Frequently Asked Questions

When will the new fee for an Annual Return apply?

The new fee will apply to an annual return, delivered under the Companies Act 2006, received on or after 6th April 2011.

The old fee will apply to an annual return, delivered under the Companies Act 2006, received on or before 5th April 2011.

The old fee will apply to an annual return delivered under the Companies Act 1985 or the Companies (Northern Ireland) Order 1986.

NOTE: The new fee will apply to an annual return received on or before the 5th April 2011 but rejected by Companies House and subsequently returned to it by the presenter on or after 6th April 2011.

When will the new fee for Incorporation apply?

The new fee will apply to incorporation documentation received on or after 6th
April 2011.

The old fee will apply to incorporation documentation received on or before 5th April 2011.

NOTE: The new fee will apply to incorporation documentation received on or before the 5th April 2011 but rejected by Companies House and subsequently returned to it by the presenter on or after 6th April 2011.

When will the new fee for a section 1088 application apply?

The new fee will apply to a section 1088 application received on or after 6th April 2011.

The old fee will apply to a section 1088 application received on or before 5th April 2011.

NOTE: The new fee will apply for any s1088 document received on or before the 5th April 2011 but rejected by Companies House and subsequently returned to Companies House by the presenter, on or after 6th April 2011.

Are there any exceptions to the increase in fees for paper incorporation/registration?

Yes, the following entities will not pay an increase in standard paper incorporation/registration fees:

Registration of a Limited Partnership
Registration of an EEIG
Registration of an SE
Community Interest Companies
Overseas Companies
Unlimited Companies
Incorporation of a Welsh company or Welsh LLP in Welsh
Registration of companies not formed under companies legislation but authorised to register (section 1040 Companies Act 2006)

Why are the entities in the question above excepted but others are not e.g. incorporation of charitable companies?

Those entities do not have the option to be able to incorporate or register electronically at the moment. We have taken the approach to exclude them from the paper fee increase because these entities cannot choose a cheaper electronic option. It will only be for a relatively short period because full e-enablement is on the horizon.

Charitable companies can take advantage of cheaper electronic services and as such can choose not to use the paper filing process.

Why are some paper registration fees increasing?

Paper registration fees are increasing to ensure that the fixed costs associated with registering paper documents are recovered through the paper fees. Only 7% of customers now choose to incorporate or file their annual return on paper. This means that the costs involved in processing paper are being spread over fewer registrations, which means the fee needs to be increased to ensure the costs are borne by paper customers only.

Why is the new web incorporation fee different to the software incorporation fee?

The fee differs because the development and support costs of initiating the new web incorporation service must be borne by that service over the short to medium term.

Why have same day paper incorporation fees increased?

Paper same day incorporation fees have increased in step with the increase in the standard paper fees. Fees guidance allows government organisations to provide premium services and allows them to set the fee higher than the standard service in order to manage demand. However the costs must be recovered as a whole when the same day fees and standard fees are aggregated.

Why have the fees for certificates and certified copies increased?

The costs of providing certified copies and certificates have increased overall. This is a paper based labour intensive process and the fees have been increased to ensure costs are recovered.

Will I pay two same day fees if I require an additional copy certificate?

No, from 6 April 2011 if you require an additional copy of a certificate, which is ordered at the same time as the original same day certificate, you will be charged the lower additional copy certificate fee of £10. This means for a same day certificate and additional copy you will pay £70 and not £120.

We will also provide you upon request a faxed copy of the same day certificate free of charge.

Why has the fee increased to request Companies House to suppress my address information?

This fee has increased because our original assumptions about how many requests we would receive were inaccurate.

We have received very few requests since 1 October 2009 and as such the costs to maintain this statutory service are being borne by very low volumes of customers, resulting in a fairly large increase in the fee.