From 4 March 2024, every UK company must provide a registered email address to Companies House. Whether you are incorporating a new company or managing an existing one, this is a legal requirement you cannot ignore. This guide will walk you through what the registered email address is, how and when to provide it, how to update it, what counts as an appropriate email address, and practical compliance tips for directors and company secretaries.
Key Takeaways
All UK companies must provide a registered email address to Companies House. This applies to companies limited by shares, by guarantee, and other entities on the register, whether active or dormant.
The registered email address must be an appropriate email address where emails from Companies House can reasonably be expected to reach a person acting on behalf of the company. It is kept off the public register and is never shared with marketers or the general public.
New companies incorporated from 4 March 2024 must provide the email during the incorporation process. Existing companies must supply it with their first confirmation statement dated 5 March 2024 or later.
If a company fails to provide or maintain an appropriate registered email address without a reasonable excuse, both the company and its officers may face fines.
Companies can change their registered email address online at any time through their Companies House account. The update takes about 5 minutes and the inbox should be monitored regularly for statutory reminders and legal notices.
What is a Companies House registered email address?
A company's registered email address is the official electronic contact point held by Companies House. Think of it as the digital equivalent of your registered office address - it is a required point of contact, but unlike the office address, Companies House will not publish your registered email address on the public register.
Companies House uses this email to send statutory reminders about filing accounts and confirmation statements, to raise queries about information on the public record, and to communicate changes to UK company law or security measures. It is a core part of the modernisation and digital-first communication strategy that Companies House has been rolling out since 2024.
The requirement covers companies limited by shares, companies limited by guarantee, and other entities registered with Companies House across England and Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland. This obligation arises from the Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act 2023, which received royal assent on 26 October 2023.
Who must provide a registered email address and by when?
Both new and existing UK companies are caught by this new requirement. Your deadline depends on when the company was incorporated and when your next confirmation statement falls.
New incorporations from 4 March 2024: New companies must provide an email address from 4 March 2024 as part of the incorporation process, whether filing online or by post. The application will not be accepted without it.
Existing companies: Must provide an email address by their next confirmation statement after 5 March 2024. Specifically, you must include the registered email address on the first confirmation statement with a statement date of 5 March 2024 or later.
If your confirmation statement has a made-up date before 5 March 2024, you do not need to include it on that filing - but the next one must contain it.
Once an existing company has provided its registered email address, future confirmation statements simply ask you to confirm it is still correct, unless you have updated it separately.
This requirement applies UK-wide and regardless of company size. Even dormant companies must comply.
How to provide your registered email address to Companies House
The process differs slightly depending on whether you are incorporating a new company or already have one on the register. In both cases, the information must be submitted via official Companies House forms.
New company incorporation: If you are setting up a new company online after 4 March 2024, you will be prompted to enter a registered email address alongside director details and the registered office. Paper filers using form IN01 must complete the specific field for the registered email address before posting the form to the main Companies House office in Cardiff.
Existing companies: You can only provide a registered email address during a confirmation statement filing (form CS01) with a statement date of 5 March 2024 or later. The updated CS01 form includes a Part 5 section specifically for this purpose.
Third-party software users: If you file through an agent or company secretarial software, check that the software has been updated to capture and submit the new registered email address field correctly.
Changing your company’s registered email address
Companies should update their registered email address promptly if access changes, staff leave, or the address is compromised. Company directors must update their registered email address as a legal requirement - it is not optional.
Here is how the process works:
Sign in to or create a Companies House account at the official website.
Find the relevant company using the company number.
Select the option to update a registered email address.
Enter the new registered email address and submit.
It takes 5 minutes to update a registered email address. You must update your email address online through your Companies House account - you cannot do it by post or phone.
A few things to keep in mind:
This online service is only for updating an existing registered email address. If your company has never provided one, you must do so via the confirmation statement first.
Changes take effect when the registrar processes your request, not backdated to an earlier date.
Changes are not made via the confirmation statement form. Update the email separately, then confirm it is correct on your next CS01.
What counts as an “appropriate” email address?
The law requires an appropriate registered email address. In practice, this means an inbox where, in the ordinary course of events, emails from Companies House would be expected to reach someone acting for the company.
Acceptable options include:
Type | Example | Why it works |
|---|---|---|
Dedicated compliance inbox | compliance@yourcompany.co.uk | Monitored by responsible staff, survives individual staff changes |
Statutory inbox | companieshouse@yourcompany.co.uk | Clear purpose, easy to prioritise |
Professional adviser address | filings@accountantfirm.co.uk | Managed by professionals who understand deadlines |
Riskier options:
A director's personal Gmail or Hotmail address - if the person is frequently away, leaves the company, or does not check the inbox daily, this may fail the "appropriate" test.
The ideal address should be restricted to trusted staff (directors, company secretaries, or senior administrators), regularly monitored during business hours monday to friday, and protected with strong passwords and multi-factor authentication.
Although Companies House may not verify the email at the point of submission, providing a fake or unmonitored address can lead to missed legal notices and potential fines.
