Companies House will change several statutory filing fees from 1 February 2026. The digital incorporation fee will be £100, the digital confirmation statement will be £50, and the digital voluntary strike‑off will be £13. The update was published on 30 October and revised on 5 November 2025.
According to Companies House, the revisions follow annual reviews to ensure charges reflect the cost of delivering services. Fee income supports incorporation activity and open access to company data, and-under the Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act 2023-the registrar now has stronger powers to question and remove false or misleading information from the register. Fees also contribute to The Insolvency Service’s company investigation and enforcement work, including winding‑up action, director disqualification and prosecutions.
A full tariff taking effect on 1 February 2026 has been published. Examples include: software and digital incorporation at £100 and paper incorporation at £124; the paper confirmation statement at £110, with digital or software at £50; registration of a charge at £14; and for overseas entities, digital registration at £250, the annual update at £134 and removal applications at £301. The Authorised Corporate Service Provider registration fee is £63.
Mandatory identity verification begins on Tuesday 18 November 2025. New directors must verify before incorporation or appointment. Existing directors will confirm verification alongside their next confirmation statement within a 12‑month transition. People with significant control will verify within appointed windows during the same period. Companies House estimates that 6 to 7 million individuals will complete verification by mid‑November 2026.
Verification can be completed free of charge via GOV.UK One Login or through an Authorised Corporate Service Provider. Once verified, individuals receive a personal code to use across roles and filings. Companies House has indicated it will take a proportionate approach to enforcement during roll‑out, although acting as a director without verification will become an offence once the relevant duties commence.
For company secretaries and compliance teams, the planning window is immediate. Map confirmation statement dates against the 18 November 2025 start, brief directors and PSCs to verify early, and update budgets and engagement letters to reflect filings made on or after 1 February 2026. Organisations using agents should confirm ACSP registration and the scope for handling identity verification.
Businesses dealing with overseas structures should note that Register of Overseas Entities filings are digital in most cases, with paper routes restricted to protected circumstances. The revised fees include digital registration at £250 and the update at £134; paper transactions attract higher charges and are limited to specific cases.
Companies House presents the fee changes as part of a broader shift from a passive register to a more active gatekeeper under the ECCT Act-prioritising data quality, transparency and disruption of economic crime. Its 2025 to 2030 strategy sets out plans to modernise services and strengthen enforcement in collaboration with partner agencies.
Policy Wire analysis: The revised tariff concentrates recurring costs where most companies engage with the registrar-the £50 annual confirmation statement-while maintaining a clear differential between digital and paper to encourage electronic filing. Higher‑risk or more resource‑intensive transactions, such as overseas entity work and same‑day services, carry higher prices, aligning charges with assurance effort and signalling where governance planning should focus.
Key dates for planning are 18 November 2025 for the start of compulsory identity verification and 1 February 2026 for the new fee schedule. Directors and PSCs have a transition through to mid‑November 2026, typically tied to the company’s confirmation statement cycle. Finance and governance plans for 2026 should reflect both dates.