Companies House has confirmed that several of its core fees will increase from 1 February 2026. For UK business owners, this means higher costs for essential compliance activities like annual filings and new company formations. The changes affect every limited company in the country, whether you’re planning to incorporate, maintaining an existing business, or considering closing a dormant entity.
The most significant increase is the company incorporation fee, which doubles from £50 to £100 for digital filings. The annual confirmation statement fee rises from £34 to £50, adding £16 to your yearly compliance costs. These aren’t trivial amounts, especially for smaller businesses operating on tight margins or entrepreneurs managing multiple companies.
This isn’t an arbitrary price hike. Companies House is funding a major transformation under the Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act 2023. The organisation is moving from a passive registry to an active gatekeeper, with enhanced powers to verify identities, challenge suspicious filings, and remove fraudulent information. The fee increases pay for these expanded responsibilities alongside the Insolvency Service’s enforcement activities.
Understanding what’s changing and when gives you time to adjust budgets, plan your compliance calendar strategically, and avoid unnecessary costs. This guide explains everything you need to know about the 2026 fee changes and what they mean for your business.
What’s Changing from 1 February 2026
The fee changes affect dozens of Companies House services, but three changes will impact most businesses directly.
Company Incorporation Fees
Setting up a new limited company will cost £100 for digital filing, up from the current £50. That’s a 100% increase. Paper incorporation fees rise from £71 to £124, making digital filing significantly more cost-effective. Same-day incorporation services increase from £78 to £156.
If you’re planning to form a new company in early 2026, incorporating before 1 February saves you £50 immediately. For serial entrepreneurs or businesses setting up multiple subsidiaries, these savings add up quickly.
Confirmation Statement Fees
Every limited company must file a confirmation statement at least once per year. This annual filing confirms your company’s key details are correct, including directors, shareholders, registered office address, and business activities.
The digital filing fee increases from £34 to £50, a 47% rise. Paper filings jump from £62 to £110. This is a recurring annual cost that affects every active company in the UK, from micro businesses to large enterprises. If your confirmation statement is due in late January or early February 2026, filing before the deadline could save £16.
Voluntary Strike-Off Fees
There’s one piece of good news in these changes. The fee for voluntarily dissolving a company drops significantly, from £33 to £13 for digital filings. Paper strike-off fees also decrease, from £44 to £18.
This reduction makes it cheaper to close dormant companies you no longer need. If you’re maintaining inactive subsidiaries or old trading entities purely because of strike-off costs, this might be the time to streamline your corporate structure.
Why Are Companies House Fees Increasing?
Companies House operates on a cost-recovery basis, meaning fees are set to cover operational costs rather than generate profit. The 2026 increases fund a fundamental transformation of how the organisation operates.
Mandatory Identity Verification
From 18 November 2025, anyone setting up or running a company must verify their identity. This includes new and existing directors, persons with significant control, and company secretaries. The verification system aims to prevent criminals from using false identities to incorporate companies for fraudulent purposes.
Existing directors have until 18 November 2026 to complete verification, but new appointments must be verified immediately. This requires significant investment in technology infrastructure, secure verification processes, and compliance monitoring systems.
Enhanced Data Quality and Enforcement
Companies House now has powers to query suspicious information, reject filings that appear incorrect, and remove misleading data from the register. This active approach requires more staff, sophisticated analytical tools, and enhanced investigation capabilities.
The organisation is also sharing data with law enforcement agencies, HMRC, and other regulators to identify and disrupt economic crime more effectively. These expanded responsibilities come with substantial operational costs.
Funding the Insolvency Service
Part of the fee income funds the Insolvency Service’s investigation and enforcement work. This includes winding up fraudulent companies, disqualifying unfit directors, and prosecuting those suspected of financial wrongdoing. While your business may never interact directly with these enforcement activities, a cleaner corporate register benefits legitimate businesses by reducing fraud and improving market confidence.
Digital Infrastructure Modernisation
Companies House is investing heavily in digital systems to make filing faster, more reliable, and more secure. The push to digital filing reflects not just cost savings but improved data accuracy. Digital submissions have built-in validation, reducing errors that plague paper filings.
These investments aren’t cheap. The 2026 fee increases help fund this multi-year transformation whilst Companies House continues delivering its core services to millions of companies.
How the Changes Affect Your Business
The practical impact depends on your company’s stage and structure. Here’s how different business situations are affected.
New Company Formations
Entrepreneurs incorporating in 2026 will pay £100 instead of £50. While £50 isn’t life-changing money for most businesses, it’s double the previous cost. If you’re setting up multiple companies (perhaps separate trading entities or property SPVs), the costs multiply quickly.
