What is a Confirmation Statement?
All Limited Companies (Ltd) and Limited Liability Partnerships (LLP) must send a Confirmation Statement (formerly known as an Annual Return) to Companies House once every 12 months, even if the company or partnership is dormant.
A confirmation statement, as its name suggests, confirms that Companies House holds accurate and up-to-date information about the company. Even if nothing has changed you must still check your company’s details and then submit a confirmation statement to Companies House to verify that they are all still correct. There are no automatic penalties for filing a confirmation statement late but, if it is not filed, then your company will be struck from the company register.
The Confirmation Statement is not to be confused with the Annual Company Accounts, which are financial accounts showing profit and loss etc. Both, however, are legally required to be filed with Companies House annually.
When Is the Confirmation Statement Due?
A confirmation statement is due 14 days after the anniversary of the date of incorporation or the date you filed the last confirmation statement.
If your confirmation statement is overdue there is no automatic penalty issued as a result of late filing (unlike if you fail to file company accounts). Companies House normally issue an initial warning notice advising recipients to prepare and file a confirmation statement without taking further action.
It is essential that a confirmation statement is filled immediately after receiving a warning, as further delays may lead to legal action being taken. Futher failure to submit a confirmation statement will result in your company being struck off the company register and the company – together with its directors – may be considered to have committed an offence and may be fined.
What Information Can and Cannot be Updated using a Confirmation Statement?
A confirmation statement can be used to update the following information at Companies House:
Changes to the registered office address, PSCs and company officers, however, cannot be notified via a confirmation statement and instead must be reported using the relevant forms. A Confirmation Statement can confirm these details, as its name implies, but notifications of actual changes to them between one Confirmation Statement and the next must be submitted using the appropriate forms.