The annual submission of a confirmation statement is a service we provide for many of our clients. We maintain a register of filing deadlines and look to submit the return to Companies House before its due date. But exactly what is a confirmation statement and why do we need to file the return?
The confirmation statement is a filing requirement which was introduced on 30 June 2016. It replaced the annual return form which served the same purpose.
All private limited companies and limited liability partnerships (LLP’s) registered in the United Kingdom must deliver a confirmation statement to Companies House at least once every 12 months, even if the company is dormant. If you are a company director or designated LLP member, you are personally responsible as an office of the company to send a confirmation statement
The confirmation stamen was intended to serve roughly the same purpose as the annual return: for companies to provide up-to-date information for inclusion on the public register. However, one main difference is that rather than you provide a snapshot of your company data at a specific date, you now ‘check and confirm’ the information Companies House hold is accurate. This means that once a year you can review your details and let Companies House know if there have been any changes. Another notable difference from the annual return is that in your first confirmation statement you’ll also need to include the information held in your People with Significant Control (PSC) register.
A company needs to file its first Confirmation Statement no later tan 1 year and 13 days after the incorporation date. Following confirmation statements are then due on a yearly basis. Companies only have 14 days after their ‘confirmation date’ to file their confirmation statement. This is a reduction from the annual return form where a company had 28 days to file a return.
Typically, the information which needs to be included on the confirmation statement is as follows:
There is a charge made by Companies House for submitting a confirmation statement. The cost for filing electronically is £13 but the cost for filing a paper statement is £40.
You can send a confirmation statement early, but there is no need to do this unless you need to report a change of the company details before the confirmation statement is due. If you do file a confirmation statement early, the due date for your next return will change accordingly.
Fortunately, unlike company accounts, there is no filing penalty for a late filing of a confirmation statement. The return however must be filed as failure to submit a confirmation statement is a criminal offence and if you do not file the statement, Companies House may strike off (formally close) the company.
Given the implications that not filing a confirmation statement could lead to a company being struck off the company register, it’s vital that this task is managed and dealt with on a timely basis. As part of our ongoing service to clients, we manage this process in full to provide clients with peace of mind that confirmation statements are submitted on time and all details held at Companies House are kept up to date.
If you require any assistance, please contact us on 0161 952 4244 for more details.
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