Confirmation Statement Filing in Colchester: Keep Your Companies House Record Accurate

A confirmation statement, often referred to as a CS01, is a filing made to Companies House that confirms the information held about your company is correct as at the confirmation date. It does not contain financial figures and does not report profit or tax. Instead, it gives you a defined moment to check details such as your registered office address, directors, shareholders, people with significant control and the nature of your business, and to confirm that everything is accurate. If something is wrong, it can be corrected as part of the process; if everything is already correct, you simply confirm it and file.

Most companies registered at Companies House need to file a confirmation statement, including companies based in Colchester and elsewhere in the UK. That generally includes active trading companies, dormant companies and non-trading companies, as well as companies limited by guarantee and many other company types. The requirement is tied to the company's existence on the register rather than to how busy or profitable it is that year. If you are unsure whether your company needs to file, or when its next confirmation date falls, we can review your position and explain what applies to you.

UK companies generally need to file a confirmation statement at least once every 12 months, even if the company is dormant or not trading. That 12-month period, sometimes called the review period, normally runs from the date of incorporation or from the date of your last confirmation statement. If your company information changes, you can file more than one confirmation statement during a review period, and certain changes — such as the appointment of a director or a change to the registered office — may need to be reported to Companies House separately rather than waiting for the next statement. It is worth noting that the confirmation statement date is not the same as your accounting period or your annual accounts deadline, so the two should not be confused.

Before filing, it is sensible to review the register entry as Companies House holds it. That typically means checking the registered office address, director and secretary details, shareholder and share capital information, people with significant control, the SIC codes describing what the company does, and any other applicable details such as a registered email address. Changes to shares, directors or addresses should be reported correctly, and some changes need to be notified separately rather than simply noted on the confirmation statement. If the register has drifted out of step with reality, we can help put it right before filing.

In most cases, yes. Dormancy relates to your accounting and tax position rather than the confirmation statement itself, so being dormant or not trading does not normally remove the requirement to file one. A dormant company still exists on the register, so the information Companies House holds about it still needs to be confirmed at least once every 12 months. If your circumstances are unusual — for example, if the company has recently changed status or is partway through a formal process — it is worth checking your specific position rather than assuming the requirement has fallen away.

They are three separate filings with different purposes and different audiences. A confirmation statement goes to Companies House and confirms that the register information about the company is accurate and up to date. Annual accounts, also filed at Companies House, set out the company's financial position and performance for the accounting period. A Corporation Tax Return, often called a CT600, is submitted to HMRC and deals with the company's tax position. Filing a confirmation statement does not satisfy your accounts or tax obligations, and it does not make a company compliant with every Companies House or tax requirement — it addresses the register information only.

If a confirmation statement is not filed when it is due, the company can fall into default at Companies House, and Companies House can take further action — which in serious cases can include steps towards removing the company from the register. Leaving it late can also cause problems with banks, lenders, customers and anyone else checking your public record, because the information shown may look out of date. Rather than letting a deadline pass, it is usually quicker and less stressful to sort the filing out as soon as possible, and to correct anything on the register that has changed in the meantime.

With a professional service, the process is kept simple. We look at what Companies House currently holds for your company, tell you what needs confirming or updating, and prepare the confirmation statement on that basis. Where information has changed, we can help with the necessary Companies House information updates so that the register is right before the statement is filed. You get clear communication at each stage, transparent pricing with no surprises, and a copy of what has been filed for your records. To begin, simply get in touch with your company details and the date of your last confirmation statement, and we will take it from there.