Watch our video on completing your confirmation statement
All companies are required complete a confirmation statement and to identify and record the people who own or control their company.
Completing your confirmation statement
Every company will receive a reminder 2 weeks before they’re due to file their confirmation statement. It must be delivered within 14 days of your due date.
You can file as many confirmation statements as you want throughout the year but only pay your fee once.
Filing your confirmation statement online is the easiest way to submit your confirmation statement, it’s quicker and cheaper than filing by paper.
Watch our confirmation statement video guide
If you usually file using third party software, you’ll need to contact the software provider directly for advice on filing people with significant control (PSC) information.
When filing your confirmation statement only the current status of your PSCs can be recorded using our WebFiling service. If there have been multiple changes to a single PSC or statement between April 2016 and the date your confirmation statement is due, you’ll need to file:
- a confirmation statement for each change, or
- on paper, showing all historical changes in one go (paper filing in general does take longer)
For more information read our confirmation statement guidance.
People with significant control
All companies, including Societates Europaeae (SEs) and limited liability partnerships (LLPs) are required to identify and record the people who own or control their company. These are people with significant control (PSC) and you should now be keeping their details in your PSC register.
You’ll need to provide this information to us as part of the new confirmation statement (which replaces the annual return) or when companies, LLPs and SEs are incorporated.
You need to:
- identify the people with significant control of your company and confirm their information
- record the details of the PSC in your company’s own PSC register
- provide this information to us as part of your first confirmation statement
- update any changes to your PSC register and inform us on your next confirmation statement
Identifying your PSC
A PSC is someone in your company who meets one or more of the following:
| Condition | You need to |
|---|---|
| 1. A person who holds more than 25% of shares in your company | Check your company’s register of members and identify shareholdings of over 25% |
| 2. A person who holds more than 25% of voting rights in your company | Check your company’s register of members, articles of association and identify people with voting rights (often attached to shares) over 25% |
| 3. A person who holds the right to appoint or remove the majority of directors | Check your company’s constitution, including articles of association, and identify whether anyone has this right |
| The following conditions only apply in limited circumstances | |
|---|---|
| A person who has the right to exercise, or actually exercises, significant influence or control over your company | You would only consider this when a person doesn’t meet one of conditions (1) to (3) but still has influence or control over your company |
| An individual is a PSC of your company if they have the right to exercise, or actually exercise, significant influence or control over the activities of a trust or a firm, which in turn would satisfy any of the first four conditions if it were a person | You would only consider this if one of the above conditions is met by a trust or firm (for example, a trust holds more than 25% of shares in your company) |
Watch our PSC video guide
Keeping your PSC register
Before a PSC can be entered on your register you must confirm all of their details with them. The details you need are:
- name
- date of birth
- nationality
- residential and service address
- country, state or part of the UK where your PSC usually lives
- the date they became a PSC (the earliest date you can use is 6 April 2016)
- the nature of control conditions that apply to them (for example, they hold more than 25% of your company’s shares)
The PSC’s residential address won’t be available on our public register, and the day of birth will also not be shown. All other PSC information will be available on the public register, much like directors and members’ details are currently held.
Your PSC register can never be blank. If for some reason information on your PSCs can’t be provided, or you don’t have any, make this clear in your PSC register and choose the correct statement when filing your confirmation statement.
Failure to provide us with your correct PSC information is a criminal offence.
For more information read our PSC guidance.
Protection for people at risk
Where a person can show that they are at risk of intimidation or violence because of their connection with a certain company (for example, their company is the target of activists) they can apply to have their residential address protected so that it isn’t shared with credit reference agencies or for their full details to be suppressed so that they don’t appear on the public register.
If you think any of your PSCs need protection you should contact them immediately. They’ll need to make an application for protection, which will be assessed by us.
If your PSC has previously been granted protection as a director or member, they must re-apply for PSC protection.
If they’re granted protection, you still need to send your PSC information to us when it’s required but it won’t appear on the public register. The information will be available to the police but not to credit reference agencies.
Last updated 5 August 2016 + show all updates
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Welsh Translation added to page
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First published.