File a director’s resignation or removal (TM01)
Record the actual end of one director's appointment.
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How it works: Remove a director (TM01)
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
To remove a director, file form TM01 with Companies House within 14 days of the appointment ending.
There is no Companies House fee; the SimpleFilings service fee is £4.99. This service reports an appointment that has already lawfully ended, for example through resignation or removal by shareholders.
Read more
Our service checks your instructions and files the TM01 once you approve it.
How to remove a director at Companies House
Ending a directorship happens inside the company first. Companies House only records it. The director has resigned, been removed by the shareholders, or stopped being a director for another reason set out in the articles or the law, such as disqualification or death. The company then reports the end date on form TM01, "Termination of appointment of director".
TM01 can be filed online or on the paper form. Paper forms take longer to process, and a company in the PROOF (Protected Online Filing) scheme cannot use the paper form. Only one director can be removed per form, so two departures need two filings.
Filing the form does not itself remove anyone. If the appointment has not lawfully ended, reporting it does not make it so.
Before you start: TM01 checklist
- The director's name exactly as it appears on the public register.
- The date the appointment ended. This is the actual effective termination date, which may differ from when a notice or resolution was written.
- The company authentication code. Companies House uses it to confirm the filing is authorised.
- Evidence the appointment has ended, such as a dated resignation letter or the minutes and resolution from the general meeting. Keep these with the company records.
- Confirmation that at least one individual director will remain, a public company will retain at least two directors in total, and any higher minimum in the articles is satisfied. A shortfall needs compliance review.
- A note of any other roles the person holds, such as shareholder, person with significant control (PSC) or company secretary. Those need separate action.
If the director has resigned
A director usually resigns by giving the company written notice, and the company then reports the end of the appointment to Companies House on form TM01 within 14 days.
Since 18 November 2025 companies no longer keep their own register of directors, so the Companies House register is the record. Our guide covers resignation letters, notice periods and what happens to shares.
See also: how to resign as a company director
Removing a director who does not want to go
Shareholders can remove a director before their term ends by ordinary resolution at a general meeting, under section 168 of the Companies Act 2006. An ordinary resolution passes with a simple majority.
This route needs special notice. The member proposing the resolution must give the company notice at least 28 days before the meeting. A written resolution cannot be used for this. Section 288 of the Companies Act 2006 says this resolution must be passed at a meeting.
The director must be sent a copy of the notice. They have the right to speak at the meeting and can ask for written representations to be sent to members or read out. Removal does not cancel any right they have to compensation under a separate contract.
Your articles or a shareholders' agreement may give other ways to remove a director. Disputed removals can have legal consequences. Take legal advice before acting. Our service files the TM01 once the removal has happened; it does not run the meeting or give legal advice.
The 14-day deadline and the minimum director rule
The company must tell Companies House within 14 days of a person ceasing to be a director. If the company fails to do this without a reasonable excuse, the company and every officer in default commit an offence and can be fined. Late updates also leave the public register wrong, which can confuse banks, suppliers and lenders.
Every company must have at least one director who is a natural person, meaning an individual rather than another company. A private company needs at least one director in total. A public company must keep at least two directors in total. Our ordinary online route checks the remaining board and asks you to confirm any higher minimum in the articles. If an actual departure leaves a shortfall, choose compliance review: the company must still report the actual departure on time while addressing the shortfall.
What TM01 does not change
TM01 only ends the director appointment. If the person was also a person with significant control, report when their control ended separately on form PSC07. If they are leaving the company's shares too, a share transfer needs its own paperwork, an update to the register of members and, where relevant, Stamp Duty paid to HMRC.
A company secretary is removed using form TM02, not TM01. The departing director's name and past appointment stay visible on the public register as a resigned officer. That is normal and cannot be deleted by filing TM01.
If you resigned but the company will not file
The duty to report the change sits with the company, not the person leaving. If you have resigned and the register still shows you as a director, write to the company and the remaining directors. Ask them to file TM01 and give them a copy of your dated resignation letter.
Keep proof of when you sent your resignation and when it took effect. Check the register regularly. If the company still does not act, contact Companies House to ask what it can do in your case, and consider legal advice. We can only file for the company with its authentication code and authority.
