PROOF

Background

The PROOF (PROtected Online Filing) scheme continues to protect companies from fraudulent filings by preventing companies from filing certain forms on paper.  The forms covered by the PROOF scheme are:

• Appointments
• Terminations
• Change of Particulars (Company Officers)
• Change of Registered Office Address
• Annual Return

When a company has joined the PROOF scheme, Companies House will reject any paper versions of these forms and send them back to the registered office address.  This helps to ensure that any changes made have been registered by the company itself.

The PROOF scheme has been in operation since 2005 and initially customers could only join the scheme by submitting a paper (PR1) form.  In June this year, Companies House implemented an electronic opt-in facility, which allowed customers who were registered for the WebFiling service to sign their companies in and out of PROOF on line using their company authentication code.

Companies Act 2006 – PROOF (PROtected Online Filing) Scheme Changes

With the introduction of the Companies Act 2006 and the radical changes to company law, the PROOF scheme now has new terms and conditions which operate under the statutory framework of the Companies Act 2006 (section 1070).

N.B.: Companies already registered for PROOF will need to transfer to the new PROOF scheme because the old schemes will eventually be withdrawn. To transfer, customers simply need to click a box to agree to the new terms and conditions displayed on the WebFiling screens.

Companies House advises customers who are not already registered for PROOF to sign up to the service via WebFiling in order to protect their company against fraudulent filings.

Further information on the sign-up process for PROOF (existing paper & electronic customers)

For further information on the sign-up process for PROOF (new customers)