Annual Accounts — What You Need to File

Who needs to file?

Every company registered at Companies House must file annual accounts — even dormant companies, even companies that have not traded. The only exception is companies that have been formally dissolved. You can check any company's filing history on BizLookup.

Deadlines

Your accounts must be filed within 9 months of your accounting reference date (the end of your financial year). For a company with a 31 March year-end, accounts are due by 31 December.

For your first accounts after incorporation, you get a longer period — 21 months from incorporation (but only 9 months from the accounting reference date, whichever is shorter).

Late filing penalties

These penalties are automatic — Companies House does not send warnings. If you file late two years in a row, the penalties are doubled.

Types of accounts

Micro-entity accounts

You qualify as a micro-entity if you meet 2 of these 3 criteria:

• Turnover: £632,000 or less
• Balance sheet total: £316,000 or less
• Employees: 10 or fewer

Micro-entity accounts are the simplest form. You file a balance sheet with very limited notes and no profit & loss account. This means your revenue and profit are not publicly visible — a significant privacy advantage.

Small company accounts

You qualify as small if you meet 2 of these 3 criteria:

• Turnover: £10.2 million or less
• Balance sheet total: £5.1 million or less
• Employees: 50 or fewer

Small company accounts are more detailed than micro-entity but you can still file abbreviated accounts with Companies House (a balance sheet and limited notes, but no P&L). You must still prepare full accounts for shareholders and HMRC.

Medium and large company accounts

These must include a full balance sheet, profit and loss account, cash flow statement, directors' report, and detailed notes. Large companies also require an auditor's report.

What to include in your accounts

At minimum, your accounts filed at Companies House must include:

• Balance sheet — a snapshot of what the company owns (assets) and owes (liabilities) on the last day of the financial year.
• Director's statement — a declaration that the accounts have been prepared in accordance with the small companies regime (or micro-entity provisions).
• Notes to the accounts — accounting policies and any additional information required by the Companies Act.

The accounts you send to HMRC with your Corporation Tax return are more detailed (full P&L, tax computation). Use the CalcPad Corporation Tax Calculator to estimate your tax liability.

How to file

Most companies file online through Companies House WebFiling or through their accountant's software (Xero, QuickBooks, FreeAgent and Sage all support direct filing). Paper filing is still accepted but takes longer to process.

Dormant companies can file a simplified form (AA02) confirming no significant accounting transactions occurred during the period. See our dormant company guide for more details.

Corporation Tax return — a separate filing

Do not confuse Companies House accounts with your Corporation Tax return. They are different filings to different organisations:

• Companies House — receives abbreviated/micro accounts (balance sheet only for small companies)
• HMRC — receives full accounts plus a CT600 tax return and tax computation

Both are due within different time frames, so track both deadlines carefully.