What's changing from February 1, 2026
From 1 February 2026, Companies House is implementing significant fee changes across the board[1]. These changes affect filing fees for all company types, and the increases are substantial. Any filing submitted after 1 February 2026 will be subject to the new fees.
Key Fee Changes Overview (From 1 February 2026)
The most significant changes affecting your filing costs:
- • Confirmation statements: Increasing to £50 online (+47%)
- • Company incorporation: Increasing to £100 online (+100%)
- • Voluntary strike off: Decreasing to £13 online
- • Most other filing fees: Various increases of 20-50%
- • Effective date: 1 February 2026
Detailed breakdown of 2026 fee changes
Confirmation Statement Fees
The confirmation statement filing fee is increasing to £50 online from £34, representing a 47% increase. This is one of the most dramatic changes announced and will affect every company that files after 1 February 2026. Since confirmation statements are mandatory annual filings for all limited companies, this directly impacts your recurring compliance costs.
The 14-day filing deadline hasn't changed[2], but if you're managing multiple companies, the cumulative cost of confirmations statements has increased.
Accounts Filing Fees
Accounts filing fees are remaining stable – there are no changes announced for accounts filing as of the February 2026 update. However, as confirmation statement fees are increasing significantly, your total annual filing costs will still rise if you file accounts and a confirmation statement.
2026 Accounts Filing Fees (Unchanged)
The good news is that accounts filing fees are not changing in the February 2026 update. If your company qualifies as a micro-company or small company, you can continue to file abbreviated accounts at £34 online, which remains unchanged.
Director and Officer Changes
Changes to director details or new director appointments come with updated fees:
Director Change Fees
The AP01 and TM01 forms are now £40 each online (previously £10-15). If you have multiple director changes in a year – say three appointments and one removal – that's £160 in filing fees alone.
Company Formation and Structure Changes
New company formation and structural changes also carry updated fees:
- Company incorporation: £100 online (from Feb 1, previously £50)
- Change company name: £85 online (same-day service)
- Change registered office (AD01): £34 online (previously £10)
- Voluntary strike off: £13 online (down from £24)
Charge-Related Filings
Companies registering mortgages or security charges have seen fee changes:
Charge Registration Fees (From 1 February 2026)
Good news: charge registration has been significantly reduced to just £14 online in the February 2026 update. This is actually a decrease and makes it more affordable for companies securing bank financing or registering security interests.
The penalty structure in 2026 (unchanged)
Beyond filing fees, the penalty structure for late filing remains unchanged in the 2026 update. These are the financial consequences of missing deadlines, not the filing costs themselves.
2026 Late Filing Penalties (Same as 2025)
Accounts penalties (escalating)
• 3 months late: £150
• 6 months late: £375
• 12 months late: £750
• Beyond 12 months: £1,500
Confirmation statement penalties
Criminal offense – prosecution and fine up to £5,000 at magistrate's court discretion
Director disqualification risk
Persistent non-compliance can result in disqualification for 2-15 years
The accounts penalties structure provides some flexibility for directors who have reasonable excuses[4], but these must be documented and submitted to Companies House within 28 days of the penalty notice.
2026 Cost Impact Example: Small Company Filing Cycle (After February 1)
Q1: Company incorporation or start year
Company registration fee: £100 (from Feb 1), First year accounts filing: £100
Q2: Director appointment
New director joins company, AP01 form filed
Q3: Confirmation statement
Annual CS01 filing due within 14 days of confirmation date
Q4: Year-end accounts and next confirmation
Full accounts filing (£100) + confirmation statement (£50)
How these fee changes affect different company types
Micro-entities (turnover under £1 million)
Good news: micro-entity accounts remain at £34 to file. If your company qualifies as a micro-entity (turnover under £1 million, balance sheet under £500,000, 10 or fewer employees), the fee increase doesn't directly impact your accounts filing cost.
However, you still pay the new fees for director changes (£40), company name changes (£85), and all other filings. The main saving for micro-entities is maintaining the lower accounts filing fee.
Small companies (turnover up to £15 million)
Small companies filing abbreviated accounts pay £34 online. The key saving here is filing abbreviated accounts instead of full accounts (which costs £100). If your company meets the small company test (any 2 of: turnover £15m or less, balance sheet £7.5m or less, 50 employees or less), you may qualify for this exemption.
Small company exemptions save the £100 filing fee[5], but you must still prepare full accounts internally – you're just filing a simplified version with Companies House.
Medium and large companies (turnover over £15 million)
These companies must file full accounts at £100 online. This represents a 100% increase from previous years. For a company filing multiple sets of accounts (subsidiaries, group accounts), the cumulative impact is substantial.
A group with 5 subsidiaries now pays £500 annually just for accounts filing, compared to £250 previously.
LLPs and partnerships
Limited Liability Partnerships (LLPs) follow similar fee structures to companies. Account filing for LLPs is £100 online for full accounts, with the same exemptions available for smaller LLPs.
Annual compliance cost breakdown: Before and after 2025
Here's what a typical SME's annual Companies House costs look like:
Annual Compliance Cost Comparison (2025 vs 2026)
| Activity | 2025 | 2026 (from Feb 1) | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Confirmation statement | £34 | £50 | +47% |
| Annual accounts filing | £100 | £100 | No change |
| Company incorporation | £50 | £100 | +100% |
| Voluntary strike off | £24 | £13 | -46% |
| Typical SME annual total | £134 | £150 | +12% |
For a typical small company filing accounts once a year and a confirmation statement, your basic compliance costs have increased by 12% – from approximately £134 to £150 annually when comparing 2025 to 2026 (from February 1).
