How to sign your company up for WebFiling
Companies House offers a WebFiling service, which allows certain forms to be filed online rather than by post. The advantages of using the online service include:
- fewer submissions being rejected because of missing information
- cost savings – online filing fees are lower than for paper filings
- protected online filing (PROOF) to help prevent fraudulent filings
- an option to sign up to email reminders for key filing deadlines.
The process for setting your company up for WebFiling is as follows.
1. Register an email and password with Companies House
First you need to register a password and email address with Companies House so that you can access the WebFiling service:
Register for WebFiling
If you have already registered with Companies House for WebFiling but have forgotten your password you can also reset this from this page by clicking on 'Sign in' and then Forgotten your password' and following the instructions.
2. Request a company authentication code
You then need to request a company authentication code for your company. To do this you need to sign in to WebFiling which will require the email address and password that you have already registered with Companies House.
Companies House – WebFiling sign in
Once you have signed in to WebFiling click on 'Request an authentication code' and follow the instructions on screen. The company authentication code will then be sent in the post to the company’s registered office. The code will take approximately 5 working days to arrive. We therefore recommend that you deal with this in advance of any filing deadlines.
If you already have a company authentication code for your company you will be able to skip the above step. If your company already has a company authentication code but it has been lost you can request a reminder of the code by going through the same process as above. This will also be sent by post to the registered office which will take approximately 5 working days to arrive.
What forms can be filed online?
A full list of the forms that can be filed online can be found from the WebFiling overview page by clicking on the 'All forms' tab in the top right hand corner. Forms include:
- Changes to the registered office or SAIL (Single Alternative Inspection Location)
- Confirmation statement (previously the annual return)
- Changes to directors/secretaries
- Allotment of shares
- Change of company name
- Charges
- Certain forms of accounts (audit exempt, micro-entities)
Please note that registering for WebFiling does not prevent you from filing any of these forms on paper at Companies House unless you have also opted in to the PROOF Scheme.
Protected Online Filing (PROOF) Scheme
This is a free service that Companies House provides, and the purpose of it is to help protect your company from fraudulent filings being made in relation to the directors or the registered office. Companies House deal with numerous corporate identity theft cases every month and by opting in to this scheme you can help protect your company. The scheme works by preventing the paper filing of certain forms including the following:
- changes to your registered office address
- changes to your officers (appointments, resignations or change of details)
- your confirmation statement.
Any of the other forms that can be filed through WebFiling can still be filed in paper form as well.
How to join the PROOF Scheme
To be able to join the PROOF Scheme you must already be registered for WebFiling at Companies House. Once you have signed in to WebFiling for your company, on the company overview screen there is a 'Join PROOF' link. You just need to click on this and follow the instructions to join. Companies House will then reject any of the forms mentioned above if they are received in paper form.
Have you opted in/how do you leave?
If you have signed in to WebFiling for your company and the PROOF link on the overview screen says 'Leave PROOF' you know that your company has already signed up to the Scheme. If at any time your company then wishes to leave the Scheme you just need to click on the link and follow the instructions.
Paper filing of forms in the PROOF Scheme
Where you have opted in to PROOF if for any reason you then need to file a paper version of any of the forms covered by the Scheme, you will also need to include a PR03 (consent form) when sending it to Companies House. You can obtain a PR03 form by calling Companies House on 0303 1234 5000. This should only be used in exceptional circumstances though, as companies who have opted in to PROOF but continually do paper filings with a PR03 form will be removed from the Scheme by Companies House.
How to sign up for email reminders
The other service that Companies House offers to those registered for WebFiling is an email reminder service. If you sign up to this service you will receive reminders by email when your accounts and confirmation statements are due for filing.
If you wish to join this service for your company, once you have signed in to WebFiling all you need to do is click on the 'Activate eReminders' link (on the company overview page) and follow the instructions. You can register up to four email addresses to receive the reminders.
If you would like to discuss this update please speak to Sarah Dann, Head of Company Secretarial Unit.