November 13, 2025
Sending letters or parcels from within the UK this year? Here’s your last chance to post to make sure they arrive in time for the festive season.
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This blog outlines the specific Companies House administrative filing responsibilities of company directors, and includes information about the Webfiling online system which is how directors currently submit their confirmation statement and annual accounts.
To find out more about the general role and responsibilities of a company director (including promoting the success of the company and avoiding conflicts of interest) see our dedicated blog Director responsibilities: What does it mean to be a director?
At UK Postbox, we provide guidance and services for directors of all businesses. Remember! We provide virtual addresses that are used for professional, secure registered office/director’s service addresses. Just choose your location and sign up. You can also manage your business mail on our platform.
Important news! Director identity verification became mandatory on 18th November 2025. Starting an exciting new company in 2026? You will need to verify your identity as part of the new company formation and appointments. See our dedicated blog for more information.
Company directors are responsible for filing key company documents with Companies House on time, such as the confirmation statement and annual accounts. They must also report any changes to the company's officers, registered office, or people with significant control (PSCs). Directors are legally responsible for ensuring these filings are accurate and submitted, even if they use a professional like an accountant to help manage the process.
You must file a Confirmation Statement every year to confirm that the company’s key information, such as shareholders, directors, and registered office address, is accurate and up to date. This ensures Companies House holds the correct information about the business.
Annual accounts must be prepared and submitted every year, even if the company has not traded and is dormant. These provide a financial summary of the company’s performance and position.
You must notify Companies House when certain changes occur within the company. These include changes to:
Companies must maintain accurate statutory records, including registers of directors, shareholders, PSCs, and minutes of board or shareholder meetings. These records must be kept up-to-date and stored securely.
Directors have a legal duty to promote the company’s success, act in the company’s best interests, avoid conflicts of interest, and apply reasonable care, skill, and diligence in decision-making.
The company is required to file a Company Tax Return and pay Corporation Tax on taxable profits. Registration with HMRC and timely submissions are essential to avoid penalties.
As of 18th November 2025, directors will need to verify their identity with Companies House to help improve transparency and prevent fraudulent filings. Failure to complete verification may cause administrative issues or filing restrictions.
If the company becomes insolvent, directors must act to minimise losses to creditors. This may include seeking professional advice and avoiding actions that worsen the financial position.
Even if the company hires an accountant, bookkeeper, or legal adviser, directors remain legally accountable for ensuring compliance with statutory obligations and maintaining accurate records.
Failure to meet filing deadlines or fulfil legal responsibilities can result in fines, prosecution, or disqualification from acting as a company director.
Although this article focuses on the filing responsibilities of limited company directors rather than the technology used to submit them, it’s helpful to understand how WebFiling fits into the process. WebFiling is the online submission portal provided by Companies House that enables companies to file statutory information electronically instead of completing paper forms.
Many of the documents that directors are legally required to file, such as the Confirmation Statement, Annual Accounts, and updates to director or shareholder information, can be submitted through the WebFiling system. Directors log in using a company authentication code, which acts as a secure digital signature to verify the legitimacy of the filing.
Using WebFiling is usually faster, more cost-effective, and less prone to administrative errors than submitting paperwork manually. It also provides instant acknowledgement that a filing has been received. While WebFiling is not the only method of submission (larger or more complex entities may require different formats or third-party software), it is the most commonly used system by small and medium-sized limited companies.
Even if you delegate filing tasks to an accountant or company secretary, directors remain legally responsible for ensuring all information submitted through WebFiling is accurate and filed on time.
Upcoming changes to Webfiling
1. The joint online filing service which allowed companies to file both annual accounts and company tax returns in a single submission is closing on 31 March 2026.
After 1 April 2026, companies will need to file their accounts with Companies House and their tax returns with HMRC separately.
2. For filings to Companies House specifically (via the WebFiling or other channels), there is a future requirement that from 1 April 2027, all accounts must be filed using commercial software only, and the routine web-and-paper filing routes will be closed for accounts filings.
Alongside your preparations for 2026, why not set up your virtual office address with UK Postbox? Stay compliant, stay professional, and stay ahead.
Sending letters or parcels from within the UK this year? Here’s your last chance to post to make sure they arrive in time for the festive season.
As covered in our Companies House Reforms blog, director identity verification is to become mandatory on 18th November 2025. What does this mean for you?
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