What happens after you start your TM01
Find your company and choose the director who is leaving. Enter the actual date the appointment ended and confirm that the appointment has lawfully ended and that you are authorised to report it. We check your instructions against the register, ask about anything missing and then ask you to approve the filing.
The register only changes when Companies House accepts the filing. Keep a copy of what was filed and check the company's officer list afterwards.
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
- A private company needs at least one director, a public company at least two, and both need at least one individual director. Check any higher articles minimum. A shortfall needs compliance review, while the actual departure must still be notified within the applicable deadline.
- Reporting the end does not itself remove someone without the proper legal process. This service covers one ordinary online termination, including a corporate director. Company authentication and authorised filer review are required before payment.
- Paper and specialist routes need separate review. A paper TM01 needs the authenticator’s printed name in a permitted capacity, without a handwritten signature; permitted capacities include director, secretary, person authorised under sections 270/274, liquidator, administrator, administrative receiver, receiver, receiver manager, Charity Commission receiver and manager, CIC manager and judicial factor. PROOF companies must file online. Birth month/year, title and presenter contacts are optional on TM01; no full birth date or personal code is required.
Fees
£4.99 SimpleFilings service fee. Companies House does not charge a fee to report that a director's appointment has ended. You can also file TM01 yourself, free, through the official Companies House service.
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 .
- Terminate an appointment of a director (TM01)
- TM01 form (version 7.0, 11/25)
- Tell Companies House about changes to your limited company
- Company information you must report (14-day deadline)
- Directors' responsibilities
- Companies Act 2006, section 154: companies required to have directors
- Companies Act 2006, section 155: at least one natural person director
- Companies Act 2006, section 167G: duty to notify a change in directors
- Companies Act 2006, section 167L: offence of failing to notify changes
- Changes to company registers (from 18 November 2025)
- Companies Act 2006, section 168: resolution to remove a director
- Companies Act 2006, section 169: director's right to protest against removal
- Companies Act 2006, section 288: resolutions that cannot be written resolutions
- Companies Act 2006, section 312: special notice
- People with significant control (PSCs)
- Your personal information on the Companies House register
Remove a director (TM01): common questions
Is there a Companies House fee to remove a director?
No. Companies House does not charge to file TM01. SimpleFilings charges a £4.99 service fee if you use our service. You can file it yourself free through the official Companies House service.
How long do I have to tell Companies House a director has resigned?
The company must notify Companies House within 14 days of the person ceasing to be a director. The date on TM01 is the date the appointment ended, not the filing date.
Can you remove the only individual director?
A company must keep at least one individual director, and a public company needs at least two directors in total. If a departure has already left a shortfall, it still needs timely notification. Choose compliance review so the actual departure and the replacement requirements can be addressed correctly.
Can shareholders remove a director without their agreement?
Yes. Under section 168 of the Companies Act 2006, members can remove a director by ordinary resolution at a general meeting. Special notice of at least 28 days is needed, and the director has the right to be heard. Your articles may give other routes, so check them and take legal advice if it is disputed.
What if the director refuses to sign?
TM01 does not need the departing director's signature. The form is authenticated for the company, for example by another director, the secretary or an authorised person, and the paper form says no signature is needed. What matters is that the appointment has lawfully ended. If the director will not resign, shareholders can remove them by ordinary resolution at a general meeting under section 168 of the Companies Act 2006, or by any other route in the articles.
Do I need a board resolution?
Not to file TM01. A resignation takes effect under the director's notice and the articles. A removal by shareholders under section 168 needs an ordinary resolution passed at a general meeting, with special notice, not a board resolution or a written resolution. Your articles may give the board or others their own power to remove a director, so check them and keep the minutes or resolution with the company records.
Does resigning as a director mean I give up my shares?
No. Being a director and owning shares are separate. Selling or transferring shares needs its own paperwork, and a PSC cessation is reported separately on form PSC07.
Does a removed director disappear from the public register?
No. After TM01 is accepted, the appointment shows as ended, with the end date. Companies House keeps details of former officers on the public register, so the name still appears in the company's officer history.