Form CS01: What it is, and how to file with Companies House

Form CS01 refers to the “confirmation statement” that must be filed with Companies House each year on the anniversary of your limited company’s incorporation, or limited liability partnership’s formation.

Put simply, this is an annual opportunity to confirm that all the administrative details that Companies House has on record for your limited company are correct and up-to-date, writes Christian Hickmott, managing director of Integro Accounting.

‘Form CS01;’ you mean the annual return?

Contractors may occasionally hear form CS01 being referred to as an “annual return,” especially by those who have been running a limited company for some years.

It must be said; the change of name to CS01 is for the better, as there was often confusion over the difference between the annual confirmation of administrative details and the reporting of the financial statements of the company.

Form CS01 got a mention when Companies House announced its new penalties

Interestingly, CS01 is still very much on Companies House’s mind.

Announcing now in-force penalties for non-compliance on September 30th 2024, Companies House said it would continue to support businesses to comply with their legal obligations, “for example the requirement to file a confirmation statement on time.”

Which details go on form CS01?

Form CS01 seeks to find out all the relevant administrative details for the company and the people who are closely associated with it.

This includes details such as:

• Where is the business registered and where does it trade from?
• Who owns the business, who controls it, and where are they located?
• Who are the directors that manage the business and where are they located?
• What type of trade is the business involved in?
• Is the business an active or a dormant company?

What were the CS01 changes in March 2024?

In March 2024, the phased introduction of the Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act 2023 brought about some changes to the details captured on form CS01.

Those changes were as follows:

1. Capture of a business email address

It is now a requirement that you provide Companies House with an email address for your limited company.

This email address does not appear on the public record but rather, is a way for Companies House to reach you electronically, instead of by post (as has been the case in the past).

Such an email address is a requirement for all confirmation statements with a filing date of March 5th 2024 onwards.

What is an appropriate email address to give Companies House?

For your reference, section 88A(2) of the Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act 2023 states that an appropriate email address is one that:

“In the ordinary course of events, emails sent to it by the registrar would be expected to come to the attention of a person acting on behalf of the company.”

So, any email address will be acceptable, provided that it is monitored with reasonable frequency and that the directors are duly made aware of the emails received!

2. Statement to confirm the company’s legal intent

Another of the new requirements under the Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act is a requirement for those managing the business – the directors of a limited company, or the members of a limited liability partnership, to confirm that the intended activities of the company are lawful.

It is hard to say what is hoped to be gained by the addition of this statement, as presumably those intent on criminality will not be transparent throughout much of their reporting, both administrative and financial!

Perhaps it is to encourage those who may unintentionally make decisions that fall on the wrong side of the law through ignorance in a particular area; or those who may otherwise have been swept up in management groupthink, to really stop and think about what areas of law may apply to the business. And the decisions that they are making.  

3. The filing fee

The third thing to change in CS01 forms filed after March 5th 2024 is the filing fee.

It now costs £34 to file a confirmation statement with Companies House.

If you use an accountant to submit the CS01 to Companies House on your behalf, you will most likely have this £34 added to your invoice as a disbursement.

How to file CS01?

The CS01 can be filed online through the Companies House website.

If you have not filed online with Companies House previously, you will need to register for the service and set up your own password.

You will be sent an authentication code through the post by Companies House, which is a little like a PIN number for your company filing. Once you have these two parts, you are ready to file online.

Final thought

It is worth checking with your accountant before filing the return yourself though, as it is often something that will already be included in your accounting fees; or available at a very reasonable price compared to the time and hassle of working through it yourself.