While we wait for more news of the Companies House 2025-2030 strategy, some more changes are coming to light.
A new change from Companies House centres around how much it costs to complete the basic requirements of making filings.
Failure to pay the correct amount could lead to rejection of flings and delays that could lead to penalties and other consequences, so it is important to keep pace with these new changes.
Which Companies House costs are increasing?
Both the costs of the annual Confirmation Statement filing and the cost to incorporate a company or LLP are set to increase from 1 February 2026, as will the fees for other matters such as reductions of share capital and administration restorations.
The annual filing of a Confirmation Statement currently costs £34, if done digitally, but this will increase to £50 and paper filings, which now cost £62, will soon cost £110.
It may be apparent from this difference that the future of Companies House filings is intended to be digital and one of the ways this is being enforced is to price out paper filings.
While the costs of filing are likely to be manageable for most businesses, the changes are something that should be noted and addressed accordingly.
Any lapse could result in delayed filings, which could result in further complications if you are not able to rectify the situation before your deadline.
Alongside the costs for annual filings, newly incorporated companies will also see higher upfront costs.
The standard incorporation digital filing fee will increase from £50 to £100, while the incorporation paper filing fee will rise from £71 to £124.
The fee for same day incorporations will rise from £78 to £156.
The only price that is not increasing is the cost of voluntary strike off, as this will drop to £13 for digital submissions and £18 for paper filing.
Why do the cost increases matter?
On their own, the cost increases are unlikely to have a major impact on individual businesses.
Instead, the noteworthy element is the precedent they set and the indication of how Companies House may affect change.
Given the push towards digital systems, we can expect to see a further increase in costs for paper submissions going forward until it is no longer economically viable to submit them.
This will ensure that all businesses adopt digital filings and remove the need for processing physical copies.
Any business owner who is not comfortable with digital filings should work on resolving their hesitation to avoid incurring unnecessary expense and the additional administrative burden.
What other changes are coming with Companies House?
The most pressing change at the moment is regarding identity verification.
From 18 November 2025, new directors and Persons with Significant Control (PSCs) must verify their identity at appointment and existing officeholders have a 12-month transition window and face enforcement from 18 November 2026 for non-compliance.
As for other changes, these will hopefully be revealed in due course and we will work to advise you on them accordingly.
We can expect Companies House to continue evolving as it strives for greater scrutiny and transparency in the way that it manages business filings.
Don’t risk getting caught out by the changes to Companies House. Speak to our team today!
