Companies House will be increasing its filing fees for the first time since 2016 as a part of its broader initiative to bring integrity to the UK registry under the Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act. The rise in price for incorporation and registration of companies in the UK will be levied from 1st May 2024.
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The cost of incorporation of a new company digitally will increase to £50, which is £12, and the confirmation statement fee will rise to £34 from £13, and the cost of changing the name will be £10 to £30. The registrar of companies works on a cost recovery basis, so the price rise in filing fees is to cover their costs of dealing with the ECCT Act and not to make profits.
These changes are applied to businesses to facilitate the expansion of Digital Services offered by Companies House, increase the accuracy of data on the register, and protect against economic fraud. Every business needs to understand the key changes and manage costs to comply with the regulations.
Table of contents
- New companies House fees from May 2024
- Which business structures will be affected by the changes?
- Tabular representation of the changes in Companies House fees
- Final thoughts!
New Companies House fees from May 2024
Changes to the cost of company formation
- The cost of incorporation of a new company will rise to £50 from its current rate of £12 (digitally)
- Same-day incorporation of a new company will cost you £78 (filing using software)
- Every company needs to submit their confirmation statement once annually, and the annual fee is about to rise from £13 to £34, which is nearly a 300% rise in price compared to previous years
- The most costly task will be administrative restoration, where you restore a dissolved company with Companies House charging you nearly £468, an increase of 368% of the current price of £100
Changes to filing fees
- To change the name of your company, the filing fee will be £30 for paper filing and £20 for digital filing from 2024, which is nearly a rise of 150% from previous years
- The voluntary strike-off fees will rise from £8 to £44 (paper) and £10 to £33 (digital)
- Registration of a charge will cost you £15 (digital), which remains the same as the previous years, but for paper registration, you will pay £24 from £23.
Which business structures will be affected by the changes?
Besides limited companies, multiple other business structures will be affected by the rise in the cost of incorporation and fees related to making certain changes in business. These are:
- Limited liability partnerships
- Limited partnerships
- Overseas companies
- Overseas entities
- Scottish qualified partnership
- UK Economic Interest Groupings and UK Societas
Tabular representation of the changes in Companies House fees
Company incorporation and registration fees
| Transaction | Channel | Old fee | New fee | % increase |
| Incorporation | Digital | £12 | £50 | 317% |
| Incorporation (same day) | Software | £30 | £78 | 160% |
| Incorporation | Software | £10 | £50 | 400% |
| Incorporation | Paper | £40 | £71 | 78% |
| Registration under s1040 (Part 33 Chapter 1) CA06 | Paper | £20 | £71 | 255% |
| Re-registration of a company under Part 7 CA06 | Paper | £20 | £71 | 255% |
| Re-registration of a company under section 651CA06 | Paper | £20 | £71 | 255% |
| Re-registration of a company under section 665 CA06 | Paper | £20 | £71 | 255% |
| Confirmation statement | Digital | £13 | £34 | 162% |
| Confirmation statement | Software | £13 | £34 | 162% |
| Confirmation statement | Paper | £40 | £62 | 55% |
| Change of name | Paper | £10 | £30 | 200% |
| Change of name (same day) | Digital | £30 | £83 | 177% |
| Change of name | Digital | £8 | £20 | 150% |
| Registration of a charge | Paper | £23 | £24 | 4% |
| Registration of a charge | Digital | £15 | £15 | 0% |
| Voluntary strike off | Paper | £10 | £44 | 340% |
| Voluntary strike off | Digital | £8 | £33 | 313% |
| Reduction of share capital of a company under s644 CA06 (same day) | Digital | – | £136 | New cost |
| Reduction of share capital of a company under s644 CA06 | Paper | – | £33 | New cost |
| Reduction of share capital of a company under s644 CA06 | Digital | – | £33 | New cost |
| Reduction of share capital of a company under s649 CA06 (same day) | Digital | – | £136 | New cost |
| Reduction of share capital of a company under s649 CA06 | Paper | – | £33 | New cost |
| Reduction of share capital of a company under s649 CA06 | Digital | – | £33 | New cost |
| Administrative restoration | Paper | £100 | £468 | 368% |
| Application to make an address unavailable for public inspection | Paper | £32 | £30 | -6% |
Limited Liability Partnership (LLP) incorporation and registration fees
| Transaction | Channel | Old fee | New fee | % increase |
| Registration of LLP (same day) | Digital | £30 | £78 | 160% |
| Registration of LLP | Digital | £10 | £50 | 400% |
| Registration of LLP | Paper | £40 | £71 | 78% |
| LLP confirmation statement | Paper | £40 | £62 | 55% |
| LLP confirmation statement | Digital | £13 | £34 | 162% |
| LLP change of name | Paper | £10 | £30 | 200% |
| LLP change of name (same day) | Digital | £30 | £83 | 177% |
| LLP change of name | Digital | £8 | £20 | 150% |
| Registration of a charge by an LLP | Paper | £23 | £24 | 4% |
| Registration of a charge by an LLP | Digital | £15 | £15 | 0% |
| LLP voluntary strike off | Paper | £10 | £44 | 340% |
| LLP voluntary strike off | Digital | £8 | £33 | 313% |
| Administrative restoration of an LLP | Paper | £100 | £468 | 368% |
| Application to make an address unavailable for public inspection | Paper | £32 | £30 | -6% |
Overseas companies
| Transaction | Channel | Old fee | New fee | % increase |
| Registration of a UK establishment of an overseas company | Paper | £20 | £71 | 255% |
| Change of corporate name or alternative name of an overseas company | Paper | £10 | £30 | 200% |
| Registration of annual accounts | Paper | £20 | £62 | 210% |
Limited partnerships
| Transaction | Channel | Old fee | New fee | % increase |
| Registration of a limited partnership | Paper | £20 | £71 | 255% |
Scottish qualifying partnerships
| Transaction | Channel | Old fee | New fee | % increase |
| Registration of a Scottish qualifying partnership | Paper | £20 | £71 | 255% |
| “Annual fee” for Scottish limited partnership (registration of all relevant documents delivered during a relevant period payable on the registration of a confirmation statement) | Paper | £17 | £62 | 265% |
| “Annual fee” for Scottish limited partnership | Digital | – | £62 | New cost |
UK Economic Interest Groupings and UK Societas
| Transaction | Channel | Old fee | New fee | % increase |
| Registration of an EEIG establishment | Paper | £20 | £71 | 255% |
| Registration of change of name of a UKEIG | Paper | £10 | £30 | 200% |
| Registration of a charge for a UKEIG | Paper | £23 | £24 | 4% |
| Registration of public company by conversion of a UK Societas | Paper | £20 | £71 | 255% |
Overseas entities
| Transaction | Channel | Old fee | New fee | % increase |
| Registration of an overseas entity | Digital | £100 | £234 | 134% |
| Update fee | Digital | £120 | £234 | 95% |
| Application for removal | Digital | £400 | £706 | 77% |
Community interest companies
| Transaction | Channel | Old fee | New fee | % increase |
| Incorporation | Digital | £12 | £65 | 442% |
| Incorporation | Paper | £20 | £86 | 330% |
| Limited company to a community interest company (conversion) | Paper | – | £45 | New cost |
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Final thoughts!
Businesses in the UK must be aware of all these changes in the Companies House fees to ensure they stay compliant with regulations. As the charges at every business level will be affected, there is a higher chance of rising service costs to cover the increased charges and not profits.
Before incorporating a new business, changing your company name, or submitting your first annual confirmation statement to Companies House, discuss with a professional and understand your true obligations. This will protect you from costly penalties and ensure a good reputation in the market.