Companies House bans 23 directors over filing failures

Twenty-three people were disqualified from acting as company directors in the first six months of 2026 for “persistent or serious non-compliance” with their filing duties, according to figures published by Companies House on Thursday, with bans totalling 70 years.

The disqualifications, which ranged from six months to five years, followed criminal convictions for failing to file documents such as annual accounts and confirmation statements. Courts also fined the 23 directors a combined £17,810, including £15,600 for non-filing of accounts and £2,200 for non-filing of confirmation statements, Companies House said.

Separately, 360 directors of 332 companies were convicted of filing offences between January and March. Companies House said these included 355 convictions for accounts offences, with total fines of £129,970, and 157 convictions for confirmation statement offences, with fines of £53,300. The registrar was also awarded £31,075 in costs.

Companies House did not publish comparable figures for previous years, but disqualifications are understood to have run at about 12 a year in the past, and courts have been handing down longer bans as the offences are treated more seriously.

Martin Swain, director of intelligence and law enforcement engagement at Companies House, said: “Limited liability encourages enterprise, giving businesses the confidence to start, invest and grow.

“In return, they are expected to be transparent and accountable. We encourage and support companies to comply with their legal obligations to file accounts and confirmation statements. Prosecution ensures that where there has been a serious breach of the law, individuals are held to account.”

All companies must file annual accounts and a confirmation statement under the Companies Act 2006, and directors are personally responsible for ensuring the documents are delivered on time. Where accounts are filed late, Companies House imposes automatic statutory penalties on the company. Failure to file is also a criminal offence for which all of a company’s directors risk prosecution.

Companies House said enforcement decisions are taken in line with its published enforcement policy, and that prosecutions proceed only where there is sufficient evidence and where prosecution is in the public interest.

The figures come as the registrar implements reforms under the Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act, designed to improve the accuracy of the register after years of criticism that it was open to abuse. Mandatory identity verification for new directors and people with significant control took effect in November 2025, and was followed by a fall of around 30 per cent in weekly company registrations.

From April 2028, about two million small and micro companies, defined as businesses with up to 50 employees or revenues of up to £15 million, will be required to file profit and loss information at Companies House for the first time. Following a backlash over the plans from small firms and business groups, companies will be able to opt to have the information hidden from public view.

The government has said the profit and loss statements would be available for review by “law enforcement and HMRC” to tackle “fraud, economic crime and tax evasion”. HMRC’s latest tax gap estimates put unpaid tax at £59.2 billion for 2024-25, with small businesses accounting for the largest share.

Jamie Young

Jamie Young is Senior Reporter at Business Matters, covering SME finance, employment law and Westminster policy since 2016. He has reported on every Budget and Autumn Statement since 2018, helped make sense of the ‘covid era’ and the bounce-back loan scheme from launch through the fraud investigations, and broke the magazine’s coverage of the 2024 late-payment reforms. He joined Business Matters straight from completing his BA in Administration from Exeter University and is NCTJ-qualified. Reach him at jyoung@cbmeg.co.uk