As Accountants we are always getting correspondence from Companies House.  I thought it may well be worthwhile sharing this letter from Companies House in its entirety, as it gives a useful overview of delivering your Limited company accounts to Companies House.

Your Company Accounts are Due Soon

Parliament imposes strict deadlines for the delivery of statutory documents.  We are sending you this notice because we have not yet received your company’s accounts for the period XX/XX/XX to XX/XX/XX, and to remind you that the last day for delivery is XX/XX/XX (note: this is normally 9 months after your year-end date).  We want to help you deliver the accounts on time.  Here are some things you need to know.

1. Muse the company deliver accounts this year?

Yes.  The company must deliver accounts whether or not it traded during the period.  There are special arrangements for dormant companies to make preparation of accounts easier.  More detailed advice is available in the full range of guidance booklets on our website www.gov.cuk/companieshouse along with information on filing certain types of accounts electronically via our web filing service.  In order to use the service you need to register for an authentication code which can only be sent by post to the registered office and may take up to five days to arrive.

2. What will happen if the deadline is missed?

The directors could be prosecuted, or the company removed from the Register.  Also, if the accounts are delivered late, the company itself will incur a penalty.  The penalty increases with the period of delay, and there are no exceptions because of company’s size, nature of business or trading position.  Where there is a failure to comply with filing requirements of the 2006 Companies Act in consecutive years, the penalty will be doubled for the current year’s accounts.  More information on penalties is available on our website

3. Can’t meet the Deadline

You may be able to apply for more time, but there must be exceptional circumstances beyond the control of the directors and their professional advisers.  If you need advice on applying for an extension of time you can call us on 0131 535 5844, but applications must be made in writing and received by Companies House before the above deadline.

4. No Longer need the Company?

You may be able to apply to remove it from the register.  Please ring our enquiry number 0303 1234 500 for advice.