Change your company's registered email address at Companies House
Change the private email Companies House uses to contact the company.
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How it works: Change registered email address
Find your company
Search by name or number. We fill in the public details.
Answer the questions
Answer only what the register cannot tell us.
Pay by card
Approve the details and pay the total shown.
We submit to Companies House
We check it and send it to Companies House. Updates come by email.
About this filing
Change your company's registered email address at Companies House through its online update service.
There is no Companies House fee; the SimpleFilings service fee is £4.99. Every limited company must keep an appropriate registered email address so Companies House can contact it.
Read more
You give us the new address and confirm someone acting for the company will read it. We check your instructions and you approve the change before it is submitted.
If the company has never given Companies House a registered email address, this is not the right service: the first one must go on a confirmation statement.
Registered email address changes: the Companies House process
The registered email address is the private address Companies House uses to contact the company. It was introduced by the Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act 2023, and the requirement has applied since 4 March 2024.
GOV.UK says registered email changes use a different process from other company changes. Companies House handles them through its online 'Update a registered email address' service. To use it you need a Companies House account, the company number, the company authentication code and the new email address.
The new address only counts once Companies House has registered the notice. Until that happens, emails can still go to the old address, so keep an eye on it. Sending the update is not the same as having it registered.
What counts as an appropriate registered email address
The law says a company must keep an appropriate email address at all times. An address is appropriate if, in the ordinary course of events, emails sent to it by Companies House would be expected to come to the attention of a person acting on behalf of the company.
In practice, that means an inbox someone actually reads. A shared company inbox is fine if it is monitored. So is the address of an accountant or agent, as long as they have agreed to it and will pass messages on. An address nobody checks, or one that rejects or bins mail, is not appropriate.
When you notify a new address, the notice must include a statement that it is an appropriate email address. That is why we ask you to confirm that someone acting for the company will read it.
Checklist before you update the registered email address
- The company has already given Companies House a registered email address. Companies formed since 4 March 2024 gave one when they were set up; older companies usually gave one on a confirmation statement.
- You have the new email address, typed exactly. A single wrong character means Companies House emails will not arrive.
- Someone acting for the company will read emails sent there, including spam or junk folders.
- If the address belongs to an accountant or other agent, they have agreed to receive Companies House emails for the company.
- You have the 6 character company authentication code, and you are authorised to make the change.
- You still have access to the old address, or know it is being closed, so nothing is missed while the change is processed.
Registering an email address for the first time
If the company has never given Companies House a registered email address, it cannot use the change service. GOV.UK says you must provide one in your confirmation statement if you have not already done so.
For most companies that existed before March 2024, that means the address was added on the first confirmation statement filed after that date. If you are not sure whether one was given, check before you start. Our confirmation statement service covers a first registered email address. A confirmation statement has its own Companies House fee (£50 online, £110 on paper) for each 12 month period, which is separate from this service.
See also: file a confirmation statement with a first registered email address
Is the registered email address public?
No. Companies House says the registered email address is not published on the public register. It is used for Companies House to contact the company, for example about filings and reminders.
Because it stays private, you can use a personal or director's address if that is the inbox that is actually read. A role address, such as one for the company's admin, can help stop messages being lost when someone leaves.
What happens if the email address is out of date
There is no fixed number of days in which to report a new registered email address, unlike the 14 day rule for director changes. Instead, the duty is continuous: the address must be appropriate at all times. As soon as the old inbox stops being read, the company should change it.
Failing to keep an appropriate registered email address, without a reasonable excuse, is an offence. It is committed by the company and by every officer in default, and can lead to a fine. In Scotland and Northern Ireland a daily default fine can also apply while the failure continues. Missed emails can also mean missed reminders about accounts and confirmation statement deadlines, which have their own penalties.
Common registered email address mistakes
- Mixing up the registered email address with the email you use to sign in to WebFiling, GOV.UK One Login or your Companies House account. Changing your sign-in email does not change the company's registered email address, and the reverse is also true.
- Trying to use the change service when no registered email address has ever been given. The first one must go on a confirmation statement.
- Using an address that is about to close, such as a former employee's mailbox or an old domain.
- Using an agent's address without their agreement, or forgetting to change it when you move to a new accountant.
- Typing the address wrongly. Check it letter by letter before you approve the change.
File it yourself or use SimpleFilings
You can always file directly with Companies House. Here is how that compares with using SimpleFilings.
| Question | File it yourself | Use SimpleFilings |
|---|---|---|
| Cost | No fee | £4.99 (no Companies House fee) |
| Who fills in the form | You complete the Companies House form yourself. Official guidance | We do, from your answers, after checking the public register |
| Approval | You submit it yourself | You confirm you are authorised and approve the details before we submit |
What this request covers
We check your instructions and submit the filing once it is approved. The register changes only when Companies House accepts it.
Before you start
- The first registered email address must be supplied through a confirmation statement, rather than this change service.
- We check that the company type and status are eligible for the official update service. Overseas entities, dissolved companies and unverified or unsupported cases require another route.
Fees
£4.99 SimpleFilings service fee. Companies House does not charge a fee to update a registered email address. The service covers one change to an existing registered email address. It does not include filing a confirmation statement, setting up or hosting an email account, or changing the email you use to sign in to Companies House services.
No Companies House filing fee for this standard filing.
Total: £4.99. There is no Companies House fee for this standard filing.
Step by step
- Find your company. Find your company by name or number. We fill in its public details from the Companies House register, such as the registered office, officers and people with significant control.
- Answer the questions. Answer only the questions we cannot fill in from the register, add any documents asked for and give the email address for your receipt and filing updates. Confirm that you are authorised to arrange the request and that you have checked and approve the details.
- Pay by card. Approve the details and pay the total shown by secure card payment. We check your answers before preparing the filing. There is no Companies House fee for this standard filing.
- We submit to Companies House. We check your answers and any documents, then submit to Companies House. Updates go to your email, and you can follow progress through your private request link. A payment receipt is not confirmation that Companies House has accepted the filing.
Official sources
Guidance checked .
Change registered email address: common questions
How do I change my company's registered email address?
You notify Companies House through its online registered email address service, using the company number and the company authentication code. You can do this directly with Companies House, or use our service and approve the change before we submit it.
Is there a Companies House fee to change the registered email address?
No. Companies House does not charge to update a registered email address. If you use SimpleFilings, the only charge is the £4.99 SimpleFilings service fee.
Can I add a registered email address for the first time with this service?
No. Companies House says the change service cannot be used to give a registered email address for the first time. For an existing company, the first one goes on a confirmation statement. Once one is registered, later changes can be made through the change service.
Will the registered email address be shown on the public register?
No. Companies House uses it to contact the company and does not publish it on the public register.
Is the registered email address the same as my Companies House login email?
No. The registered email address belongs to the company. The email you sign in with belongs to your own account, such as WebFiling or GOV.UK One Login. They are changed in different places.
Can our accountant's email be the registered email address?
Yes, if emails sent there by Companies House would be expected to reach someone acting for the company. Get the accountant's agreement first, and change the address if you stop using them.