Annual Accounts
2 February 2022
The company is required to file annual accounts at Companies House regardless of if it has traded or not. If a company has not traded, dormant accounts will be required. If a company has traded the accounts will be prepared based on Companies Act requirements which governs the amount of disclosure in the accounts and if an audit is required.
The first accounts will be prepared from the date of incorporation up to the anniversary of the end of the month in which the incorporation took place. So if the company was incorporated 15 December 2021, the first accounts would be prepared to 31 December 2022, the accounting reference date (ARD).
The ARD can be changed to extend the accounting period to a maximum of 18 months. The ARD can only be extended once in five years (in normal circumstances) but can be shortened more often.
The filing deadline is nine months and a day after the ARD. So this would be 1 October 2023 if the ARD was 31 December with accounts made up to 31 December 2022.
In the first annual accounts for a company, the filing deadline is nine months and a day after the incorporation date.
There are financial penalties for not filing company accounts on the required dates. See below:
Late filing penalty fees
The penalty only applies to accounts. The level of the penalty depends on how late the accounts reach Companies House.
| Length of period (measured from the date the accounts are due) | Penalty for a private company or LLP | Penalty for a public company |
| Not more than 1 month | £150 | £750 |
| More than 1 month but not more than 3 months | £375 | £1,500 |
| More than 3 months but not more than 6 months | £750 | £3,000 |
| More than 6 months | £1,500 | £7,500 |
The penalty will be doubled if accounts are filed late in 2 successive financial years (beginning on or after 6 April 2008).
Same Day Company Services can assist you with incorporating a company. We will also remind you of the filing deadlines of the company should you use our address for your Registered Office. We can also file dormant accounts for you if the company has not traded.
Please contact us if you would like to discuss any of our services.