How Companies House uses your registered email address
The registered email address is a key part of the shift from paper letters to faster digital communication. Here is what you can expect to receive:
Reminders about filing accounts and confirmation statements
Alerts about approaching deadlines
Queries where filings conflict with existing data on the record
Updates on new legal duties such as identity verification requirements (mandatory for new director appointments from 18 November 2025)
Security information and guidance on avoiding fraud
Your registered email is not shown on the public register, not included in standard company searches, and not shared with commercial mailing lists. It is used solely for registrar communications.
To protect yourself from phishing, be aware that legitimate email addresses for Companies House should end in .gov.uk. Always verify that messages are genuine before clicking any links.
Build simple internal procedures so that Companies House emails are logged, forwarded to the right person, and not lost in crowded general inboxes or spam folders. Ensuring your spam filters whitelist official domains is a straightforward step that can prevent missed deadlines.
Compliance, penalties and director responsibilities
Providing and maintaining an appropriate registered email address is now a core Companies Act compliance duty, similar in importance to maintaining a registered office and filing accounts on time.
If a company fails to provide an appropriate registered email address without a reasonable excuse, it is an offence. Both the company and its officers face liability. Failure to provide an appropriate email address may incur a fine. Under the Financial Penalty Regulations 2024 (in force from 2 May 2024), penalties escalate with severity and repetition:
Offence level | First offence fine | Second offence fine |
|---|---|---|
Minor | £250 | Higher |
Serious | £500 | Higher |
Very serious | £750 | Higher |
Ignoring Companies House emails because the inbox is not monitored does not generally count as a reasonable excuse, especially if deadlines are missed as a result.
Directors must ensure systems are in place to keep the registered email address current. This includes checking access after staff departures, restructures, or changes in outsourced providers. Document who is responsible for monitoring the inbox, how often it is checked, and how urgent Companies House messages are escalated internally.
Practical tips for choosing and managing your company house email
Here is hands-on guidance for directors, company secretaries, accountants, and administrators setting up their company house email process.
Create a dedicated inbox. Use something like companieshouse@yourcompany.co.uk or statutory@yourcompany.co.uk rather than a generic info@ or sales@ address that receives large volumes of marketing email.
Restrict access. Limit access to a small number of senior staff who understand Companies House deadlines and can recognise official correspondence and potential fraud attempts.
Enable multi-factor authentication. Secure the inbox with strong password policies and two-factor authentication, especially where the same email may be used on behalf of multiple entities or for logging into government filing gateways.
Set up email filtering rules. Create automatic rules that flag or folder emails from official Companies House domains so they are easy to find and not accidentally delivered to junk.
Maintain an internal record. Keep a log of when the registered email was last reviewed, who is responsible, and when any changes were made. This creates an audit trail if compliance is ever subject to a challenge.
If you need to contact Companies House with questions, the official email contact for Companies House is enquiries@companieshouse.gov.uk. For Welsh language services, use UnedyGymraeg@companieshouse.gov.uk. You can also reach them by phone on 0303 1234 500.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is my company’s registered email address visible to the public?
No. The registered email address is stored on Companies House systems but is not displayed on the public register and is not available through standard company searches. Only authorised personnel at Companies House can access or use it. This confidentiality is intentional - it helps protect companies from spam, fraud attempts, and misuse of official contact details.
Can I use the same email address for multiple UK companies?
Yes. It is acceptable for a group of companies or an accountant to use a single central address (for example, filings@practice.co.uk) as the registered email for several entities. However, the inbox owner must have clear internal processes so that messages for each company, identified by company number, are quickly routed to the right person. If the shared address becomes overloaded or hard to monitor, consider moving high-risk entities to their own dedicated registered email addresses.
Can I change my registered email address backdated to an earlier date?
No. When you update the registered email address online, the change takes effect from the point Companies House processes it, not retrospectively. Any notices already sent to the old address are treated as properly delivered, even if the company no longer monitors that inbox. Update the email as soon as you anticipate a change in access - for example, before a key staff member leaves or an outsourced provider contract ends.
What should I do if I suspect a phishing email claiming to be from Companies House?
Check the sender's domain carefully. Legitimate emails should come from addresses ending in .gov.uk. Avoid clicking links or opening attachments if anything looks suspicious. Instead, open a browser, go directly to the official Companies House website by typing the URL, and log into your account to verify whether the action mentioned in the email actually appears there. Forward suspected phishing emails to the National Cyber Security Centre's reporting service and inform your internal IT or security service team immediately.
Does the registered email requirement apply to overseas companies registered in the UK?
This guide mainly addresses standard UK companies. However, many overseas entities with a UK establishment may also need to provide an official contact email as Companies House expands its digital communication requirements. If you are unsure whether this applies to your structure, review the latest Companies House guidance page or consult a UK corporate adviser. Where in doubt, providing a monitored, appropriate email address is generally good practice to ensure you receive any notices promptly.
Companies House general enquiries operate monday to friday from 8:30 am to 6:00 pm, and they aim to answer inquiries within a few working days. If you have longer or more complex questions, reaching out early gives you the best chance of a timely response.
