The introduction of the ‘confirmation statement’ marks the end of the annual return

This change comes into force as a result of the Small Business, Enterprise and Employment Act 2015, which received Royal Assent in March 2015.

What this means in practice is that, rather than having to file a full return each year (which may involve repeating previously filed information), companies will just be required to “check and confirm” the information which has already been provided to Companies House and to notify it of any changes. The aim of this change is to reduce the administrative burden on companies and to simplify the process.

Another difference to the annual return is that the confirmation statement will not be required to be filed on a set date each year. Instead, a company can choose to update its confirmation statement as many times as it likes during the year, provided at least one confirmation statement is filed during a 12 month period.

When filing a confirmation statement, a company will also need to deliver information contained on its PSC Register (Persons with Significant Control Register) to Companies House. Our guidance note on the PSC register can be found here.