The confirmation statement cost most directors need to know is straightforward: £50 for digital filing, £110 for paper. What is less obvious is what that fee actually covers, and how much extra a company might pay if it hires an agent or lawyer to handle the filing rather than doing it directly. This guide breaks both down.
The official Companies House fee
Filing a confirmation statement digitally through WebFiling costs £50. This fee is not charged per filing in the way many people assume. It covers every confirmation statement a company files within a single 12-month payment period, so if the company's details change mid-year and a further statement is filed to update the register, there is no additional £50 charge for that second filing within the same period.
Paper filing costs £110, more than double the digital fee, and takes considerably longer to process. For most companies there is no practical reason to file on paper given the cost and time difference, unless a specific circumstance rules out digital filing.
These are the fees confirmed from Companies House, effective 1 February 2026, and are the figures to budget against regardless of which route a company takes to file.
What the fee does and does not include
The £50 or £110 fee covers the act of filing itself. It does not include:
- Reviewing whether the registered office, directors, PSCs, SIC codes or statement of capital actually need updating before filing
- Making any separate filings needed to update those details (some changes require their own filing rather than being handled inside the confirmation statement)
- Reminding the company when the filing is due
- Maintaining the underlying statutory registers the confirmation statement is meant to reflect
This is the gap that company secretarial services fill, and it is where cost varies most between providers.
How agent and provider fees compare
Beyond the official £50 fee, the market for company secretarial support varies widely:
- DIY on WebFiling: no cost beyond the £50 official fee, but the company needs someone who knows the deadline, checks the register accurately and has the WebFiling login and authentication code.
- Accountants: many accountants will file a confirmation statement as part of a wider engagement, sometimes bundled into an annual fee, sometimes charged separately, often with limited proactive review of PSC or share capital accuracy since it sits outside their core accounting work.
- Formation and company secretarial agents: pricing ranges considerably, and confirmation statement filing is sometimes offered as a low-cost add-on that does not include broader compliance support, meaning directors still need to track registered office duties, register maintenance and reminders separately.
The pattern across most of the market is that the £50 official fee is only part of the real cost of staying compliant. The rest is time spent tracking deadlines and keeping records accurate, or a separate fee paid to someone else to do it.
Keystone's approach: the cost included, not itemised
Rather than charging a separate fee for the confirmation statement filing itself, our Registered Office + Company Secretarial Support service is £70 a month, fixed, and includes:
- The company's registered office at 167-169 Great Portland Street, London W1W 5PF, with official post received and forwarded
- Confirmation statements prepared and filed as part of the service
- Statutory registers maintained
- Reminders so nothing is missed
There are no ticket queues and no hidden extras added on top. A named UK qualified lawyer handles the work directly and replies within one UK working day if you have a question. For companies that only need the registered office without the compliance support, that is available separately at £50 a month. Full details of both options and our UK Company Incorporation service at £600 one-off are on our pricing page.
Weighing the real confirmation statement cost
When comparing options, it helps to think beyond the headline number. A director filing directly on WebFiling pays only the £50 official fee, but takes on the time cost of tracking the review period, checking the register for accuracy and remembering to act inside the 14-day window every year. An accountant folding the filing into a wider engagement may keep the visible cost low, but often will not proactively check whether the PSC register or statement of capital genuinely reflects the current ownership structure, since that sits outside typical accounting scope. A dedicated company secretarial service costs more per month than the bare £50 fee, but replaces all of that tracking and checking with a single fixed cost and a named point of contact.
For overseas and non-resident directors, this trade-off usually tips further towards a dedicated service, simply because the practical cost of missing a deadline from abroad, whether that is a criminal offence exposure for directors or the risk of strike-off, is far higher than the monthly fee that would have prevented it.
Common questions
Is the confirmation statement fee charged every time I file?
No. The £50 digital fee covers all statements filed within a 12-month payment period, so a mid-year update does not incur a second charge within that period.
Why would paper filing ever cost £110 if digital is cheaper?
Paper filing is simply priced higher and processed more slowly by Companies House. It is rarely the better option unless a specific circumstance requires it.
Do accountants usually include the confirmation statement fee in their charges?
It varies. Some bundle it into an annual fee, others charge separately, and coverage of registered office duties or PSC review is inconsistent across providers.
Is £70 a month expensive for a company secretarial service?
It is a fixed monthly fee covering the registered office, confirmation statement filing, register maintenance and reminders together, rather than a series of separate charges for each task.
Get a clear, fixed quote
If you want a straightforward, fixed-price way to keep your confirmation statement and company records compliant, contact us and a named UK qualified lawyer will reply within one UK working day.
This article is general information about UK filing requirements, not legal or tax advice. Requirements change - we will confirm what applies to your company before anything is filed.
