Companies House Filing

TL;DR

Mandatory public filings every UK Ltd makes to Companies House, incorporation, share allotments, PSC register, accounts, and confirmation statement.

Companies House is the UK companies registrar. Every Ltd or PLC must file a series of public documents within strict deadlines: SH01 forms within one month of any share allotment, PSC (person-with-significant-control) register updates within 14 days, annual accounts within nine months of year-end, and a confirmation statement at least once every 12 months.

For founders, the practical impact is that share-cap changes from a fundraise become public the day they're filed (price isn't disclosed but ownership shift is), and missed filings can lead to a £150 to £1,500 late-filing penalty plus director disqualification in extreme cases. UK lawyers and accountants typically handle the filings as part of a £400 to £1,500/year compliance package.

Worked example

After a £400k SEIS round closing on 1 March, the company must file an SH01 by 1 April allotting the new shares, update the PSC register if anyone crosses 25% ownership, and reflect the new structure in the next confirmation statement, all on the public Companies House record.

Common pitfalls

• Filing the SH01 with the wrong nominal value or share class, has to be corrected via a costly RP04.
• Missing the 14-day PSC update window after a fundraise.
• Letting the company go to 'strike-off' status because the confirmation statement was missed.

When this shows up in a pitch deck

Not in the deck itself, but a clean Companies House record is the first thing UK due-diligence lawyers check pre-investment.

Related terms

• Confirmation Statement, Annual UK Companies House filing (CS01) confirming directors, registered address, share capital, and persons with significant control are still accurate.
• Articles of Association (UK), UK company's constitutional document at Companies House setting share rights, transfer restrictions, board powers, drag/tag and decision thresholds.
• Cap Table, A spreadsheet or system-of-record showing every shareholder, share class, option, warrant, and convertible instrument outstanding in a company.
• Due Diligence, The investigation an investor performs to verify the claims in the pitch and assess all material risks before signing a term sheet or wiring funds.
• Data Room, A secure shared folder with every document an investor needs for due diligence, financials, contracts, cap table, team info, and customer references.

Use this in your next pitch deck

Deckmetric scores your pitch across 10 VC frameworks and against 8 investor types. Upload your deck for an instant analysis, or check the startup valuation calculator to benchmark your raise.