The confirmation statement, the annual filing most Arab directors forget exists
By Ibrahem Almahawe
Key takeaways for Arab directors
- 1The confirmation statement is entirely separate from annual accounts, different filing, different deadline, different penalty
- 2Due within 14 days of your company's incorporation anniversary, not at the end of the financial year
- 3Late filing can lead to a financial penalty; persistent non-filing can trigger strike-off
- 4There is no automatic reminder from Companies House, you need your own system
- 5Every Fileminder plan includes this filing and sends WhatsApp reminders at 90, 60, and 30 days
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Frequently asked questions
- What is the UK confirmation statement and how does it differ from annual accounts?
- The confirmation statement confirms corporate and governance details on the public register (directors, PSC register, registered office, share capital, and SIC codes). Unlike annual accounts, it contains no profit and loss or balance sheet numbers, but is a mandatory annual legal filing.
- What is the statutory filing deadline and fee for the confirmation statement?
- The confirmation statement must be filed within 14 days after the end of your company's 12-month review period. The standard statutory online filing fee is £50 (effective from 1 February 2026), compared to £110 for paper filings.
- What is the statement of lawful purpose required under ECCTA 2023?
- Under the Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act 2023, every company filing a confirmation statement must explicitly declare that the future intended activities of the company are lawful. Making a false declaration is a serious criminal offence.
- What are the legal consequences of failing to file a confirmation statement?
- Unlike annual accounts, there is no automatic fixed sliding penalty scale, but failing to file is a criminal offence punishable by fines up to £5,000 against directors personally. Persistent failure triggers formal Gazette notices leading to compulsory strike-off and company dissolution.
Fileminder’s take, written for Arab UK company directors
If there's one filing that catches Arab directors by surprise, it's the confirmation statement. It is routinely confused with the annual accounts, but it has its own deadline and late filing can lead to a financial penalty and strike-off action.
The distinction matters. Annual accounts are financial statements: profit and loss, balance sheet, the numbers. The confirmation statement is a compliance check: it confirms that your company's registered details, director name and address, registered office, share structure, SIC codes, are still accurate. The two documents have different deadlines, are processed differently by Companies House, and carry different consequences for lateness.
A company must file its confirmation statement within 14 days after the end of its review period. The exact date is shown on the Companies House register. Missing it is an offence; Companies House may issue a financial penalty and can move toward strike-off for continued non-compliance.
What makes it easy to miss: there is no invoice, no payment prompt (the filing fee is £50), and no intuitive reminder from Companies House unless you've set up email alerts on their system. For Arab directors who don't actively monitor their Companies House portal, which is most of them, the deadline passes invisibly.
Every Fileminder plan includes the confirmation statement as a core service. We file it on time, every year, and send WhatsApp reminders 90, 60, and 30 days before each deadline. In the three years we've been filing for clients, no Fileminder client has ever received a confirmation statement penalty.
Written by
Founder of Fileminder, an AAT Licensed Accountant, and author of the eight-book International Taxation Series. Browse the books →
Reference
GOV.UKVisit the source ↗
https://www.gov.uk/running-a-limited-company/confirmation-statement
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Disclaimer
General educational guidance only, not legal, tax, accounting, immigration, investment or financial advice. We don't guarantee the information is complete, current or suitable for your situation. Always check official sources (GOV.UK, Companies House, HMRC, the relevant professional body) and speak to a qualified professional before acting. Last reviewed: May 2026.
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