A director who has also been acting as company secretary and is now giving up both posts has two Companies House filings to make. TM02 ends the secretary appointment and nothing else. The note in its margin sends the directorship to TM01, “Termination of appointment of director”.
Version 6.0 of the paper form is dated 11/25 and printed with section 279G of the Companies Act 2006 under the code. GOV.UK refreshed the download page on 18 November 2025; its change note mentions changes to company registers and the launch of mandatory identity verification. Page 1 holds four numbered boxes. Page 2 has a checklist and a presenter block you can leave empty.
Which secretary, which company
TM02 covers a secretary of either kind: a person, or a firm or company appointed as corporate secretary. The form takes a single appointment. If two secretaries leave on the same date, Companies House expects two TM02s.
Two other Companies House forms carry TM02 in their code. A secretary of an overseas company is removed on OS TM02. LL TM02 is not the LLP version of this form at all: it terminates the appointment of a judicial factor (Scotland) of a limited liability partnership.
GOV.UK’s set-up guidance says a private company must have a director but does not have to appoint a company secretary. If the company does bring in someone new, that is a separate filing on AP03 for an individual or AP04 for a corporate secretary.
Page 1, box by box
Complete it in typescript or in bold black capitals. The only field marked optional with an asterisk is the secretary’s title.
Box 1, company details
The company name in full and the company number. Both are compared with the register, and a mismatch is the first item on the page 2 checklist.
Box 2, the secretary as registered
The heading reads “Secretary’s current details on the Register”, and the instruction beside it asks for the appointment details held on the public Register. Take them from the company’s entry on Companies House, so the name matches the record that is being closed. There are lines for title, full forenames and a combined “Surname/Corporate name” line. A corporate secretary’s name goes on that last line.
Box 3, termination date
The date the appointment ended, in day, month and year boxes (dd mm yyyy).
Box 4, authentication
A printed name; the form says no signature is needed. It lists who may authenticate: a director, the secretary, a person authorised under section 270 or 274 of the Companies Act 2006, a liquidator, administrator, administrative receiver, receiver, receiver manager, Charity Commission receiver and manager, CIC manager or judicial factor.
Fourteen days from the change
GOV.UK’s guide to running a limited company says Companies House must be told within 14 days of changes to company secretaries, and it names both cases: appointing a new one and ending an existing one’s appointment. When a secretary is replaced, that covers both filings: the TM02 for the departure and the AP03 or AP04 for the new appointment.
Filing online, on paper, or under PROOF
Companies House points people to its online service first and warns that paper forms sent by post take longer to process. The GOV.UK page links the online route as “File your termination of a secretary’s appointment online”. For a paper TM02, the form directs you to gov.uk/companies-house/offices for the right postal address and gives enquiries@companieshouse.gov.uk for questions.
Check whether the company is in PROOF, the protected online filing scheme, before printing anything. TM02 is on the list of forms PROOF covers, which also includes the other officer forms such as AP03, AP04, CH03, CH04 and TM01. A PROOF company’s paper TM02 is rejected and returned to the registered office. The status shows on the company’s online overview screen: a locked padlock means the company is registered, an unlocked one means it is not, and a clock icon means an application is in progress. If a paper filing really cannot be avoided while the company stays in the scheme, Companies House asks for a paper consent form.
Official PDF: TM02 — Official PDF (assets.publishing.service.gov.uk)
What page 2 asks you to confirm
- The company name and number match the public Register.
- The name of the departing secretary is entered correctly.
- The termination date is filled in.
- The form is authenticated.
Companies House warns on the same page that forms completed incorrectly or with information missing may be sent back.
Forms next to TM02
- TM01, termination of appointment of a director
- AP03 and AP04, appointment of an individual or corporate secretary
- CH03 and CH04, changes to a secretary’s or corporate secretary’s details
- OS TM02, termination of a secretary of an overseas company
- LL TM02, termination of a judicial factor (Scotland) of an LLP
Sources
- Companies House, TM02 Termination of appointment of secretary, version 6.0, 11/25 (assets.publishing.service.gov.uk)
- GOV.UK, Terminate an appointment of a secretary (TM02), last updated 18 November 2025 (gov.uk)
- GOV.UK, Running a limited company: company information you must report (gov.uk)
- Companies House, Protect your company from corporate identity theft (PROOF) (gov.uk)
- GOV.UK, Set up a private limited company (gov.uk)
- GOV.UK, OS TM02 and LL TM02 form pages (OS TM02, LL TM02)