Do You Know Your Companies House Filing Deadline?

There are two documents that a company must deliver to Companies House every year, namely the confirmation statement and annual financial statements ...

When it comes to Companies House, clients of Essendon can rest assured we take care of things!

Failure to do so will give rise to automatic financial penalties, and Companies House may commence the process of striking off the company from the register. Indeed, the company’s officers have obligations under the Companies Act to submit such documents on time, and failure to do so is a criminal offence.

Firstly, we need to establish the accounting reference date. This is usually the same each year unless the period is shortened or extended under certain permissible circumstances.

Normally, the accounting reference date will follow the month the company was formed, i.e. a company established in April will have an accounting period ending 30th April. The company, if private, then has 9 months from the accounting reference date to file the accounts, in this example, midnight on 31 January for a 30th April period end.

Sundays or bank holidays do not hold up as valid excuses! If the company is a public company, then the 9 months becomes 6 months.

What catches many people out is that for the first financial statements they must be filed within 21 months of the date the company was formed. So if the company was established on 1st April 2018 and preparing financial statements to 30th April 2019, it would have to file accounts by midnight on 1 January 2020, not 31 January 2020.

If the company shortens its accounting period, then the filing deadline is 9 months from the new accounting reference date (6 months for a public company), or 3 months from the date of the receipt of a notice to change the accounting reference date.

I mentioned the automatic penalties for late filing. For private companies the fines are as follows:

Not more than 1 month late - £150
More than 1 month, but no more than 3 months - £375
More than 3 months, but no more than 6 months - £750
More than 6 months - £1,500

The penalties are doubled for a repeat offence and for public companies it is a lot more. Therefore my advice is to always get your financial statements filed on time.

Existing clients of Essendon can rest assured we’re taking care of things with Companies House for you, but if you're in doubt, do call us on 01908 774320 or click here to ping us an email and let's see how we can help you.

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More about Roger Eddowes ...

Roger trained at Edward Thomas Peirson & Sons in Market Harborough before working at Hartwell & Co, followed by Chancery, as a partner. He started Essendon Accounts and Tax with Helen Beaumont in 2014 as a general practitioner with a hands-on approach.

Roger loves getting his hands dirty, working with emerging, small-to-medium and family businesses to ensure they receive the best possible accountancy advice. Roger utilises an extensive network of business contacts to leverage the best guidance and practical solutions.

Do You Know Your Companies House Filing Deadline?

If you don't file on time, you will be fined ...