The timing matters here. If incorporation is planned for January or February 2026 and isn’t time-critical, forming before 1 February secures the lower fee. However, never rush company formation purely for fee savings if the timing isn’t right for your business strategy.
Existing Companies
Every limited company files at least one confirmation statement annually. The £16 increase from £34 to £50 affects your annual compliance budget. This might seem small for profitable businesses, but it’s a recurring cost that compounds year after year.
For dormant companies that generate no income, the confirmation statement fee is pure cost with no offsetting revenue. If you’re maintaining multiple dormant entities, the cumulative cost rises significantly. This might prompt a review of whether all these companies still serve a purpose.
Multiple Company Structures
Business owners with several companies (perhaps operating companies, property holdings, or group structures) face multiple fee increases. If you run five companies, annual confirmation statements now cost £250 instead of £170. That’s an extra £80 per year, every year.
Consider whether all companies in your structure remain necessary. The reduced strike-off fee makes it cheaper to close redundant entities, simplifying your administrative burden and reducing ongoing costs.
Budget Planning
Finance managers should update 2026 budgets to reflect these increases. Don’t forget that if you use accountants or company secretarial services, their fees might also rise to reflect additional compliance work under the new Companies House regime.
The Connection to Identity Verification Requirements
The fee increases coincide with major changes to identity verification. Understanding this connection helps explain why costs are rising and what it means for your compliance obligations.
Anyone appointed as a director, person with significant control, or company secretary from 18 November 2025 must verify their identity before or at the point of appointment. Existing officeholders have until 18 November 2026 to complete verification.
Verification confirms you are who you claim to be, preventing criminals from using false identities. You’ll need to provide identity documents and proof of address, verified through an approved method. Most people verify through an Authorised Corporate Service Provider (ACSP) such as a firm of chartered accountants.
This adds a compliance step to every new directorship, PSC appointment, or company formation. It’s not optional. Failure to verify identity on time can result in criminal penalties and removal from the Companies House register.
At Strix Accountancy, as an ACSP, we can verify identities on behalf of our clients, streamlining the process and ensuring compliance with the new requirements. This service integrates with company formation, annual accounts, and confirmation statement filings, reducing administrative burden on business owners.
Paper vs Digital Filing: The Cost Gap Widens
The fee changes deliberately make paper filing much more expensive relative to digital alternatives. Incorporation via paper costs £124 compared to £100 digitally. Paper confirmation statements cost £110 against £50 for digital filing.
This isn’t accidental. Companies House wants to phase out paper submissions because they’re slower to process, more prone to errors, and require manual data entry. Digital filings have built-in validation, real-time error checking, and automatic data formatting.
If you’re still filing on paper, now is the time to switch. The cost differential alone makes digital filing worthwhile, but you also benefit from faster processing, immediate confirmation, and reduced risk of rejection due to formatting errors.
Most modern accountancy software integrates directly with Companies House systems, making digital filing seamless. If you’re handling your own filings, the Companies House WebFiling service is free and straightforward to use.
Strategic Timing Considerations
These fee changes create opportunities for tactical planning around when you file certain documents.
Company Incorporations
If you’re planning to form a company in January or February 2026, completing incorporation before 1 February saves £50. However, don’t rush incorporation if the timing doesn’t suit your business plans. Incorporating before you’re ready can create unnecessary compliance obligations.
The savings are most significant if you’re forming multiple companies. Developers setting up SPVs for property projects, or entrepreneurs establishing a group structure, could save hundreds of pounds by acting before the deadline.
Confirmation Statements
Confirmation statements are due 12 months from your last filing or from incorporation. If your filing deadline falls in early 2026, you might consider filing early to avoid the higher fee.
Companies House allows early filing, so a statement due in March 2026 could be filed in January 2026 at the lower rate. Your next statement would then be due in January 2027. This works well if your company details haven’t changed significantly and you’re not planning any major changes in the next few months.
However, weigh this against the administrative burden of filing early. If significant changes are coming (new directors, share capital alterations, registered office moves), it might be easier to wait and file once at the higher fee with all changes included.
Voluntary Strike-Offs
The opposite logic applies here. The strike-off fee drops from £33 to £13. If you’re planning to close a dormant company, waiting until after 1 February saves you £20.
Of course, you’ll still need to file annual accounts and a confirmation statement whilst the company remains active. If the confirmation statement is due before you can strike off, you might end up paying the higher £50 fee anyway. Calculate the total cost of keeping the company active versus closing it sooner at the higher strike-off fee.
Compliance Isn’t Just About Fees
The fee increases are only part of the compliance picture. Companies House has new powers to query filings, demand additional information, and remove companies from the register if they fail to meet obligations.
