Documents for Business

In excess of 1,000 customisable documents covering every conceivable business issue.

Introduction to this document

Companies House filing

There are several occasions that call for documents to be filed at Companies House. Use our checklist to make sure your documents are accepted.

Delivery methods

It is now possible to file most of the common documents at Companies House online. This offers companies a quick and easy filing method.

If you file hard copy documents, they have to meet some presentation requirements, as they will be scanned into the system. Companies House prefers that customers dont file documents by post unless absolutely necessary, as they take longer to process and are more likely to be rejected.

Electronic filing is quicker, cheaper for those documents that carry a filing fee, and receipt is acknowledged straight away. The vast majority of documents can be filed electronically now that Companies House has introduced an upload service, enabling most documents that previously had to be filed in hard copy to be submitted online.

Get it right

Errors in filling out the form are likely to mean that it will be rejected by Companies House, and the filing deadline will not be extended for you to make corrections. Likewise, delays in delivery will not excuse missing a filing deadline, so make sure you send it off in plenty of time.

Protect your company

Companies can fall prey to “company hijacking”, when a third party illegally changes some of the company’s details, like its registered office and directors, and uses the company’s name to trade or gain credit. Keeping on top of your filing and regularly checking your entries on the register can help spot any such activity. Companies House has a free automatic alert service (“Follow”) that notifies you whenever something is filed in relation to your company.

In addition, Companies House offers an anti-hijacking service known as PROOF under which certain documents can only be filed electronically (which requires a unique authentication code).