By
August 12, 2026
What Happens If I File a Confirmation Statement Late?
If you run a UK limited company, filing your confirmation statement on time is an important Companies House responsibility. Missing the deadline can lead to financial penalties, enforcement action and, in serious cases, your company being struck off the register.
Under current Companies House guidance, a company can be fined up to £5,000 for failing to file its confirmation statement, and the registrar may take steps to strike the company off.
If your confirmation statement is already overdue, the best course of action is generally to deal with the outstanding filing as soon as possible.
Every company, including dormant and non-trading companies, must generally file at least one confirmation statement every 12 months.
Your review period normally ends 12 months after:
You then have 14 days after the review period ends to submit the confirmation statement.
If you do not file within that period, your confirmation statement becomes overdue.
Yes. Companies House now has powers to impose financial penalties for failing to file confirmation statements on time.
Current official guidance states that you can be fined up to £5,000, and your company may also face strike-off action.
This is important because older information online may suggest that there is no financial penalty for a late confirmation statement. That advice is no longer reliable under the current Companies House enforcement regime.
It is important to distinguish confirmation statements from annual accounts.
For late annual accounts, Companies House operates a separate automatic late-filing penalty regime with penalties determined by how late the accounts are.
Confirmation statements are different. Companies House states that you could receive a financial penalty if you fail to file your confirmation statement on time.
Therefore, you should not assume that the late-accounts penalty table applies to an overdue confirmation statement.
Yes.
Companies House may take steps to strike your company off the register if you fail to file your confirmation statement.
Strike-off is particularly serious because it can ultimately result in the company being dissolved.
Companies House specifically warns that a company may be struck off for failing to file its confirmation statement.
Failure to file required confirmation statements can also have legal consequences beyond administrative penalties.
Companies House guidance states that not filing confirmation statements or accounts is a criminal offence, and directors can potentially be personally fined through the criminal courts.
This is another reason directors should treat an overdue confirmation statement as something to resolve promptly rather than leaving it outstanding.
If your confirmation statement is overdue, you should generally file it as soon as possible.
Start by checking your company's record on Companies House to confirm the outstanding filing and deadline.
Before submitting, review the company's information and make sure it is correct, including relevant details relating to:
Certain changes must be made separately before submitting the confirmation statement.
Check your company and confirmation statement deadline on Companies House
Yes. If the deadline has passed, you should still submit the outstanding confirmation statement.
Companies House provides an online filing service, although the service you use can depend on your company's circumstances.
File your confirmation statement with Companies House
Do not assume that because the statement is already late there is no point filing it. Leaving it outstanding can expose the company to further compliance and enforcement problems.
You still need to file.
A confirmation statement is required even if your company's information has remained exactly the same throughout the review period.
The filing confirms that the information Companies House holds is accurate and up to date.
Dormant companies are not normally exempt.
Companies House states that every company, including dormant and non-trading companies, must file a confirmation statement at least once every year.
Therefore, simply leaving a dormant company unused does not remove its confirmation statement obligations.
Companies House identity-verification requirements are now particularly important when filing confirmation statements.
Before filing, company directors must complete the applicable identity verification requirements. The next confirmation statement requires the relevant Companies House personal code for each director, and Companies House states that it will not accept the confirmation statement until all directors have verified their identity.
If you receive an overdue or default letter relating to a confirmation statement and director identity-verification statements, Companies House has a process for making representations in exceptional circumstances. Such representations must generally be made within 28 days of the date of the default letter.
You should not assume that Companies House will automatically extend your confirmation statement deadline.
If your statement is due, aim to complete the necessary company updates and identity-verification requirements before the filing deadline.
Where Companies House has contacted you about an overdue filing and exceptional circumstances genuinely prevented compliance, check the instructions in the correspondence and current Companies House guidance.
These two requirements are easy to confuse.
A confirmation statement confirms key information about your company.
Annual accounts report financial information about the company.
Both have filing deadlines, but the consequences and penalty regimes are not identical.
For example, Companies House currently imposes automatic financial penalties for late accounts according to how late they are. Confirmation statements are dealt with under a different enforcement framework.
A few simple steps can reduce the risk of missing your deadline:
Companies House allows companies to sign up for email reminders when their confirmation statement is due.
You have up to 14 days after the company's review period ends to file. After that, the confirmation statement is overdue.
Yes. Companies House states that you can be fined up to £5,000 if you do not file your confirmation statement.
Not simply because you are one day late, but failure to file can ultimately result in Companies House taking steps to strike the company off the register. The safest approach is to resolve an overdue filing immediately.
Dormant companies still have to file confirmation statements. Being dormant does not remove the annual filing requirement.
Yes, eligible companies can file online. Depending on the company, you may use the dedicated confirmation statement service or Companies House WebFiling.
So, what happens if you file a confirmation statement late?
An overdue confirmation statement should be taken seriously. Under current Companies House rules, failing to file can result in a financial penalty of up to £5,000, enforcement action and potentially the company being struck off the register.
If your confirmation statement is already overdue, check your Companies House record, make any required updates, complete any outstanding identity-verification requirements and submit the statement as soon as possible.
Keeping confirmation statements up to date is one of the basic ongoing responsibilities of operating a UK limited company.
For the latest rules, deadlines and enforcement information, always check official Companies House guidance.
Official Companies House guidance on confirmation statements
