What Happens If You Miss Your Companies House Confirmation Statement? (2026)

What Is the Confirmation Statement?

• The Confirmation Statement (formerly the Annual Return, before June 2016) is a statutory annual filing that confirms your company's basic information is correct at Companies House. It is not a financial document — it does not include accounts or profit/loss. It confirms:
• Company name and registered address
• Director(s) names and addresses
• Shareholder names, addresses, and shareholdings
• SIC code(s)
• PSC (Persons with Significant Control) register details

Cost: £34/year (filed online — paper filing is £62). Deadline: Within 14 days of the anniversary of your last Confirmation Statement (or 14 days of incorporation for the first one).

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What Actually Happens If You Miss It?

Stage 1 — Grace period (Weeks 1–8 after deadline): Companies House does not immediately fine you for a late Confirmation Statement — unlike late accounts filing, which has automatic financial penalties. Instead, it sends warning letters to your registered address. If you have a forwarding service that delays post, you may not receive these promptly.

Stage 2 — Strike-off notice (Month 2–3): If the Confirmation Statement remains unfiled, Companies House issues a "First Gazette Notice for Compulsory Strike-Off" — published in the London Gazette (the UK's official public record). This is the formal warning that the company will be dissolved.

Stage 3 — Final dissolution (2 months after First Gazette Notice): If still no action, a "Second (Final) Gazette Notice" is published and the company is dissolved — struck off the register. The company ceases to exist legally.

• Consequences of dissolution:
• All company assets (including bank account balances) become *bona vacantia* — property of the Crown
• Outstanding contracts become void or at risk
• Directors lose their protection of limited liability (for that period)
• HMRC may have an outstanding CT liability — they can pursue directors personally
• Bank accounts are frozen or closed

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How to File a Late Confirmation Statement

If you've missed your deadline but the company hasn't yet been struck off: simply file the overdue Confirmation Statement via Companies House WebFiling. There is no financial penalty for late CS01 filing — just pay the £34 fee and submit. The system accepts late filings without additional charges.

Go to: find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk → Log in → Confirmation Statement → File for this period.

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What to Do If Your Company Has Been Struck Off

• Administrative Restoration (within 6 years of dissolution):
• A director or former member can apply to restore a company that was struck off for administrative reasons (like a missed CS01) using Form RT01. The restoration is processed by Companies House (not the courts). Requirements:
• The company was struck off for administrative reasons (not dissolved after insolvency)
• All outstanding filings must be brought up to date
• All outstanding fees paid
• A statutory declaration confirming the company was trading at the time of strike-off (or that there is a good reason for restoration)

Fee: £100 (Companies House fee). Plus your accountant/legal fees for preparing the application and catching up all outstanding filings.

Timeline: 6–12 weeks for Companies House to process the restoration.

Court-Order Restoration (within 20 years — broader grounds): If you need to restore a company for a specific legal reason (e.g., to pursue or defend legal proceedings, or if the directors/members want restoration but the administrative window has passed): apply to the Court for a court-order restoration. This involves a court application, a hearing, and significantly higher legal fees (£1,000–5,000+).

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Bona Vacantia — Recovering Assets After Dissolution

If your company was dissolved and had assets (including a bank account balance), those assets passed to the Crown as bona vacantia. You can apply to the Treasury Solicitor's office (or the Duchy of Cornwall or Lancaster, depending on where you are in the UK) to recover these assets — but you must first restore the company (which reverses the dissolution and revests the assets).

The process: 1. Restore the company (via restoration application) 2. Contact the relevant bona vacantia department with proof of restoration 3. Apply for return of specific assets 4. Assets returned (minus any bona vacantia fees — typically £50–200)

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How to Never Miss a Confirmation Statement

Set calendar reminders. Note your CS01 due date in your calendar with reminders at 30 days, 14 days, and 7 days before the deadline.

Use your accountant. Any decent accountant managing your UK Ltd will track Companies House deadlines and file the CS01 as part of their annual service. Confirm this is included in your fee.

Companies House email reminders. Register for email alerts from Companies House (WebFiling account → notification settings). They send an automatic reminder when your CS01 is due.

Use a company secretarial service. For £50–200/year, company secretarial services (included with many registered address providers) handle all Companies House filings including CS01.

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FAQs

Is there a financial penalty for filing a late Confirmation Statement? No — unlike late accounts filing (which has automatic £150–£1,500 penalties), late CS01 filing does not trigger a monetary fine. The consequence is the strike-off process, which is far more expensive to reverse than just filing on time.

Can I file a Confirmation Statement early? Yes. You can file your CS01 at any point within the 12-month window — you don't have to wait until the anniversary. Filing early resets the clock from the date of filing.

Does my accountant automatically file my Confirmation Statement? It depends on your engagement. Some accountants include it; others charge separately (typically £50–100 on top of the £34 Companies House fee). Clarify this upfront.

What if my company information has changed — do I update it on the Confirmation Statement? Yes. The CS01 is the opportunity to confirm or update your SIC code, share structure, and other registered details. Changes to directors and registered address should be filed separately (AP01, CH01, AD01 forms) as they happen — not annually. But the CS01 is your annual catch-all confirmation that everything on record is correct.

What is a First Gazette Notice? A public notice in the London Gazette announcing that Companies House intends to strike a company off the register. It is a serious warning — action must be taken immediately. You can object to the strike-off (via a DS02 form or by filing the overdue documents) to prevent dissolution.

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