As part of the ongoing shake-up of Companies House, which includes more rigorous checks of companies and their officers, the registrar previously increased filing fees from May 2024.
Further fee changes took effect from 1 February 2026.
Historically, the cost of incorporation and filing documents has been very low.
Companies House sets its fees broadly on a cost-recovery basis rather than to generate a profit.
As a result of the Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act 2023, Companies House has an increased role in tackling economic crime and improving the integrity of the companies register.
The increased operational requirements mean the registrar needs to recover the additional costs of staff, systems and enforcement activity through its filing fees.
Following the May 2024 changes, when digital incorporation rose from £12 to £50 and confirmation statements from £13 to £34, the cost of forming a new company digitally rose again from £50 to £100 from 1 February 2026. The digital confirmation statement fee also increased from £34 to £50.
Costs remain low historically
After decades of relatively low filing costs, the current prices remain modest in historical terms.
Back in 1844, when the Joint Stock Companies Act became law, the first stage of incorporation cost £5 – equivalent to several hundred pounds today.
In the 1970s, it cost £50 to form a new company, while in 2006 the software filing fee was £15.
Companies House fees from 1 February 2026
Key current fees include:
- Incorporation (digital): £100
- Same-day incorporation (software only): £156
- Incorporation (paper): £124
- Confirmation statement (digital): £50
- Confirmation statement (paper): £110
- Voluntary strike off (digital): £13
- Voluntary strike off (paper): £18
You can view the full list of current charges on the Companies House fee changes page.
The UK remains relatively inexpensive for incorporation
In an international context, the UK remains a relatively inexpensive and straightforward place to incorporate a company.
A Business Financing UK study comparing the cost of starting a business in different countries found the UK among the cheaper jurisdictions at the time of the research.
However, international comparisons should be treated as illustrative because incorporation fees, professional costs and regulatory requirements vary significantly between countries and change over time.
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