Confirmation Statement Filing in Bristol — Keep Your Companies House Record Accurate

A confirmation statement, filed as form CS01, is a submission to Companies House confirming that the information held on the public register about your company is accurate and up to date. It is not a financial statement and it does not report profit, turnover or tax. Instead, it acts as a checkpoint: you review the company's details — such as the registered office, directors, shareholders and people with significant control — and confirm or correct them. If nothing has changed, you are confirming the existing record. If something has changed, you either update the confirmation statement where Companies House allows it, or file a separate notification for that change.

Generally, any company incorporated in the UK — including companies based in Bristol and the surrounding area — needs to file a confirmation statement with Companies House. That includes companies that are trading, companies that are dormant, and companies that are not currently trading but have not been formally struck off or dissolved. The requirement is tied to the company's existence and registration, not to its level of activity, so a quiet year does not remove it. If you are unsure whether your particular entity or structure falls within the requirement, it is worth checking your position rather than assuming you are exempt.

UK companies generally need to file a confirmation statement at least once every 12 months, and Companies House will usually send a reminder when a review period ends. Importantly, companies can file more than one confirmation statement within the same 12-month review period. That is useful if something has changed and you want the public record corrected promptly rather than waiting for the next due date. The confirmation statement cycle is separate from your accounting period and your annual accounts deadline, so don't treat them as the same date — they run on different schedules and need to be tracked independently.

The confirmation statement is your opportunity to check the key facts Companies House holds about your company. That typically includes the registered office address, the directors and company secretary, the shareholders and their shareholdings, the amount of share capital, the details of people with significant control, and the company's SIC code and statement of lawful purpose. It is worth reviewing all of it rather than ticking the boxes quickly, because errors on the public register can affect how the company is perceived by banks, customers, suppliers and lenders. Some changes, such as appointing or resigning a director or moving the registered office, need to be reported separately using the appropriate form — you should not wait for the confirmation statement to do it.

Yes — in most cases they do. Being dormant or not trading does not normally remove the confirmation statement requirement. This is one of the most common misunderstandings: businesses often assume that because there is no trading activity, there is nothing to file. The confirmation statement is not about activity or profit; it is about confirming that the company's registered details are correct. A dormant company still exists on the register, still has directors and shareholders, and still needs to keep that information accurate. If your company is dormant, it is still worth reviewing the record each year in case anything has drifted.

No, they are three distinct filings. The confirmation statement is an information check with Companies House — it confirms and updates company details and involves no financial figures. Statutory annual accounts are the company's financial statements, prepared for the relevant period and filed with Companies House. A Corporation Tax Return (CT600) is the tax filing submitted to HMRC, reporting the company's taxable profit and any tax due. They have different purposes, different recipients in some cases, and different deadlines. Filing one does not satisfy the others, so you should always keep all three requirements on your company calendar.

If a confirmation statement is not filed when it is due, the company falls into default on that obligation, and Companies House may take further action in relation to the company and its directors. Leaving it unfiled can also hold up other filings and may cause problems when you need to prove the company's standing — for example to a bank, a lender or a customer carrying out due diligence. Because the rules and consequences depend on the individual circumstances, and because the register is public, it is far better to file on time or catch up quickly than to leave a default sitting on the record. If you think a filing has been missed, it is sensible to address it as soon as possible rather than wait for the next cycle.

With a professional service, you supply or confirm the details of your company — directors, shareholders, registered office, people with significant control and so on — and the filing is prepared and submitted to Companies House on your behalf. A good service will flag anything that looks inconsistent, tell you where a change needs to be reported separately, and keep a record of what has been filed so nothing slips through. At Micro Entity Accounts, Confirmation Statement Filing is handled as a distinct service, with clear communication at each stage and transparent pricing. To get started, simply get in touch with your company details and current position, and we will explain what is needed next.