Introduction
The Companies House Electronic Filing Service allows presenters to file data for selected transactions electronically and provides notifications on the status of the forms (accepted, rejected, or pending).
Prepare to File Electronically
Before using GEMS to file forms electronically, the GEMS System Administrator must complete several tasks:
1. Apply to Companies House to use the Electronic Filing Service.
2. Receive Presenter details and authentication details from Companies House.
3. Add Company Authentication Codes to GEMS
4. Add Presenter details to GEMS
If you have been filing with Companies House electronically already, it is likely step 1 & 2 have already been completed!
Apply to Companies House to Use the Electronic Filing Service
To register, visit the Companies House website and complete the Online Filing Service’s Credit Account Application. Companies House operates two online filing services: Electronic Filing and WebFiling. It is the Electronic Filing service that you must register for if you want to submit electronic filings using GEMS.
Assign Company Authentication Codes & Receive Presenter Details
Assign each company a Company Authentication Code. This code must be included in all electronic documents filed on behalf of the company.
Upon successful application, Companies House will send presenter authentication details. Presenters must send a list of company authentication codes to Companies House.
Enter Electronic Filing Details in GEMS
1. Navigate to Company >View More Details
2. Click on Electronic Filing > Electronic Filing Authentication.
3. Click the Edit button
4. Enter the 6 digit authentication code issued by Companies House for the company in the Company Authentication Code field.
5. If the company holds a Director or Company Secretary appointment that you may file electronic submissions for in the future, then also add the authentication details of the company’s nominated representative. At least three pieces of representative authentication information must be entered. Click the Save button.
Add the Same Company Authentication Code to a Group of Companies
1. Navigate to Admin> GEMS Settings > System Management.
2. Click on Electronic Filing > Company Authentication Code in the left-hand menu. Click the Edit button.
3. Enter the Company Authentication Code for the companies and choose the companies to which the code should be applied using the lookup icon. Click the Save button.
Set up a Presenter in GEMS (Admin only)
1. Navigate to Admin> GEMS Settings > System Management.
2. Click on Electronic Filing > Presenters in the left-hand menu. A list of any existing presenters is displayed. Click Presenters and input the presenters details.
3. Either click New Presenter and enter the name and email address of the person who will act as the presenter or Edit the current Presenter details by clicking the edit button next to the name of the Presenter. This must be the same name and email address registered at Companies House.
4. When editing the Presenter details select the Jurisdiction of United Kingdom so that all available UK filings will be covered by the presenter. You can use the Search icon to locate and select the required jurisdiction.
The jurisdiction of the presenter must match the jurisdiction of the companies for which the person is the presenter, for example, if the presenter jurisdiction is ‘England’, they will be able to file electronically only for companies whose jurisdiction is ‘England’; they will not be able to file for companies whose jurisdiction is ‘England & Wales’, ‘Scotland’, ‘Northern Ireland’, etc.
5. Enter the Presenter Identifier provided by Companies House in the Identifier/ Electronic Signature String field and the Presenter Authentication Code in the Authentication/PIN’ field.
Remove the first two zeroes from the Account Number provided by Companies House and then enter the following six digits in the Reference field.
For example, the account number 00503010000 would be 503010 in the Reference field in GEMS.
If the presenter is set up as a GEMS user, use the search icon to select the user and populate it in the Assign to User(s) field. You can select more than one user.
If this presenter should be used by default for electronic filing in this jurisdiction, select the Default checkbox.
Click the Save button to save the presenter details to the database.
