WebFiling does more than most people realise.
Companies House updated the system significantly in October 2025, and while most businesses made the switch without much friction, the questions that keep coming up are not about access — they are about scope. What exactly can you file through WebFiling? What falls outside it? And what changed?
These are reasonable things to be uncertain about. The system quietly handles a wide range of submissions beyond the obvious annual accounts and confirmation statements, but it also has firm limits that tend to surface at inconvenient moments if you do not know about them in advance.
This guide covers what WebFiling is, who it is for, what you can and cannot file, how authentication and sign-in work, what to expect after submission, and what it costs.
Companies House WebFiling At a Glance
- WebFiling requires a GOV.UK One Login since October 2025. Shared accounts no longer work, and each filer needs their own login
- Covers routine filings including confirmation statements, annual accounts (except audited), officer changes, PSC updates, charges, and strike-off applications
- Audited accounts, bulk filings, and complex confirmation statements must go through commercial software
- Authentication codes are company-specific, posted to the registered office, and take up to five working days to arrive
- Most filings are free. Confirmation statements cost £50/year, and name changes cost £20 to £85
What WebFiling Is & Who It Is For
Companies House WebFiling is the government’s online portal for submitting statutory filings, available around the clock, every day of the week.
Once you submit, Companies House sends an email confirming receipt within three hours, and a second email confirming acceptance or rejection within two working days. The system has built-in validation that catches common errors before submission, which is part of why online filings have a meaningfully lower rejection rate than paper.
WebFiling is available to limited companies and limited liability partnerships (LLPs), with eligibility based on company number format. All-digit company numbers are covered, as are those with the prefixes NI, RO, and SC for limited companies, and OC, SO, and NC for LLPs.
The GOV.UK One Login Change
Since 13 October 2025, signing in to WebFiling requires a GOV.UK One Login. The previous standalone sign-in no longer works, and existing WebFiling accounts must be connected to a GOV.UK One Login to access the system. That connection is permanent. As a practical benefit, One Login gives you access to multiple government services under a single set of credentials, with two-factor authentication built in.
One exception applies: charge (mortgage) documents can still be filed without connecting to GOV.UK One Login. Everything else requires it.
The area that most often catches firms and accountants off guard is shared accounts. Only one person can connect a WebFiling account to their GOV.UK One Login. If multiple people previously shared access to the same account, that arrangement no longer works. Each person who needs to file must have their own GOV.UK One Login with a separate email address, and must be individually authorised for each company they file for.
What You Can File Through WebFiling
WebFiling covers the majority of routine filings for both limited companies and LLPs across every stage of a company’s life. That said, it does not cover everything. Full audited accounts and certain specialist account types must go through commercial software, and a handful of filings still require paper.
Here is what the portal actually handles.
These are the most commonly used filing types, but the portal covers additional transactions not listed here. You can access the full list on the Companies House website: Companies House WebFiling Help and Support
What WebFiling Cannot Do
WebFiling handles most routine filings well, but it has real limits. The most significant ones sit around accounts and confirmation statements. If your company requires an audit, files as a charitable company, or has a complex shareholding structure, you will likely hit a boundary at some point. The same applies if you need to correct something already filed or change a company name through any route other than a special resolution.
The limits are not always obvious until you are mid-process, so it is worth knowing them in advance.
If you are unsure whether your filing falls outside WebFiling’s scope, checking before you start is considerably easier than correcting a submission after the fact.
Authentication Codes, Sign-In & Account Setup
Before you can file for a company, you need two things: a WebFiling account and an authentication code for each company you file for. These are separate, and understanding how they work together saves a lot of unnecessary back-and-forth.
Authentication Codes
The authentication code is the digital equivalent of an officer’s signature. It is a six-character code linked to the company number, not to your WebFiling account. One Login can cover multiple companies, each with its own separate code. New codes are posted to the registered office address and take up to five working days to arrive.
One thing that causes unnecessary delays: if the registered office address held by Companies House is incorrect, the code will not arrive. You will need to correct the address via a paper AD01 form first, then request the code again. If the company is enrolled in the PROOF scheme, paper address changes are not permitted, and you will need to contact Companies House directly.
