Confirmation statement 2026: what to file when nothing has changed

4 days ago

6 min read

Your limited company has the same directors, the same shareholders and the same registered office as last year. Do you still need to file a confirmation statement? Yes. An unchanged company still needs to confirm its information with Companies House, and a dormant or non-trading company is not exempt.

For many directors, the difficult part is not completing the form. It is knowing which information to check, which changes require separate filings and whether identity verification is ready before the deadline arrives.

This confirmation statement checklist explains the position in October 2026 for UK limited companies. It is relevant whether you run a business in Bromley, elsewhere in London or further afield. The filing requirements do not change with your postcode.

What a confirmation statement does

A confirmation statement is your company's regular check that Companies House holds accurate information. Under the official filing guidance, it must be filed at least once every 12 months, including when nothing has changed. The filing also includes a statement that the company's intended future activities are lawful.

Think of the task as checking a set of records before confirming them. Starting from last year's submission can help you organise the review, but it should not replace checking the current position. A director's address or a shareholder's details may have changed even when the business itself feels unchanged.

Keep confirmation statements separate from financial reporting in your diary. Annual accounts and Company Tax Returns are different obligations. Filing the confirmation statement does not submit accounts, calculate Corporation Tax or complete a director's personal Self Assessment.

Check the confirmation date and filing deadline

The Companies House responsibilities guide explains the annual review requirement and the window of up to 14 days after the review period ends to file. Check your company's actual confirmation date and filing deadline on the register rather than guessing from its accounts year end.

Put both dates in your calendar. Add an earlier preparation reminder so there is time to resolve missing access, outstanding changes or director identity checks. Assign someone to monitor the filing through to completion, even if an accountant will submit it.

For an illustrative company, suppose the register shows a confirmation statement date of 20 October 2026 and a filing deadline of 3 November 2026. A useful internal plan would be to review its information before 20 October, resolve queries promptly and aim to file before 3 November. These are example dates, not a deadline that applies to every company.

You can file early, but choosing an earlier confirmation statement date starts the next review period the following day. Record the resulting dates after filing. Do not assume that an early submission leaves every future deadline unchanged.

Review the company information systematically

Use one checklist that compares the information on the register with your current company records. The official responsibilities guide identifies the main areas to check:

Registered office and the address where company records are kept.
Directors and any company secretary.
People with significant control, usually called PSCs.
Share capital and shareholder information, where the company has shares.
The SIC code describing the company's business activities.

For each area, record whether it is correct, needs updating or needs clarification. Keep supporting documents together rather than relying on a series of informal messages. For example, compare a share change with the underlying records instead of assuming a previous spreadsheet reflects the final position.

Also check that someone reads the company's registered email inbox. Companies House uses it for company communications, and it is not displayed on the public register. If you have not supplied one, the confirmation statement process requires it; an existing registered email address is changed through a separate service.

Some changes must be filed separately first

The confirmation statement is not a universal form for updating every company detail. Changes to directors, the secretary, PSCs, registered office and registered email address need the appropriate separate updates before you confirm the records are current.

The additional information section can cover specified changes, including the SIC code, statement of capital, trading status of shares, certain PSC reporting exemptions and shareholder information. That does not remove any separate filing required by the underlying event, such as a share allotment.

Check the guidance on company information you must report when something has changed. Director and PSC changes have their own reporting requirements; waiting for the annual confirmation statement is not a general permission to delay them.

For example, if a director moved home several months ago and the update was overlooked, listing “no changes” because nobody joined or left the board would miss the issue. Resolve the relevant record, then complete the confirmation review. Our registered office address guide explains a separate common address question.

Prepare director identity verification before filing

Identity verification became a legal requirement from 18 November 2025. Existing directors must provide their Companies House personal code with the company's next confirmation statement under the transition arrangements. The current filing guidance says Companies House will not accept the statement until all directors have verified their identity.

The personal-code guidance explains that a person normally verifies once and uses the same code for each appointment. A director of several companies must still connect their verified identity to the relevant role in each company. Check what has already been completed rather than assuming another company's filing covered this one.

A director who is also a PSC has a separate PSC obligation. The official timing guidance explains the applicable 14-day windows and the separate PSC service. Check the dates shown on the register. Do not assume entering a code in the confirmation statement completes both roles or that early filing moves the PSC window.

Our director and PSC identity verification guide covers these distinctions in more detail. For this filing, the practical step is to confirm readiness for every director before leaving the job until the final day.

Keep personal codes and company authentication codes distinct

A Companies House personal code identifies a verified individual. The company authentication code authorises online filings for the company. Having one does not mean you have the other.

The authentication-code guidance describes the company code as six alphanumeric characters and says a requested code can take up to 10 working days to arrive by post. Check access early, particularly if an old accountant held the filing details or the registered office has changed.

If an accountant files for you, agree how necessary codes will be shared securely. Keep them out of public documents and routine group messages. A practical preparation note can simply record “access confirmed” and who is responsible, without copying sensitive codes into a general checklist.

What is the confirmation statement fee in 2026?

The current Companies House fee list shows £50 for online or software filing and £110 for paper filing. These are the statutory fees, separate from any accountant's service charge. Check what a quoted service includes so the filing fee is accounted for correctly.

The annual payment period is separate from the review period. The fee is payable with the first confirmation statement in that payment period; further statements within the same period do not trigger another annual fee. Filing early changes the review timetable but does not change the fixed payment period.

Keep the payment receipt with the accepted filing. If you submit more than once in a year, check the payment period instead of assuming that every submission costs another £50 or that a payment covers all future statements for the next 12 months from that payment date.

Dormant companies still need attention

Companies House dormant-company guidance confirms that both annual accounts and confirmation statements remain necessary even where the company is dormant for Corporation Tax or for Companies House purposes. Qualifying dormant companies may file dormant accounts, but that is a separate question.

Suppose you formed a company for a future project and have not started taking orders. Keep its registered office mail and email monitored, maintain the filing calendar and check director verification requirements. “Nothing has happened” can describe the trading activity while still leaving an annual filing due.

Similarly, telling HMRC that a company is dormant does not complete a Companies House confirmation statement. Keep the two authorities' correspondence in clearly labelled folders so an acknowledgement from one is not mistaken for completion with the other.

A practical checklist before and after submission

Before filing, work through these actions:

Confirm the company number, confirmation date and deadline.
Review the current register against the company's records.
Resolve separate updates and record any remaining queries.
Check each director's verification and required personal-code details.
Confirm filing access, the registered email address and the applicable fee.
Review the final information and required statements before submission.

After filing, retain the submission reference, acceptance confirmation and fee receipt. Check that the filing appears in the company's history and record the next dates. If the submission is rejected, treat it as unfinished work: read the reason and resolve it promptly.

If the deadline has already passed, check the company's status and arrange the outstanding filing without delay. Companies House warns of financial penalties and possible strike-off for failure to file. Do not assume paying an accounts penalty would settle a missing confirmation statement.

Support for limited company directors

A clear annual process makes this task easier to manage: one owner, one preparation checklist and a final check that the filing was accepted. It also helps your accountant identify changes that need attention before they become deadline problems.

Mysimplytax supports limited companies in Bromley, London and across the UK. Our limited company accounting services include preparation and submission of confirmation statements and annual accounts, alongside Corporation Tax returns and bookkeeping. To discuss your company's next filing, contact our team with your company number, deadline and any changes you need help reviewing.

Guidance and fees checked on 9 October 2026. Your company's register entries and circumstances determine the action required.