Directors now face greater scrutiny. Companies House can investigate whether people are fit to act as directors, request evidence to support filed information, and flag suspicious activity to enforcement agencies. This means keeping accurate records and being able to substantiate the information you file is more important than ever.
Confirmation statements now require a declaration that the company’s future activities will be lawful. This simple statement carries legal weight. Directors must consider whether the business complies with all relevant laws and regulations, not just company law.
If you’re unsure about your compliance obligations, getting professional advice isn’t just about paying fees correctly. It’s about ensuring you meet all your legal duties as a director, understand what needs to be filed and when, and maintain proper records that support your filings.
What You Should Do Now
Taking action now positions your business to handle these changes smoothly without last-minute stress or unexpected costs.
Review Your Company Structure
List all companies you control or have involvement with. For each one, identify whether it’s actively trading, dormant but necessary, or redundant. Dormant companies that serve no purpose could be struck off after 1 February at the lower fee, reducing your ongoing confirmation statement costs.
Consider whether your structure still makes sense. Tax and commercial circumstances change. A structure that worked five years ago might not be optimal now. This review needn’t be complicated, but it should be deliberate.
Update Your 2026 Budget
Adjust your budget forecasts to include the higher Companies House fees. If you file confirmation statements for multiple companies, budget £50 per company per year from February 2026 onwards. Include any new company formations you’re considering at £100 each.
Factor in accountancy costs if your accountant handles these filings. Some practices will absorb the fee increase, others will pass it on. Check with your accountant to avoid surprises.
Plan Your Compliance Calendar
Mark your confirmation statement due dates for 2026. If any fall in January or early February, decide whether filing early makes sense. Remember that early filing resets your filing date, so your next statement will be due 12 months from when you file, not from your current due date.
If you’re planning any company incorporations, note the 1 February deadline in your project timeline. This is particularly relevant for property developers, business expansions, or group restructures involving new entities.
Ensure Digital Filing Capability
If you’re still using paper forms, switch to digital filing before February 2026. The cost gap makes this essential, but the practical benefits are equally compelling. Talk to your accountant about their digital filing systems or explore Companies House WebFiling yourself.
Check that your accountancy software integrates with Companies House if you’re handling filings yourself. Modern practice management systems usually include this functionality.
Complete Identity Verification
Don’t wait until the November 2026 deadline. Verify your identity now through Companies House or an ACSP. This removes a compliance obligation from your to-do list and ensures you’re ready for any new appointments or company formations.
If you’re planning to appoint new directors in 2026, ensure they complete verification before appointment. Appointments cannot be registered until identity verification is complete.
Review Your Records
Make sure your company records are current and accurate. The registered office address should be genuine and operational. Director details should match identity verification information. Shareholder records should be up to date with correct addresses.
This preparation makes confirmation statement filing straightforward and reduces the risk of queries from Companies House. Discovering errors during filing often causes delays and additional work.
How Strix Accountancy Can Help
These compliance changes create additional administrative burden at a time when most business owners are focused on running their businesses, not navigating regulatory requirements.
As ICAEW chartered accountants, we handle all aspects of company compliance for our clients. This includes company formations, confirmation statements, annual accounts preparation and filing, and identity verification as an Authorised Corporate Service Provider.
We monitor filing deadlines, prepare and submit documents accurately, and ensure you meet all legal obligations on time. This removes the compliance burden from your shoulders whilst ensuring nothing is missed.
Our fixed-fee pricing structure means you know exactly what you’ll pay, with no surprises when Companies House fees increase. We absorb administrative costs and pass on only the statutory fees at cost.
For businesses with multiple companies, we manage the entire portfolio, coordinating filings efficiently and identifying opportunities to streamline structures where appropriate. This is particularly valuable for property investors, group structures, and serial entrepreneurs managing several entities.
The 2026 changes also create opportunities to review whether your current structure still serves your needs. Our tax planning expertise means we can advise on whether maintaining multiple companies makes sense, or whether consolidation or restructuring might be more tax-efficient.
If you’re considering incorporating a new company, forming before 1 February 2026 secures the lower fee whilst our company formation service ensures everything is set up correctly from day one. We handle all filings, register for Corporation Tax, and establish proper records so you can focus on launching your business.
Looking Ahead: What Might Change Next
Companies House reviews its fees annually, adjusting them to reflect operational costs. The 2026 increases follow substantial rises in May 2024, when incorporation fees jumped from £12 to £50 and confirmation statements rose from £13 to £34.
This pattern suggests fees will continue rising as Companies House embeds its enhanced powers and maintains its modernisation programme. Business owners should expect higher compliance costs to become a permanent feature of running a limited company in the UK.
