Registered email address requirement (ECCTA)

The Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act 2023 (ECCTA) introduced a mandatory registered email address for every UK company. New companies supply it at incorporation from 4 March 2024; existing companies must provide it at their next confirmation statement after that date.

What is this filing?

A registered email address is a private email address held by Companies House for official communications — it does not appear on the public register. Companies House uses it to send official notices. The requirement applies to all UK private and public limited companies and LLPs incorporated under the Companies Act 2006.

When is it due?

New companies: provide a registered email at the point of incorporation (form IN01), from 4 March 2024. Existing companies: the registered email address is collected the first time a confirmation statement is filed on or after 4 March 2024. There is no separate standalone deadline — it is captured as part of the next annual confirmation-statement cycle.

What's the penalty for missing it?

Under ECCTA, providing false or misleading information to Companies House is a criminal offence. The registered email address must be one that the company uses for ordinary correspondence and communications — using a disposable or non-functional address is a compliance risk. Companies House can take enforcement action for persistent non-compliance.

What it actually costs

The registered email requirement is a relatively new compliance obligation under ECCTA. While there is no standalone monetary late-filing penalty, providing a false or non-functional email address can be treated as providing false information to Companies House — a criminal offence. The practical risk is that official notices go undelivered, including first gazette notices for strike-off, creating an uncaught compliance cascade.

Why this catches practices out

• Many practices automatically used their own email address when filing the first confirmation statement post-March 2024 — without thinking through how incoming CH notices will be managed.
• Clients who did not update their registered email address may not receive Companies House notices, including strike-off warnings.

How PenaltyProof helps

PenaltyProof's confirmation-statement monitoring (paid plans) covers the deadline at which the registered email address is collected — every client confirmation-statement alert also prompts the practice to verify the registered email is current.

Frequently asked questions

Is the registered email address public?

No. The registered email address is held by Companies House but is not published on the public register and is not visible to third parties.

Can the registered email address be a practice's own email?

Yes. A company can use its accountant's email as the registered email address, provided it is an address used for ordinary correspondence and communications with the company. Practices should consider how they will manage these communications.

What happens if the registered email address is wrong or out of date?

Companies House uses the registered email address to send official notices. If the address is incorrect, notices may not be received — including strike-off warnings. It should be updated whenever the practice or client email changes.

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