Confirmation Statement Filing in Stockport

A confirmation statement, also known as a CS01, is the filing a company makes at Companies House to confirm that the information on the public register about that company is accurate and up to date. It is not a financial document. You are not reporting profit, turnover or tax — you are confirming that details such as the registered office, directors, shareholders, people with significant control and SIC codes are still correct. Any change that needs to be reported to Companies House is dealt with alongside it, and the confirmation statement itself is then submitted.

The requirement comes from the company's registration at Companies House rather than from where it is based, so a company with a registered office in Stockport is in the same position as one registered anywhere else in the UK. In general, private limited companies, companies limited by guarantee and most other incorporated companies must file a confirmation statement. Being dormant or not currently trading does not normally remove the requirement — a dormant company still has a record at Companies House that needs confirming. If you are unsure whether the requirement applies to your particular company, it is worth checking your company's circumstances before assuming you can skip it.

A company generally needs to file a confirmation statement at least once every 12 months, even if nothing has changed. This runs on the company's own review period, which is separate from the accounting period used for annual accounts and separate again from any Corporation Tax or VAT deadlines. The statement is due shortly after the end of each review period, with the specific date depending on the company's own dates. You can also file more than one confirmation statement within a review period if your company's information changes and you want the register brought up to date sooner.

Before submitting, you should review everything Companies House holds about the company, including the registered office address, the registered email address, the company name and number, the directors and company secretary, the shareholders and statement of capital, the people with significant control, and the SIC codes describing the company's activities. The confirmation statement also asks you to confirm the company's intended future activities and that it is being run lawfully. If something is wrong, it is usually corrected as part of the process rather than simply confirmed — which is one of the reasons many directors prefer to have the review carried out by someone who does it regularly.

In most cases, yes. Dormancy affects what the company reports for tax and accounting purposes, but it does not normally remove the obligation to keep the Companies House record confirmed and up to date. A dormant company still has directors, shareholders and a registered office, and Companies House still expects the register to reflect reality. It is a common misconception that filing nothing is acceptable simply because there has been no trading activity, so it is worth checking the position carefully rather than leaving the filing outstanding.

They are two completely separate filings with different purposes. A confirmation statement confirms that the company information held at Companies House is accurate. Annual accounts, sometimes called statutory accounts, set out the company's financial position and performance for the accounting period. A confirmation statement does not contain figures, and filing one does not satisfy the accounts requirement. Likewise, preparing accounts does not remove the need to file a confirmation statement. The two run on different deadlines, which is why keeping track of both matters.

No. A confirmation statement is filed with Companies House and deals with company information. A Corporation Tax Return, often referred to as a CT600, is filed with HMRC and deals with the company's taxable profits and tax position. They are submitted to different bodies, cover different information and follow different deadlines. Filing a confirmation statement is not a substitute for filing a Corporation Tax Return, and neither one removes the obligation to deal with the other where it applies.

If the confirmation statement is not filed, the company's record at Companies House falls out of step with the requirement, and Companies House can take action against the company. This can ultimately include steps to remove the company from the register, which would be disruptive for directors, shareholders and anyone doing business with the company. It is also worth remembering that the obligation sits with the company and its officers, not with an accountant or agent, so leaving it unaddressed is a risk that rests with the directors.

You share the current details for your company and let us know about anything that has changed since the last filing. The information is reviewed against what Companies House holds, any updates are prepared, and the confirmation statement is then submitted on your behalf. You get confirmation once it has been dealt with, along with a clear explanation of what was filed. Because the details are checked properly each time, errors and inconsistencies are picked up early rather than being carried forward year after year.

Getting started is simple. Get in touch with your company name, company number and a note of anything that may have changed — a new director, a different registered office, a share transfer, or simply nothing at all. From there, the team will confirm what needs to be done and take the filing forward. If you would also like your Companies House information tidied up at the same time, that can be arranged as part of the same piece of work, so everything is correct before the confirmation statement goes in.