What happens if my confirmation statement is late or overdue?
There is no automatic financial penalty for a late confirmation statement in the way there is for late accounts. Instead, section 853L of the Companies Act 2006 makes it a criminal offence for a company and its officers to fail to deliver a confirmation statement, which can carry a personal fine for directors.
The more immediate practical risk is strike-off. If your confirmation statement is significantly overdue, Companies House can begin the process of removing your company from the register, starting with a first Gazette notice. If the company is struck off, it stops existing as a legal entity and any assets it holds can pass to the Crown.
Confirmation statement overdue — what to do first
The single most useful thing to do with an overdue confirmation statement is file it, rather than wait. Filing does not fix the fact it was late, but it stops the situation getting worse and removes the immediate risk of further strike-off action.
Before filing, it's worth checking whether Companies House has already issued a Gazette notice against your company. If it has, filing the confirmation statement promptly is usually enough to have the strike-off process stopped, provided you act before the final notice period ends.
Company confirmation statement overdue for more than one period
If more than one confirmation statement is overdue, you generally only need to file the most recent one to bring your company record up to date, since a confirmation statement confirms the current position rather than a snapshot for each missed period.
We check your filing history at Companies House as part of preparing your overdue statement, so you know exactly where your company stands before we submit anything.
Late filing confirmation statement — is there a fee?
Filing late does not add an extra government fee on top of the standard confirmation statement fee. You still pay the same £50 Companies House digital filing fee whether your statement is on time or overdue. Any Companies House fee shown is charged at today's rate; if Companies House changes it, we charge the new fee separately.
Our fee for handling an overdue confirmation statement is the same £49 + VAT as a standard filing, because the CS01 form and process are identical; what changes is the urgency with which we turn it around.
Can an accountant file an overdue confirmation statement for me?
Yes. As ICAEW Chartered Accountants we can file an overdue confirmation statement for you, usually within 24–48 hours of receiving your Companies House authentication code and current company details.
We are an independent firm of Chartered Accountants, not Companies House or HMRC, so we cannot waive any offence that has already been committed by late filing, but we can get your company back into good standing as quickly as possible.
Statutory notice overdue confirmation statement
If you've received a statutory notice or Gazette notice referring to an overdue confirmation statement, this is a formal warning that Companies House intends to strike your company off the register unless action is taken. These notices are usually sent by post to your registered office.
Filing your outstanding confirmation statement as soon as possible is the key step in responding to this kind of notice, and we prioritise same-day filing for companies in this position.