Filing a Confirmation Statement using Inform Direct is quick and easy. The wizard is straightforward and gives you the opportunity to review and change any information if you spot something is not quite right.
Note: While you can update officer details (such as appointments, resignations, or changes to personal information) as part of the Confirmation Statement (CS01) process if you notice an error or omission, these changes are ordinarily made using the dedicated processes for appointing, removing, or updating officers.
If you have recently submitted a change (e.g., to a PSC address) and it is not yet reflected, check for any pending submissions. You will need to wait for Companies House to process and accept the change before it will appear in the CS01 process or summary document.
You do not need to wait for or use the Confirmation Statement each time you need to make a change, simply use the relevant workflow or form in Inform Direct to update officer details as soon as required. The Confirmation Statement is primarily for confirming that all company information is up to date, not for making routine changes.
Go to the Dashboard tab and click on the green 'File Confirmation Statement' button.
Note: If the green complete button is not available then please see Why is the File Confirmation Statement Button Not Showing?
This will start the confirmation wizard for this company. The wizard consists of several simple steps.
The information to complete the steps will normally be known to Inform Direct. Therefore all you need to do is confirm and edit if necessary.
Step 1 - Date Confirmation Statement is made up to.
The Confirmation Date is the date at which Companies House get a snapshot of the company. All the information must be accurate as at this date. Inform Direct will calculate what the Confirmation Date should be. What is the Confirmation Date?
Inform Direct will pre-populate the Confirmation Date for you. You will not be able to edit this. Can I Change the Confirmation Date?
Note: It is perfectly permissible to submit a Confirmation Statement early or more often than once a year. Indeed, it is the hope of Companies House that you will. Why Might I File a Confirmation Statement Early?
If you are ready to submit a Confirmation Statement at the date shown at Step 1 click the green 'Confirm and continue' button to go to Step 2.
Step 2 - Company Details
Inform Direct will pre-populate most of the information required for Step 2 from information already on our system.
You can change the Registered Office address if it is incorrect. To accomplish this, you will need to click on the blue 'Edit company details' button.
Note: The Principal business activity is defined using SIC codes. Here 27200 - Manufacture of batteries and accumulators. If no code for a Principal business activity is shown you will need to add one. How Do I Add a SIC Code While Completing a Confirmation Statement?
Inform Direct does not yet support companies that trade on a market e.g. AIM so for now this answer will always default to No and is not capable of being edited.
If all the details for Step 2 are correct click on the green 'Confirm and continue' button to go to Step 3.
Step 3 - Single Alternative Inspection Location (SAIL)
If the company does not have a SAIL address then Inform Direct will not show the below screen and you will simply be able to click on the green 'Confirm and continue' button to go to Step 4. If the company has started to operate a SAIL address but not advised Companies House then you can rectify this by clicking on the blue 'Create new SAIL address' button on the right hand side and the details of both the SAIL address and records kept there will be advised to Companies House and included in your Confirmation Statement. You can skip to Step 4, Company Officers, below.
If the company has already advised Companies House that it has a SAIL address then Step 3 of the Confirmation Statement wizard will detail both the actual SAIL address being used and which records are held there. The above screenshot is an example of how the step might look for a company that does have a SAIL address.
If anything needs updating click on the blue 'Change SAIL address' or 'Update SAIL documents' buttons to make the necessary change before clicking on the green 'Confirm and continue' to go to Step 4.
Step 4 - Company Officers
If all the appointments are correctly shown you will simply be able to click the green 'Confirm and continue' button to go to Step 5, Persons with significant control (PSCs), below.
If the company has made an appointment of an officer (either a secretary or director) but not yet reported the appointment to Companies House (i.e. they are not showing on the above list) you can add them by clicking on the blue 'Appoint new officer' button. You will need to follow the steps and their appointment will be registered at Companies House and included in your Confirmation Statement. If the person is already a Secretary but they have subsequently become a Director too, or vice versa, then use the pencil icon opposite their name to make the additional appointment.
If the details for any of the officers are out of date then clicking on the pencil icon opposite their name will give you the opportunity to update the relevant information including, if required, that their appointment had been terminated.
