Report a paid-off company charge as satisfied (MR04)

A charge is security a company gives a lender, such as a mortgage over property or a debenture over its assets. When the debt is paid off, the charge is 'satisfied'. Form MR04 is the statement that tells Companies House the debt for a charge has been paid or satisfied, in full or in part.

Companies House says you do not have to tell it when a charge is satisfied. It also says satisfied charges left outstanding on its records could have a negative effect on your company. A lender, buyer or investor checking the register will see the charge as still in place until a statement of satisfaction is filed.

There is no deadline for an MR04. Satisfaction forms can be filed at any time. This is different from registering a new charge, which has a 21 day time limit.

Our service files the MR04 for the company using its company authentication code. A lender, or an agent acting for one, can also file charge documents once registered with Companies House as a lender. Your lender may file the MR04 itself when a loan is repaid, so ask them first to avoid a duplicate filing.

The statement must say whether the debt has been satisfied in full or in part. Choose 'in full' only when the whole debt secured by that charge has been repaid or discharged. If some of it is still owed, choose 'in part'.

An MR04 is about the debt being paid. If the debt is still owed but particular property has been released from the charge, or no longer belongs to the company, that is a different statement on form MR05. Our release property from a charge service covers that.

See also: Release property from a charge with an MR05 · Register a new charge with an MR01

• The company authentication code, so the filing can be made for the company.
• Which charge has been satisfied. For a charge created on or after 6 April 2013, this is the charge code shown on the register and on the registration certificate.
• For a historic registration before 6 April 2013: the actual creation or acquisition date and basis recorded on the original registration, optional charge number, instrument description if any, and complete property particulars. Conflicting dates or uncertain registration eras need separate review.
• Whether the debt was paid in full or in part.
• The name and address of the person delivering the statement. The address does not have to be a home address. It can be a service address or the company's registered office.
• That person's interest in the charge, for example the company as chargor, the lender as chargee, or an agent acting for one of them.
• Confirmation that the person is authorised to give the statement and that it is correct.
• The complete MR04 facts, registration evidence and genuine approval instructions. We check the uploaded contents and charge identity before payment; uploading a file alone does not verify them.
• Actual evidence supporting full or part satisfaction for our private checks. This is not a compulsory government attachment; no government satisfaction-date or amount field is required.
• Paper or uncertain cases need separate review. Paper MR04 requires the C2 deliverer's actual manuscript or automatically generated signature, not a typed name. Our ordinary service uses the verified company online authentication route.

The statement can be delivered by the company that gave the charge (the chargor), the lender (the chargee), or someone acting for either of them, such as a solicitor or accountant.

Everything on the MR04 appears on the public record, including the name, address and interest of the person delivering it. Use a service address rather than a home address if you do not want it shown publicly.

Once Companies House accepts the MR04, it records the statement of satisfaction against that charge on the public register. The register does not change before then. Payment, or a submission receipt, does not on its own mean the statement has been accepted.

Filing an MR04 updates the Companies House register only. If the charge is a legal charge over land, removing it from the property title at HM Land Registry is a separate process, usually handled by the lender or a solicitor.

1. Find your company and choose the charge from the list taken from its Companies House register. Only charges already on the register can be selected.
2. Tell us whether the debt was paid in full or in part, and give the deliverer's name, address and interest in the charge.
3. We check these against the MR04 requirements and ask about anything unclear, such as two similar charges from the same lender.
4. You approve the MR04 before it is submitted to Companies House.

• Choosing 'in full' when part of the debt is still owed. Companies House cannot informally correct an MR04 once it is registered, so check the redemption statement or the lender's confirmation first.
• Picking the wrong charge when the company has several. Check the charge code, the lender's name and the creation date.
• Using MR04 when property has been released but the debt is still owed. That needs MR05.
• Putting a home address in the deliverer's address. It will appear on the public record.
• Filing for a limited liability partnership. LLPs use form LL MR04, which this service does not cover.
• Filing a second MR04 for a charge the lender has already marked as satisfied. Check the register first.