A Confirmation Statement Checklist for England and Wales is a structured preparation document designed to help company directors and company secretaries verify that all information required for the annual CS01 filing to Companies House is accurate and complete before submission. Every UK limited company — whether trading, dormant, or in the process of winding down — must file a confirmation statement with Companies House at least once every 12 months under ss.853A–853L of the Companies Act 2006, as inserted by the Small Business, Enterprise and Employment Act 2015. The confirmation statement replaced the old annual return (form AR01) from 30 June 2016 and is designed to be simpler and more flexible: rather than requiring a full update of all information every year, the company simply confirms that the existing register information is accurate, or notifies any changes.

The CS01 confirmation statement is not a financial document — it contains no accounts or profit-and-loss information. Instead, it is a snapshot of the company's corporate structure as at the confirmation date, covering six key areas: the registered office address under s.86 of the Companies Act 2006; the Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) code reflecting the company's principal business activity; the statement of capital under s.853E and the Companies (Confirmation Statement, Allotment of Shares and New Share Class) Regulations 2016; the current list of members (shareholders) from the register maintained under s.113 of the Companies Act 2006; the details of directors and the company secretary (if appointed) under Part 10 of the Companies Act 2006; and the persons of significant control (PSC) register under Part 21A and Schedule 1A of the Companies Act 2006.

The filing fee is £13 for online submission via Companies House's WebFiling service or £40 for a paper form submitted by post. The online service is the faster, cheaper, and more reliable route for most companies. The confirmation date — referred to in the form as the 'made up to' date — must be no later than 12 months after the company's incorporation date or the date of the last confirmation statement, and the statement must be delivered to Companies House within 14 days of that date under s.853B(1) of the Companies Act 2006. This checklist guides company officers through each section of the CS01 before filing, helping to prevent errors and omissions that could result in Companies House rejecting the filing or the public register containing inaccurate information.

This confirmation statement checklist is needed by the directors of any UK limited company at least once every 12 months — typically three to four weeks before the CS01 filing deadline to allow time to gather information, identify any changes that need to be updated, and ensure that separate update forms (such as form AD01 for a change of registered office, form AP01 for a new director appointment, form SH01 for an allotment of shares, or form PSC01 for a new PSC) have already been filed before or alongside the CS01.

The checklist is particularly important in the following circumstances. First, when the company has experienced any corporate changes during the year — such as the appointment or resignation of a director, a change in shareholders following a share transfer, an allotment of new shares, a change of registered office, or a change in the persons of significant control. Each of these changes should already have been notified to Companies House at the time they occurred using the appropriate standalone form; the confirmation statement is then used to confirm that all changes have been properly recorded on the register.

Second, the checklist is essential for directors of newly incorporated companies approaching their first confirmation statement filing. The first confirmation date for a new company is typically 12 months after the date of incorporation, and many directors of new companies are unaware of this obligation or are unfamiliar with the information required. Missing the first filing is a criminal offence under s.853L of the Companies Act 2006 and may prompt Companies House to begin striking-off proceedings.

Third, the checklist is vital for any company that has experienced a change in its PSC register — for example because a shareholder has crossed the 25% threshold as a result of a share transfer or allotment, or because a previously identified PSC has ceased to meet the relevant condition. PSC register accuracy is a key focus of Companies House compliance activity, and incorrect PSC information exposes both the company and its directors to criminal liability under s.790U of the Companies Act 2006.

Finally, the checklist is valuable for dormant companies and shelf companies, whose directors may not be actively monitoring their filing obligations. A dormant company must file a confirmation statement each year regardless of its trading status, and failure to do so carries exactly the same risk of striking off and dissolution as failure by a trading company.

A well-prepared Confirmation Statement Checklist for England and Wales covers seven essential areas of information required for the CS01 filing, together with a pre-filing verification section and a penalties summary.

The first element is company identification — the full registered company name exactly as it appears on the certificate of incorporation, the Companies House registration number, and the registered office address. Errors in the company name or number will cause the filing to be rejected. The second element is the confirmation date and filing deadline — the 'made up to' date, which must not be more than 12 months after the company's incorporation date or the date of the last confirmation statement, and the 14-day filing deadline under s.853B(1) of the Companies Act 2006.

The third element is officer verification — confirming the details of all current directors and the company secretary (if one has been appointed). Every private company must have at least one natural-person director aged 16 or over under s.155 of the Companies Act 2006. Changes to directors since the last statement should already have been notified via form AP01 (appointment) or TM01 (termination). The fourth element is the SIC code review — confirming that the Standard Industrial Classification code(s) on the register accurately reflect the company's current principal business activity, and updating them if not.

The fifth element is the statement of capital — verifying the total number and class of shares in issue, their aggregate nominal value, and whether they are fully paid. Any allotment of new shares since the last statement should already have been notified via form SH01. The sixth element is the shareholders list — confirming the current membership of the company against the register of members maintained under s.113 of the Companies Act 2006, and providing an updated list if any share transfers have occurred. The seventh element is the PSC register — confirming the details of all persons of significant control under Part 21A of the Companies Act 2006, or confirming that the company has no PSC or is PSC-exempt.

The checklist also includes a pre-filing verification section listing fourteen specific items to confirm before submitting the CS01, and a penalties section summarising the consequences of non-filing under s.853L of the Companies Act 2006, including the risk of criminal prosecution and striking off under s.1000. The document concludes with a declaration to be signed by the director or authorised person who has completed the checklist, confirming that all information to be included in the CS01 is accurate and complete.