, small or inactive.

Importantly, you must file the confirmation statement even if nothing at all has changed during the review period. In that case you are simply confirming that the record remains correct. Filing is the legal duty, not the existence of changes.

It helps to think of the confirmation statement as a snapshot rather than a form full of new information. Most of what it covers should already be on the public register, either from when you incorporated or from separate filings you made during the year. The statement is the moment you formally vouch for that snapshot. If you have kept your records tidy as you go, there is very little to do; if you have let things drift, it is your annual prompt to bring everything back into line before you confirm it.

What the CS01 confirms

The confirmation statement pulls together the core public facts about your company and asks you to confirm each is still correct. If any are out of date, you update them as part of the process. Some items, such as changes to directors or people with significant control, are usually reported separately during the year, but the statement is your annual backstop to make sure nothing has slipped through.

The statement covers your registered office address, your registered email address, your Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) codes describing what the company does, and your statement of capital and shareholder or trading status. It also sits alongside your records for directors, secretaries and people with significant control (PSC). You cannot complete the filing without also confirming that the company's intended future activities are lawful.

A few of these deserve a closer look. Your SIC codes are the standard codes that classify your business activities, and it is common for a company's real activities to shift over time while the codes stay frozen at whatever was chosen on incorporation, so the confirmation statement is a natural point to correct them. The statement of capital sets out how your shares are divided, including the number of shares, their nominal value and how much is paid up, and it needs to reflect any share issues or transfers. The PSC information records who ultimately owns or controls the company, which Companies House treats as one of the most important entries on the register.

Review period, confirmation date and the 14 day deadline

Your review period is the 12 months you are reporting on. For a company's first confirmation statement, the review period begins on the date of incorporation. For every statement after that, it begins the day after your previous confirmation date. The last day of the review period is your confirmation date.

Once the review period ends you do not have to file that same day. Section 853A gives you a window: the statement must be delivered before the end of the period of 14 days after the end of the review period. In practice that means you have 14 days from your confirmation date to file. Filing late, or not at all, is what puts the company at risk.

You can file more than once in a payment period if you like. After your first statement in a 12 month payment period, you can file as many further confirmation statements as you want without paying the fee again, which is useful if you want to record several rounds of changes during the year.

How much it costs and how to file

The confirmation statement carries a fee once per 12 month payment period, not per filing. Companies House fees changed on 1 February 2026. The confirmation statement now costs £50 to file online and £110 to file on paper. Filing online is cheaper, faster and the method Companies House recommends. The paper form CS01 exists for those who need it, but it costs more and takes longer to process.

The most straightforward route is the Companies House WebFiling or online filing service, where you sign in with your company authentication code and, where required, verify your identity. Note that as identity verification rules are rolled out, you may need to verify your identity before filing. Once submitted, the confirmation is reflected on the public register.

The fee funds the register on a cost recovery basis, which is why it has risen over time. If you keep your details current throughout the year, the confirmation statement itself becomes a quick annual formality rather than a scramble.

The newer rules: registered email address and lawful purpose

The Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act 2023 introduced its first measures on 4 March 2024, and two of them affect the confirmation statement directly. The first is the registered email address. New companies have had to provide one on incorporation since 4 March 2024. Existing companies must provide a registered email address when they file their next confirmation statement with a statement date on or after 5 March 2024. This email address is used by Companies House to contact the company and is not published on the public register.

The second is the lawful purpose confirmation. When you file a confirmation statement with a statement date from 5 March 2024 onwards, you must confirm that the intended future activities of the company will be lawful. This is not optional: you cannot file a confirmation statement without making this statement, and you must confirm it every year.

These changes are part of a wider set of reforms giving Companies House stronger powers to check the accuracy of the register and tackle misuse of companies. For most legitimate businesses they add only a couple of extra confirmations, but they are mandatory and cannot be skipped.

It is worth choosing a registered email address that will actually be monitored, because it becomes the channel Companies House uses to reach the company. A personal inbox that nobody checks, or an address tied to a single employee who may leave, is a poor choice. A shared or role based address that the company controls is more robust. Because the address is not shown on the public register, using a working operational email does not expose it to the wider world.

What happens if you do not file

Not filing your confirmation statement is a serious matter. Companies House may issue a financial penalty, and your company may be struck off the register if you do not file. Being struck off means the company is dissolved and ceases to exist, and any assets it still holds can pass to the Crown. According to Companies House guidance, you can be fined up to £5,000 and your company may be struck off if you do not file.

The good news is that this is entirely avoidable. Set a reminder for your confirmation date, keep your registered office, email, SIC codes, capital and PSC details current during the year, and the annual filing takes only a few minutes. If you use a formation and compliance service, these deadlines are usually tracked for you so nothing is missed.

Conclusion

The confirmation statement is a small, predictable obligation with a large downside if ignored. Once a year, within 14 days of your confirmation date, you tell Companies House that your registered office, registered email, SIC codes, statement of capital, shareholders and PSC information are correct, and you confirm that the company's future activities will be lawful. The current fee is £50 online or £110 by post, payable once per 12 month payment period.

Treat it as a routine annual health check rather than a chore. Keep your company details accurate throughout the year, diarise your confirmation date, and file on time to avoid penalties or strike off. If you want that tracked and handled for you alongside the rest of your company admin, our company formation and compliance service keeps your filings on schedule, and you can see what is included on our pricing page.

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