Protected Online Filing Scheme | PROOF
PROOF is a service which protects your company from unauthorised or fraudulent changes to your records. It prevents the filing of certain paper forms, such as changes to your company’s registered office address or directors’ details.
Once we have the authentication code to file electronically, we can then sign you up to PROOF, the PROtected Online Filing service, designed to reduce identity fraud and will only accept forms relating to changes of address and directors from you electronically.
PROtected Online Filing (PROOF) Service
The scheme is designed to help companies protect themselves from fraudulent filings as it prevents individuals from filing certain paper forms.
The forms covered by the PROOF scheme are:
- Confirmation Statement (previously the Annual Return)
- Appointments
- Terminations
- Change of Particulars – Company Officers
- Change of Registered Office Address
Registering your company for PROOF means that Companies House stop accepting paper forms. This ensures that any changes made have been registered by the company itself.
Registering your company for statutory PROOF service
Once your company is in the PROOF scheme, you can be assured that attempts to file the following forms on paper will be rejected:
- Confirmation Statement (previously the Annual Return)
- Change of Registered Office address
- Appointment, termination or change of particulars of company officer
Filings covered by PROOF
The following filings are covered by the PROOF scheme:
- Confirmation Statement/ CS01
- Appointment of director/ AP01
- Appointment of secretary/ AP03
- Appointment of corporate secretary/ AP04
- Change of director’s details/ CH01
- Change of secretary’s details/ CH03
- Change of corporate secretary’s details/ CH04
- Termination of appointment of director/ TM01
- Termination of appointment of secretary/ TM02
- Change of registered office address/ AD01
The statutory PROOF scheme will reject paper submissions of the above forms only; any other form type filed on paper can be accepted.
Filings submitted using WebFiling
- Notification of single alternative inspection location/ SAIL
- Notification of location of company records to the single alternative inspection location
- Change of location of company records to the registered office
- Return of Allotments of Shares
- Change of Accounting Reference Date
- Audit Exempt Abbreviated Accounts
- Dormant Company Accounts
WebFiling Service
Using WebFiling, the online filing service, is far safer and a more secure way to send the statutory information than using paper forms sent by post.