Once any changes have been made you will be returned to Step 4 of the Confirmation Statement wizard. If the details of any other officer also need to be updated click on the pencil icon opposite their name too. If no further changes are required click the green 'Confirm and continue' button to go to Step 5.
Step 5 - Persons with significant control (PSCs)
If you have previously added the PSC details they will show at Step 5 as per the below. If the details are still correct click the green 'Confirm and continue' button to go to Step 6.
If you have not yet added the PSC details you will see an error message. You will not be able to proceed to Step 6 until you have added the PSC details. Why Have I Got an Error Message at Step 5 of Confirmation Statement Wizard?
If you have not yet added the PSC details you will see an error message. You will not be able to proceed to Step 6 until you have added the PSC details. Once you have added the details click the green 'Confirm and continue' button to go to step 6.
Step 6 - Share Classes
Inform Direct will list all the different share classes at Step 6. For each class you will see the number of shares in issue, the number of different shareholders and the total nominal value. The below screenshot shows just 1 share class, however if there were multiple then these would also be visible.
If you need to record changes to the company structure, you can use the Share Reorganisation feature for a range of actions, including adding, removing, splitting, consolidating, or cancelling shares.
If the existing Share Class name or rights are incorrect, you can edit these by clicking on the pencil icon.
If no changes are required, click the green 'Confirm and continue' button to go to Step 7.
Step 7 - Shareholders and Share Transfers
Inform Direct will list all the shareholders at Step 7. It will show who became a shareholder, who ceased to be a shareholder and who increased/decreased their holdings since Companies House was last updated with Shareholder details.
Note: The shareholder contact address is not required by Companies House. Inform Direct will show the shareholder contact address if it is known as it sometimes help distinguish between shareholders with the same name. What Shareholder Information is Sent to Companies House When Filing a Confirmation Statement?
The above screenshot example shows an example where there is just 1 current shareholder. If there were multiple they would be visible and if any transfers had occurred in the Confirmation period, then these would also be listed.
If the number of shares against any individuals name is incorrect you can use the pencil icon to process any transfers or allotments which are not showing. Also, if their personal details have changed e.g. after marriage then, again use the pencil icon to update their details.
If no changes are required click the green 'Confirm and continue' button to go to the Final Step.
Step 8 - Approval required
The approval stage is optional. It gives you the opportunity to put the Confirmation Statement on hold, should you need to double check some information or indeed, gain approval. If you wish to do so then please select 'Yes' and see from step 4 onwards here.
If instead, you are ready to simply file the Confirmation Statement - perhaps you already have approval or you simply do not need it, then you can select 'No'
Note: The approval stage is only available to subscribers of the software. If you are a PAYG (pay as you go) user then this step will not be available and you will be taken to the Final step shown below. See What Are the Benefits of Subscribing to Inform Direct?
Final Step - Submit to Companies House
If instead, you are ready to simply file the Confirmation Statement - perhaps you already have approval, or you simply do not need it, then you can select 'No'
If there have been share transactions dated within the confirmation period then an updated shareholder list will be submitted to Companies House on the confirmation statement.
In the events no share transactions have taken place then the previous shareholder list should still be correct, but at the last step of the process you will be given the option to include a shareholder list if preferred.
Once you are happy everything is correct, you can click the red 'Submit Confirmation' button.
Companies House may require a fee whenever a Confirmation Statement is submitted. Inform Direct will ascertain whether a fee needs to be paid and if so enable you to settle this. What Fees Do I Pay to File a Confirmation Statement?
As soon as Companies House accept an electronic submission Inform Direct will advise you of this by email and update all the various due dates on the dashboard of the company. What Confirmation is There That a Submission to Companies House Has Been Successful?
Common FAQ's
"Can I print or download a CS01 form from Inform Direct?"
Inform Direct does not provide a CS01 (confirmation statement) form, either populated or blank, for manual filing. All CS01 submissions through Inform Direct are made electronically. If you need to file a CS01 manually, you will need to download a blank CS01 form directly from the Companies House website and complete it yourself.
"Can I make changes dated after the expected made up to date? "
Once the CS01 made up to date has passed, changes to company records (such as director or PSC details) cannot be made until the confirmation statement is filed.