Quick summary
An overdue confirmation statement (CS01) doesn't trigger an automatic late filing penalty the way late accounts do, but persistent failure to file is exactly how Companies House starts strike-off action, a genuinely serious outcome for a company whose one asset is the freehold of a residential building. Filing late, once you get to it, still costs the ordinary £50 online or £110 by post, and needs each director's Companies House personal code from identity verification.
A late confirmation statement happens more than anyone admits at the AGM. Boards are volunteers, people move on, and a date that lived in one person's calendar has a habit of vanishing along with them. So: your statement is overdue. Here's what actually unfolds, minus the panic.
No automatic late filing penalty, but a real risk
There's no penalty invoice landing on your doormat the day a confirmation statement goes overdue, which is the single biggest difference between this and late annual accounts, where the penalties are automatic and start at £150. That does not make it free, and we've set out what an overdue confirmation statement can actually cost you separately. The genuine danger, though, is strike-off. Companies House quietly begins removing a company that keeps failing to file, and for the company that happens to own the freehold of the building you live in, that carries rather more weight than the average administrative slip. See our full guide on checking whether your company is at risk of being struck off for how to spot it early.
How it plays out
- The statement goes overdue the day after your 14-day window closes.
- Reminders may arrive, though filing doesn't depend on you receiving one.
- Left long enough, a strike-off notice appears in the Gazette, a formal warning rather than a suggestion.
- Ignored entirely, the company gets struck off and dissolved. Our guide on whether an overdue confirmation statement really gets a company struck off walks through that sequence and its timings in full.
If you're already overdue
File it. Late beats never, and doing so before a strike-off notice appears usually settles the matter quietly. Our step-by-step filing guide covers exactly what that involves: the £50 online filing fee, plus each director's 11-character personal code if they haven't verified their identity with Companies House yet, since that's now a prerequisite for the statement to go through. A notice already landed? Don't sit on it. File, then confirm with Companies House that you're square.
Stopping it happening twice
The pattern behind most missed statements comes down to one thing: only one person knew the date existed. Fix that by getting more than one inbox reminded, with reminders that don't rely on anyone's memory, and by working through our confirmation statement checklist together as a board rather than solo, against a worked example so everyone can see what is actually being confirmed.
The sequence arrives as post, and the letters are easy to misread. That letter from Companies House, explained sorts the routine ones from the urgent ones.
If you are not certain when yours was actually due, the date is easier to find than most people expect: see when is your confirmation statement due. And if the reason it slipped was that nothing had changed that year, that does not excuse it: nothing's changed, do you still file.
Frequently asked questions
Will one missed deadline get my company struck off automatically?
No, there are warnings along the way. Still worth acting the moment you notice rather than assuming there's plenty of time, particularly since identity verification now adds a step that can't be rushed the day the notice arrives. Software like FreeholdMate flags the risk on your dashboard the moment Companies House shows any strike-off action, rather than leaving you to check manually.
Can I file after the deadline's passed?
Yes, and you generally should, straight away, if a strike-off notice hasn't landed yet. You'll still need the £50 fee and each director's personal code in place before the statement will go through.
What happens to a struck-off company's assets?
They can pass to the Crown, a serious outcome for a company whose main asset is the freehold of a residential building, and one that freezes any pending flat sale or lease extension until it's resolved.