Companies House filing deadlines for UK private companies

Annual accounts: the standard private-company rule

For subsequent annual accounts, a private company normally has 9 months from the end of its accounting reference period to deliver acceptable accounts to Companies House. Public companies normally have 6 months.

The filing deadline is based on when acceptable accounts are delivered to Companies House, not when they are prepared or sent internally. Different rules can apply to first accounts and when the accounting reference period changes.

First accounts can have a different deadline

GOV.UK states that a private company’s first accounts are generally due 21 months after incorporation. Companies House guidance adds detail for first accounts covering more than 12 months, where the deadline is within 21 months of incorporation or 3 months from the accounting reference date, whichever is longer.

Late accounts penalties

Current Companies House penalties for a private company are £150 when accounts are not more than 1 month late, £375 when more than 1 month but not more than 3 months late, £750 when more than 3 months but not more than 6 months late, and £1,500 when more than 6 months late. The penalty is doubled if accounts are late two years in a row.

Confirmation statements

Every company, including dormant and non-trading companies, must file at least one confirmation statement every 12 months. The review period normally ends 12 months after incorporation for the first statement, or 12 months after the date of the previous confirmation statement.

Companies House says the statement can be filed up to 14 days after the review period ends. Current guidance also requires the company to confirm that its intended future activities are lawful.

Why portfolio-level deadline control matters

The statutory rule is attached to each company, so a practice with dozens of clients can have deadlines spread across every week of the year. A central portfolio view reduces the risk of relying on individual calendar entries or memory and makes it easier to prioritise exceptions such as first accounts.