Companies House has announced a raft of fee increases that will impact businesses from February 2026.
The changes announced will impact the costs of annual filing and incorporating a business on the Companies House register.
It’s important you understand the changes coming in and access support if you are unsure about what to do.
What does increasing annual filing fees mean for businesses?
From 1 February 2026, the annual filing fee will increase for both digital and physical submissions.
The current fee for digital filing is £34, but that will rise to £50, while physical filing fees for confirmation statements will also rise from £62 to £110.
It is important that businesses are prepared and have plans in place for submitting information and paying the necessary fees.
The increase means you will need to adjust your financial plan, budget and set aside additional funds to ensure you can file information on time.
Failing to submit information on time puts you and your company at risk of fines and sanctions.
The increase in fees also encourages businesses to explore using digital avenues to submit information. This is because the fee increase isn’t as sharp and is much more cost-effective.
While it may take time to adapt to submitting information digitally, it will save your company money moving forward and allow you to complete your legal and compliance obligations in a much faster way.
What will change for newly registered businesses?
For new businesses, the incorporation digital filing fee will increase from £50 to £100, while the confirmation statement digital filing fee will rise from £34 to £50.
The increase in fees will impact all entities, including private limited companies, LLPs, charitable companies and overseas entities.
The fees are also increasing for companies that file information physically. The current cost for incorporating a business on Companies House in a physical manner is £71, but this will sharply rise to £124.
Not all costs will be increasing in February, as the voluntary strike off digital filing fee will be dropping to £13 and £18 for paper filing.
Why are fees increasing?
The purpose of Companies House increasing the fees is to help with investment upgrades and elevate their services.
The rise in fees will allow Companies House to enhance its technology and support the Insolvency Service with investigations and enforcement activity, such as wind-up companies, disqualifying directors and prosecuting those involved in fraudulent activities.
With Companies House having increased powers moving forward to improve the quality of data on the company register under the Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act 2023, there could be further changes to come, not just fee changes.
The biggest change from Companies House officially takes effect in two weeks’ time, with ID verification checks becoming mandatory for business owners, directors and persons of significant control.
Any individual who is currently registered on Companies House has a 12-month window to complete a digital ID verification check, which closes on 18 November 2026.
However, for newly registered entities, it will be a mandatory requirement to complete an ID verification check from 18 November 2025 when the law officially takes effect.
The purpose of digital ID verifications is to improve the transparency and quality of the data available on the Companies House register.
Your checks will need to be done through the Gov.uk One Login gateway or an Authorised Corporate Service Provider (ACSP).
Accountants can help you gather all the information you need to complete the verification check, explain why these changes have been introduced and help you understand your compliance obligations.
How our team can help
With Companies House introducing a significant number of changes, it’s important you understand these changes and how they will affect both you and your company.
Our experienced team of finance experts can answer any questions you have about the changes and help you put measures in place to account for the increased costs.
For support with the latest Companies House changes, contact us today.
