By
August 12, 2026
Do Dormant Companies File Confirmation Statements?
Yes. Dormant UK limited companies must still file a confirmation statement with Companies House.
A company being dormant does not remove its Companies House filing responsibilities. Companies House states that every company, including dormant and non-trading companies, must file a confirmation statement at least once every year.
This applies even if the company has had no income, carried out no business activity and made no changes to its registered information.
Broadly, a company may be considered dormant if it is not actively trading or carrying on business.
For Companies House purposes, a company is generally dormant if it has had no significant accounting transactions during the financial year. Certain transactions, such as Companies House filing fees, do not prevent a company from being considered dormant.
Dormancy for Companies House and dormancy for Corporation Tax purposes are not necessarily identical, so company owners should understand which rules apply to them.
Yes.
A dormant limited company must generally continue filing a confirmation statement for as long as it remains registered with Companies House.
This applies whether the company:
Companies House specifically confirms that dormant and non-trading companies are included in the annual confirmation statement requirement.
A confirmation statement is not a financial or tax return.
Its purpose is to confirm that the information Companies House holds about your company remains accurate and up to date.
This can include information relating to:
Even when nothing has changed, the company must still confirm that its records are correct.
A dormant company must generally file at least one confirmation statement every 12 months.
The review period ends 12 months after either:
Companies House allows the statement to be filed up to 14 days after the review period ends.
You can check the exact deadline on the Companies House register.
You must still file.
This is one of the most common misunderstandings surrounding dormant companies.
You are not filing the confirmation statement because something has changed. You are filing it to confirm that the information Companies House holds is correct.
Therefore, a company that has been completely inactive throughout the year may still have to submit its annual confirmation statement.
Generally, yes.
Dormant limited companies must normally continue filing accounts with Companies House. Companies that meet the relevant requirements may be able to file simplified dormant company accounts.
This means a dormant company can have at least two separate annual Companies House responsibilities:
These filings serve different purposes and normally have different deadlines.
This is different from the Companies House confirmation statement requirement.
If HMRC accepts that your company is dormant for Corporation Tax, you generally do not need to pay Corporation Tax or continue filing Company Tax Returns unless HMRC sends you a notice requiring one.
However, being dormant for Corporation Tax does not remove your Companies House obligations.
You may therefore have a situation where your dormant company does not need to file a Corporation Tax return but still needs to file:
Yes.
Suppose you incorporate a UK limited company but never actually start trading.
The company may qualify as dormant, but as long as it remains registered, it generally still has Companies House filing responsibilities.
That includes filing its confirmation statement and the appropriate accounts.
Yes.
Living outside the UK does not normally remove the filing requirements of a UK-registered limited company.
For example, if you incorporated a UK company but later decided not to trade through it, simply leaving the company unused does not eliminate its Companies House obligations.
As long as the company remains registered, you should continue monitoring its filing deadlines.
Yes. Dormant status does not exempt directors from the current Companies House identity-verification requirements.
Companies House states that before filing the company's confirmation statement, all directors must have verified their identity. The next confirmation statement requires a Companies House personal code for each director, and Companies House will not accept the statement until all directors have completed identity verification.
Dormant companies pay the same confirmation statement filing fee as other companies.
As of 2026, Companies House charges:
The fee operates on an annual payment-period basis, so you do not necessarily pay every time you submit a confirmation statement if you file more than one during the same payment period.
Because Companies House fees can change, check the current fee before filing.
Dormancy does not protect a company from enforcement action for failing to meet its filing obligations.
Companies House states that failure to file a confirmation statement can result in a financial penalty of up to £5,000, and the company may ultimately be struck off the Companies House register.
If you want to keep a dormant company registered for possible future use, it is therefore important to continue meeting its filing requirements.
That depends on whether you expect to use the company again.
Keeping a dormant company can make sense if you plan to restart trading in the future or want to retain the company for another legitimate purpose.
However, keeping the company registered means continuing to deal with its Companies House obligations.
If you are certain that you no longer need the company, you may want to investigate whether voluntary strike-off is appropriate rather than leaving the company dormant indefinitely.
Yes. Companies House requires dormant and non-trading companies to file confirmation statements.
Yes. A company that has never traded can still have Companies House filing obligations while it remains registered.
Yes. The confirmation statement confirms that the company's existing information is accurate.
Generally, yes. Eligible companies may be able to submit dormant company accounts.
A genuinely dormant company will generally not have Corporation Tax to pay, but HMRC and Companies House have separate rules regarding dormancy.
No. If the company remains registered, you should continue meeting its Companies House filing requirements.
So, do dormant companies file confirmation statements?
Yes. Dormant and non-trading UK limited companies must generally file a confirmation statement at least once every 12 months, even when nothing has changed.
Dormancy may simplify some accounting and tax requirements, but it does not mean that you can simply stop maintaining the company.
If you want to keep a dormant company registered, make sure you continue to monitor its confirmation statement and accounts deadlines.
For the latest rules, deadlines and filing requirements, check the official Companies House guidance.
Official GOV.UK guidance for dormant companies
