Quick summary
There is no automatic late filing penalty for a confirmation statement (CS01), which is the opposite of the position for annual accounts, where penalties start at £150 and land without anyone deciding anything. That does not mean a late confirmation statement is free. Companies House can impose a discretionary financial penalty, not filing at all is a criminal offence by the directors personally, and the real cost is strike-off action against the company that owns your building's freehold.
This is one of the few questions where the honest answer is more reassuring than what most of the internet tells you, and more worrying. So let us do both halves.
The reassuring half: no automatic penalty
Companies House's late filing penalty regime, the one with the fixed amounts and the automatic invoice, applies to annual accounts only. It does not apply to confirmation statements. Companies House says so directly: "the late filing penalty only applies to accounts."
For context, here is what the accounts penalties actually look like for a private company, because the contrast is the point:
- Up to 1 month late: £150
- 1 to 3 months late: £375
- 3 to 6 months late: £750
- More than 6 months late: £1,500
And doubled if you file late two years running. Miss your confirmation statement by four months and none of that happens. Miss your accounts by four months and £750 arrives whether anyone at Companies House has thought about your company or not. Worth knowing which is which, since they are two separate filings with two separate deadlines and boards regularly assume that keeping one on track covers the other.
The worrying half: three things that can still happen
1. A discretionary financial penalty. Since May 2024, Companies House has had the power to impose financial penalties directly for most Companies Act offences, without going to court. Failing to file a confirmation statement is one of them. The published tiers run from £250 for a first, minor offence up to £2,000 for a repeated serious one, with an overall cap of £10,000. It is discretionary rather than automatic, which is exactly why it does not show up in most "is there a fine" articles, and exactly why it is not something to rely on not happening.
2. It is a criminal offence. Not filing a confirmation statement is an offence committed by the company and by every officer in default. That means the directors, personally, and in a self-managed building that means whichever neighbours put their hands up. Prosecutions of volunteer residential directors are uncommon. They are not unheard of.
3. Strike-off, which is the one that actually costs money. This is the real answer to "what does a late confirmation statement cost." Not a fine. The prospect of the company that owns your freehold being dissolved, the freehold passing to the Crown, and every flat sale and lease extension in the building stalling until it is fixed. Restoring a dissolved company administratively costs £341 in fees before anyone's time, and the court route costs considerably more. We set out how an overdue statement turns into a strike-off and how long you have.
What it costs to just file it
The ordinary fee, whether you are on time or eight months late: £50 online, £110 by post. There is no late surcharge on top. Which makes the arithmetic here unusually simple. Filing late costs £50. Not filing at all can cost the building its freehold.
You will also need each director's 11-character Companies House personal code from identity verification, and that is the step worth starting early, because it cannot be rushed on the day a Gazette notice lands. Our filing guide covers the sequence.
For what the filing itself costs when you do it on time, and the second statement you can file in the same year for nothing, see what a confirmation statement costs.
Frequently asked questions
So is there definitely no fine for filing a confirmation statement late?
There is no automatic late filing penalty, the way there is for accounts. There is a discretionary financial penalty Companies House can impose, starting at £250. The distinction matters: nothing lands on your doormat by default, but you are not immune either.
How much is the penalty for late annual accounts?
£150 up to a month late, £375 up to three months, £750 up to six months, and £1,500 beyond that, doubled if it happens two years in a row. These are automatic and apply to accounts only, not the confirmation statement.
Does the £50 filing fee go up if I file late?
No. The fee is £50 online and £110 by post regardless of how overdue the statement is. There is no late surcharge.
We are a dormant company with no money. Does any of this apply?
Yes. Dormant is a Corporation Tax status and does not reduce filing duties. A dormant freehold company files a confirmation statement annually and can be struck off for not doing so. More in what dormant actually means for directors.