Companies House is the government body that administers company information in the UK.
As a company owner, you will interact with the agency when you form a company, submit accounts or your Confirmation Statement, or change the data stored about your business.
When a limited company incorporates (comes into existence as a legal body) or dissolves (ceases to legally exist), it is Companies House which is responsible for accepting the formation and maintaining ongoing records for each of the estimated 5 million companies on the register (2023 data).
It’s also the body responsible for making this information and more (such as Confirmation Statements and annual accounts, registered office addresses and charges) available to the general public, who can access it online.
Companies House also records various specific data, including lists of disqualified directors. It operates an online system (WebFiling) that allows you to submit forms directly to the registry.
In addition to WebFiling, Companies House offers a service known as Companies House Direct, where more detailed and historical information can be accessed for a fee.
Companies House is based in Cardiff, where company registrations for England and Wales take place. In Scotland, there is an office for registrations in Edinburgh, and in Northern Ireland, there is one in Belfast.
You can deliver any documents you might need to send to Companies House to their London office, and a search function is also maintained here. For obvious reasons, most interactions are now done online.
How do limited company owners interact with Companies House?
During your time as a company director, there are many occasions on which you (or the company representative to whom jobs are delegated) will need to interact with Companies House.
The first of these interactions occurs when you set up a company.
Incorporating your company
There are three ways that you can incorporate a company at Companies House.
- The first is electronic software filing through an external provider (usually via an accountant or formation agent). Applications with no complications usually get confirmed within 24 hours, and cost £50. Guaranteed same-day formations costs £78.
- Secondly, you may set up a company directly via the Companies House website. This also costs £50.
- Finally, you can file paper incorporation documents for a higher fee of £71. However, this option is slower and may take several days, so many prefer electronic filing.
Submitting your annual accounts
A significant event that will also require interaction with Companies House is when you file your annual accounts.
Limited companies must send their accounts to anyone who is a member, all people entitled to receive notifications of general meetings, and each person who holds the company’s debentures, as well as to Companies House.
Ongoing dealings with the Registrar
There are also several specific events that happen periodically which often require a report to Companies House.
For example, if you change some of the officers who help run your company you’ll need to fill out a form to inform Companies House. The events on the list include the appointment of a new director or corporate director, the appointment of a secretary or corporate secretary, a change in any of their details or a termination of their appointments.
In some circumstances, you are also required to let Companies House know if you are changing your company’s name or the address of your registered office. Bear in mind that the change won’t take effect until you make Companies House aware.
At least once a year, each company must also submit a Confirmation Statement. This statement confirms that the information Companies House has on record about your company is correct and up-to-date. It is mandatory and, if overlooked, can result in penalties or even compulsory strike-off from the register.
There are also other scenarios in which you’d be required to inform Companies House of a change in circumstance. If in doubt, contact Companies House directly or browse their site.
What happens if you don’t follow the rules?
If a company is operating but fails to provide company information accurately and on time, its officers could face prosecution.
Remember, the company’s officers are legally responsible for completing these tasks, and if they don’t, they could face prosecution in their personal capacities.
In addition to the risk of prosecution, it’s important to remember that there is an automatic financial penalty whenever accounts are submitted late.
This means that all limited companies should have a strong and competent accounts team in place who can plan the submission of documents and avoid problems that could arise in the event of late or no submissions.
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