Companies House fees have increased for the first time in eight years and, unfortunately, clients are picking up the tab.
Annual confirmation statements for limited companies have gone up from £13 to £34, for example.
Partner Gary Makinson explained Companies House had warned of increased charges some time ago to help pay for changes in the law.
The Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act came into force last year introducing reforms to tackle the abuse of UK corporate structures for the purposes of fraud and money laundering.
Gary said: “Presently, for every limited company we deal with, we settle the £13 confirmation statement fee to Companies House direct. This then gets recharged to the client on their next invoice.
“Going from £13 to £34 is obviously a huge hike in disbursements that we need to pass on.
“Understandably, having been £13 for so long, clients are wondering about the additional charge.
“Companies House has new powers and it is saying the increased fees will help pay for them.
“Clearly, it is aiming to improve the quality of data it holds on firms. In time, this may mean more financial information will need to be submitted to Companies House and put in the public domain.”
The full list of new charges can be found by going to http://changestoukcompanylaw.campaign.gov.uk