There has been a change in filing the Companies House Confirmation Statement since it was introduced in 2016 in replacement of the better named Annual Return. If you shop online then you can certainly file a confirmation statement and pay for it. It can easily be completed using this guide as most of the data is already held and it is simply a matter of confirming the details - the majority of the process is the same but a longwinded way to get in:
- From the Companies House homepage select File your confirmation statement
- Enter the "WebFiling" user name and password, you may be asked to verify with a security code by text/email
- Then select the WebFiling section for a new company, or select the company you want to file for from Your Companies and skip to step No #7
- Enter the company number and where the company is registered (probably England & Wales)
- Make sure it is the right company then you can enter the authentication code
- You can then store the details so you should not need the authentication code for most filings, the company will be saved within your webfiling logon
- Select to File Confirmation Statement, you will then be taken through a number of screens where you can check and amend details:
- Company trading status – unless you have a listed company this will be No
- You now need to provide an email address should Companies House need to contact you
- Each section is now open so you will need to tick to confirm the details are correct
- Registered Office
- Company Officers – details of the directors and shareholders, due to Companies Act changes you now have to specify the country/state of residence (ie United Kingdom) for directors of the company. You will be prompted by highlighted red text if you have not amended any required fields.
- Location of Company register – this will be the registered office unless these are held elsewhere
- SIC code – this code (or codes) should represent the activity of the company, there are main categories which are then further subdivided so it should be possible to pick an appropriate one from the dropdown list.
- Capital – the number of issued shares in each class and their respective rights must be disclosed. These rights include voting, dividends, what happens on winding up and whether they are redeemable.
- Shareholders – details of full names of shareholders required
- People of Significant Control Statement this will usually be Ownership of Shares for smaller company and anyone with more than 25% needs to be disclosed
- If there is an error, or missed tick approval it will be highlighted before you can proceed to payment
- You then just need to make a £34 card payment (increased from £13 in April 2024) to complete the exercise.
Within the WebFiling logon you can store a number of companies which will save you from logging on separately each time you need to file a return or make changes. This article is a brief summary of Filing the Companies House Confirmation Statement and may not apply to specific circumstance so please seek professional advice before taking any steps based on the information shown. If you would like advice in this or other areas feel free to call. Alastair Wood, AW Accounting, Shrewsbury, Shropshire – Accountants who “speak your language”