What's driving these changes?
Companies House has cited the need to fund system improvements and modernization as the primary reason for fee increases[6]. The organization has outlined an ambitious digital transformation agenda, including:
- Enhanced identity verification requirements for company directors
- Real-time data processing and validation systems
- Improved API access for authorized third parties
- Stronger fraud detection capabilities
- Modernized user interfaces for filing services
While these improvements are needed – the UK company register is used for everything from bank account opening to fraud prevention – they come at a cost that's being passed directly to users.
Planning strategies to minimize your 2026 costs
1. Review your company size classification
If your company's turnover is just around a threshold, the financial savings could be significant. For example, if you're just over £1 million turnover but below £15 million, you might qualify for different accounting exemptions depending on your other metrics (balance sheet total, number of employees).
Consult with your accountant about whether your company qualifies as a micro-entity or small company – the savings from abbreviated accounts (£34 instead of £100) could be substantial.
2. Batch your director changes
Each director appointment (AP01) costs £40. If you're making multiple director changes, try to batch them in a single filing cycle rather than making changes throughout the year. Although there's still one cost per person, you save on administrative time.
3. Plan your confirmation statement timing
You can file your confirmation statement early – from the day after your previous confirmation statement[7]. Consider batching other changes (like director appointments) with your confirmation statement filing to minimize the number of separate filings.
4. Avoid unnecessary filings
Don't file unnecessary changes like company name changes (£85 same-day service) unless absolutely necessary. The name change fee is a significant cost with the new 2026 rates (from February 1).
5. Budget for penalties avoidance
The cost of preventing penalties (£34-150 for accounts, up to £5,000 for confirmation statements) far outweighs the cost of automated monitoring. Services like CH Watch track your deadlines for £12/month – that's less than the cost of one confirmation statement and keeps you out of the penalty zone entirely.
The Real Cost: Filing vs. Penalties
Cost to file accounts on time: £100
Cost of accounts late 3 months: £100 + £150 penalty = £250
Cost of accounts late 6 months: £100 + £375 penalty = £475
Cost of accounts late 12 months: £100 + £750 penalty = £850
One late filing can cost 8.5x more than filing on time.
What's coming in 2026?
Companies House has indicated that further changes are planned as part of its modernization agenda[8]. Expected changes for 2026 and beyond include:
- Enhanced verification requirements for director authentication
- Potential introduction of API-based filing fees for high-volume users
- Changes to charge registration processes and requirements
- Introduction of new data validation rules that could require refilings
- Possible introduction of "fast-track" filing options at premium rates
It's worth monitoring Companies House announcements throughout 2025 to plan ahead for potential additional changes.
Managing costs across multiple companies
If you're a director of multiple companies, costs multiply. A director with 5 companies now faces:
Multi-Company Cost Example
Annual recurring costs (5 companies) – 2026 rates from February 1:
Plus: Any director changes, name changes, office changes, or charge registrations multiply by the number of companies affected.
Centralized monitoring that tracks all five companies simultaneously (£12/month = £144/year) pays for itself many times over by preventing even a single missed confirmation statement.
Key takeaways
- Company incorporation doubles in cost: From £50 to £100 – a 100% increase for new company registrations
- Confirmation statement fees jump 47%: From £34 to £50 online – the biggest recurring filing cost increase
- Director changes are now £40 each: Up from £10-15, a 167% increase where applicable
- Registered office changes increased dramatically: From £10 to £34 (240% increase)
- Charge registration reduced to £14: Good news – this actually decreased from previous rates
- Penalty structure remains serious: Late accounts penalties and confirmation statement criminal offenses unchanged
- Typical SME costs up 12%: From £134 to £150 in basic annual compliance (accounts + confirmation statement)
- Prevention saves money: Monitoring costs £12/month but prevents far costlier penalties and consequences
- Plan ahead for 2026: More changes are expected as Companies House continues modernization
2026 Fee Changes: Your Action Plan (Before February 1)
The Bottom Line
The 2026 fee changes from Companies House (effective February 1) are significant, particularly the 47% jump in confirmation statement fees to £50. But they're manageable with proper planning. The real risk isn't the filing fees themselves – it's missing deadlines and triggering penalties. A single missed filing can cost 5-10x more in penalties than the filing itself. Automated monitoring that prevents penalties is one of the best investments a director can make for 2026 and beyond.
References
- [1]Companies House Fees Regulations 2024 - UK Legislation Available at:www.gov.uk/government/publications/companies-house-fees-regulations-2024 [Accessed December 2025]
- [2]Running a Limited Company: Confirmation Statement - GOV.UK Available at:www.gov.uk/running-a-limited-company/confirmation-statement [Accessed December 2025]
- [3]Register a charge on your company property - GOV.UK Available at:www.gov.uk/government/publications/register-a-charge-on-your-company-property [Accessed December 2025]
- [4]Late filing penalties - Companies House Available at:www.gov.uk/government/publications/late-filing-penalties [Accessed December 2025]
- [5]Filing your small or medium-sized company accounts - GOV.UK Available at:www.gov.uk/government/publications/filing-your-small-or-medium-sized-company-accounts [Accessed December 2025]
- [6]Companies House reform - GOV.UK Available at:www.gov.uk/government/organisations/companies-house/about [Accessed December 2025]
- [7]Confirmation Statement Guidance - Companies House Available at:www.gov.uk/government/publications/confirmation-statement-guidance [Accessed December 2025]
- [8]About Companies House - GOV.UK Available at:www.gov.uk/government/organisations/companies-house/about [Accessed December 2025]