Once a code has been entered successfully, you can store the company details so you do not need to re-enter them for future filings. You can also use it to digitally authorise other people to file for that company.
Account Setup & Sign-In
Registering is straightforward. Select ‘Create a new account’ on the sign-in screen, verify your email address, and set a password between 8 and 64 characters. One password per email address covers all companies you file for under that Login.
Your email address carries more weight than it used to, since GOV.UK One Login ties directly to it. If your WebFiling email address is outdated, updating it before your next Login avoids friction when reconnecting your account.
PROOF Scheme
If you have not already enrolled, it is worth doing. Protected Online Filing means Companies House will automatically reject any paper versions of covered forms, including registered office changes, officer appointments, resignations, and changes of particulars. For companies with any exposure to fraudulent filing risk, it is one of the more straightforward protective measures available and takes only a few clicks to join through the company overview screen.
After You File — What to Expect
Once a submission goes through, Companies House sends a receipt email within three hours. That email confirms the data was received, not that the filing has been accepted. Acceptance or rejection arrives separately, typically within two working days. If your filing is rejected, the email will include the reason, and you can correct and resubmit. PDFs of each submission are accessible from ‘My Recent Filings’ for the last ten days.
A filing appearing in ‘My Recent Filings’ simply means it was submitted. Acceptance is confirmed by the second email, not by the filing appearing in that list.
The eReminders service is free and available through WebFiling. You can register up to four email addresses per company, and the same reminder goes to all of them simultaneously. Accounts reminders arrive approximately 42 days before the filing due date. The confirmation statement reminder arrives on the due date itself.
What Filing Through WebFiling Costs
The majority of WebFiling transactions carry no fee. Officer appointments, address changes, PSC filings, charge satisfactions, and most routine filings cost nothing to submit. The transactions that do carry a fee are limited to a handful.
Payment is accepted by Visa, Mastercard, Maestro, American Express, PayPal, or a pre-arranged Companies House online filing credit account. For name changes paid by card, any rejection triggers an automatic refund within 24 hours, though it may take up to four days to appear on your statement.
Conclusion
The October 2025 changes made WebFiling more structured than before.
GOV.UK One Login is now a permanent requirement, shared accounts no longer work as they did, and anyone who hasn’t reconnected under the new system should do so before their next filing deadline.
Beyond the access changes, the system handles considerably more than most people give it credit for. Routine filings, officer changes, PSC updates, charges, and confirmation statements all sit within WebFiling’s scope.
If there is one practical takeaway, it is to spend a few minutes on the things that are easy to overlook: setting up eReminders, enrolling in PROOF if you have not already, and making sure every person who needs to file has their own GOV.UK One Login.
Next Step: Verify Your Identity with Companies House
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
WebFiling is available to limited companies and LLPs with all-digit company numbers or prefixes including NI, RO, SC, OC, SO, and NC. Dissolved, converted, or closed companies cannot use the service.
WebFiling is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Occasional downtime for scheduled maintenance is announced in advance on the Companies House website.
To sign up, you must now create a GOV.UK One Login account using your email address and a password. This provides a single, more secure identity for accessing multiple government departments and includes mandatory identity verification for certain roles.
You can use the service for dormant, micro-entity, abridged, small full, and package accounts. However, WebFiling cannot be used for fully audited accounts or for any annual accounts belonging to a Community Interest Company.
It is an 11-character code issued after successful identity verification with Companies House. It is required when appointing a new director, but is not needed for secretary appointments and does not appear on the public register.
PROOF (Protected Online Filing) protects your company by causing Companies House to automatically reject paper versions of key forms, including officer appointments, registered office changes, and resignations. It is free to join through the company overview screen in WebFiling.
You can register up to four email addresses per company for eReminders. Each address must be activated by the recipient before reminders are sent. All registered addresses receive the same reminder simultaneously.
You will typically receive an automated email acknowledging your submission within a few minutes. A follow-up email confirming if your filing was accepted or rejected usually arrives within two working days, though the verification process can occasionally take up to three working days.
Yes. Charge documents are the one exception to the GOV.UK One Login requirement. All other WebFiling transactions require a connected GOV.UK One Login to access the service.