However, the transparency and data quality improvements benefit legitimate businesses. A cleaner register with verified directors makes it harder for criminals to abuse corporate structures, reducing fraud that harms the business environment. The UK’s company registration system remains internationally competitive even with these increases.
The broader regulatory environment is also evolving. HMRC is improving data sharing with Companies House. The Register of Overseas Entities now requires verification of foreign company ownership. Anti-money laundering requirements are tightening across professional services.
All of this points to an environment where compliance isn’t just about paying the right fees. It’s about maintaining accurate records, understanding your obligations as a director, and having systems in place to meet regulatory requirements efficiently.
International Comparison: UK Fees in Context
Even with the 2026 increases, UK company formation remains relatively affordable compared to many jurisdictions. Incorporating in Germany costs approximately €300, whilst France charges around €250. Singapore requires roughly $300, and the United States varies widely by state, with many charging $200 or more.
The UK’s £100 incorporation fee keeps company formation accessible whilst funding enhanced oversight. The annual confirmation statement cost of £50 is similarly moderate. Many countries charge annual franchise taxes or filing fees exceeding £100.
This international context matters because the UK competes globally for business registrations. Setting fees too high risks driving incorporations offshore, whilst fees too low fail to fund effective oversight. The 2026 fee structure attempts to balance these competing pressures.
For UK business owners, the comparison is less relevant than the practical reality. Your compliance costs are rising, and adjusting budgets accordingly makes sense regardless of how the UK compares internationally.
Common Questions Business Owners Are Asking
Business owners have raised several concerns about these changes. Here are answers to the questions we’re hearing most frequently.
Do I really need to incorporate before February to save £50?
Only if incorporation timing works for your business anyway. Never rush company formation purely for fee savings. The administrative burden of maintaining a company you don’t yet need usually outweighs a £50 saving. However, if you’re forming a company in January 2026 regardless, doing it before 1 February makes financial sense.
Will my accountant’s fees increase too?
That depends on your accountant’s pricing model. Some absorb Companies House fee increases, others pass them on at cost. Ask your accountant directly how they’re handling the changes. At Strix Accountancy, we pass statutory fees to clients at cost with no markup, so you pay only the actual Companies House charge.
Should I close my dormant company now or wait?
If you’re certain the company serves no future purpose, waiting until after 1 February saves £20 on the strike-off fee. However, ensure you can file all outstanding accounts and confirmation statements before striking off. Sometimes paying the current £33 fee and closing the company now avoids paying for another year’s confirmation statement at the higher rate.
What happens if I miss a filing deadline?
Companies House can strike your company off the register for failing to file on time. You may also face financial penalties. Late accounts filing incurs automatic penalties starting at £150 for private companies. Confirmation statements don’t carry automatic financial penalties, but persistent failure to file can lead to criminal prosecution and director disqualification.
Can I still file on paper?
Yes, but it’s significantly more expensive and slower. Paper filings cost £124 for incorporation and £110 for confirmation statements compared to £100 and £50 digitally. Unless you have a specific reason requiring paper filing (such as protected personal information), digital filing makes more financial sense.
Final Thoughts
The 2026 Companies House fee increases are significant, doubling incorporation costs and adding 47% to annual confirmation statement fees. For most businesses, this represents a modest but noticeable rise in compliance costs that should be factored into 2026 budgets.
These changes don’t exist in isolation. They’re part of a wider transformation making the UK’s company register more secure, transparent, and reliable. The enhanced identity verification requirements, stronger data quality checks, and active enforcement approach all require funding.
Business owners who plan ahead, ensure digital filing capabilities, complete identity verification early, and review their corporate structures can navigate these changes efficiently. The key is treating compliance as a routine part of business operations rather than a last-minute scramble.
Professional support from chartered accountants can streamline this process significantly, handling filings accurately and on time whilst you focus on your business. If you’d like to discuss how these changes affect your specific circumstances or need help with company compliance, our team is here to help.
Need help navigating the 2026 compliance changes? Speak to our ICAEW chartered accountants about managing your company filings efficiently.
References
- Companies House (2025). “Companies House fees are changing from 1 February 2026”. GOV.UK. https://www.gov.uk/government/news/companies-house-fees-are-changing-from-1-february-2026
- ICAEW (2025). “Significant hikes to Companies House fees in 2026”. Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales. https://www.icaew.com/insights/viewpoints-on-the-news/2025/nov-2025/significant-hikes-to-companies-house-fees-in-2026
- Companies House (2025). “Changes to Companies House fees”. Changes to UK Company Law. https://changestoukcompanylaw.campaign.gov.uk/changes-to-companies-house-fees/
- UK Parliament (2023). “Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act 2023”. legislation.gov.uk. https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2023/56/enacted
