Companies House doubles filing fee for incorporation

Sara White, Editor, Business & Accountancy Daily - Croner-i

The cost of incorporating a business on Companies House is set to double from next year as digital filing fee shoots up from 1 February.

Companies House plans to increase fees for incorporation to £100 from the current £50, and confirmation statements to £50 from £34, affecting both companies and limited liability partnerships (LLPs) filing digitally while the paper fee will also shoot up. The higher fees will come into effect from 1 February 2026, although the fee for a voluntary strike-off filing is being reduced.

The latest fee rises will increase costs for all entities registered, including private limited companies, LLPs, charitable companies and overseas entities. It is part of a broader initiative to clean up the company register and stamp out fraudulent companies.

The new fee list has been published and there are significant increases across many of the categories, including for digital and paper filing costs.

Fees were last hiked in May 2024 when the digital incorporation fee was increased from a negligible £12, but that was the first change in fees for nearly a decade. UK registration fees still remain low by international standards.

These are the key Companies House fee changes:

• incorporation digital filing fee will go up from £50 to £100 

• confirmation statement digital filing fee will go up from £34 to £50 

• voluntary strike off digital filing fee will be reduced from £33 to £13 

  
  

The increase in fees will help fund investment in upgrades to technology, as well as investigations and enforcement activity by the Insolvency Service.

Recent changes mean Companies House has been given new and enhanced powers to improve transparency and data on the company register, including ID verification for company directors, which will be mandatory for new directors from 18 November to confirm that people setting up or running a company are who they claim to be. 

Companies House fee rises - February 2026

Filing transaction	Format	From 1 February 2026	Current fee
Incorporation	Digital	£100	£50
	Paper	£124	£71
Incorporation - same day	Digital	£156	£78
Confirmation statement	Digital	£50	£34
	Paper	£110	£62
Voluntary strike-off	Digital	£13	£33
	Paper	£18	£44
ACSP registration fees	Digital	£63	£55
Registration of  UK establishment of overseas company	Paper	£124	£71

Source: Companies House- changes to fees

Announcing the fee rises, Companies House said: ‘We’re focusing on modernising and improving our services, and we’re boosting our enforcement approach with more people, more sophisticated tools, and more approaches to quickly identify and take action against fraudulent companies.

‘We’re also introducing compulsory identity verification from 18 November 2025 to confirm that people setting up or running a company are who they claim to be.’ 

Companies House has also been given a raft of new powers designed to improve the quality of data on the companies register and increase transparency.

‘Our new and enhanced powers under the Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency (ECCT) Act enable us to query and remove false and misleading information from our registers,’ Companies House said.

‘We’re building a more trustworthy environment for consumers and legitimate businesses and reducing the harm they face from those who do not meet their obligations.’

Businesses registered with Companies House benefit from limited liability, easier access to credit, more flexibility in raising capital, and enhanced credibility.